Residential Home Security – Improve Your Door Security
There are a lot of things that you can do to improve your home’s security and the majority of them don’t require you to deal with a burglar alarm company. Even though I may recommend having a burglar alarm system, that may not always an option for some. With that in mind, I want to show you how to improve your residential home security starting with your doors.
The doors to your home are going to be the first place a burglar looks to enter because it will be the easiest way in and out. It’s important to make sure that ALL of your entry doors (including the back door and garage door) are reinforced.
A home invasion can occur any time of day or night (most burglaries happen during the day when the owners are likely to be at work) and access can be gained in a variety of ways. You should consider the following when deciding on what kind of door hardware you will install to improve your door security:
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Doors can be kicked in.
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Door locks can be picked.
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Glass near or in the door can be broken and the door unlocked.
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Doors can be left unlocked.
Doors and locks should be your first line of defense in residential home security. You want to make sure that your door security is affordable but at the same time you don’t want to scrimp when it comes to selecting your door locks and any other home security devices that you may use.
Here are a few things that you can do to increase your doors security:
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Install a good quality door locks on all doors going into the house. Don’t forget about the door that leads from the garage into the home. And make sure that you train yourself to lock them. It doesn’t do much good to have a lock on a door if you aren’t going to use it.
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If you have glass in or near an exterior door, treat it with a security film. Using some kind of safety film will make it more difficult for a burglar to break the glass and simply reach in to unlock the door.
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Replace the door security strike plate with one made of heavy gauge metal and use extra long screws. A standard door strike plate that comes with every door lock do not provide much security, especially when you use the two short screws that come with it.
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Don’t leave a spare door key under the front doormat or anywhere near your front door. Burglars know all the standard hiding places. If you have to have a spare key outside, make sure to leave it a good distance from your door.
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If you have a sliding glass door, use a pin or a bar to prevent it from being forced open. Make sure that the door that slides is mounted on the inside. If it’s mounted on the outside, a burglar only has to lift it off the track and remove it to gain entry.
Improving your home security doesn’t mean that you have to spend a fortune on a fancy burglar alarm system. You can always use a different approach for your home security solutions. Make sure that your doors are reinforced with as much security as you can afford. Many of these door security tips can be done yourself if you are handy with the tools. Burglars will always look for the easiest way in. Do what you can to make your home as secure as possible so that a burglar will think twice about YOUR home.
