Home Safety Checklist For Bloomington

Staying safe and secure in your house should be your topmost concern. But are you forgetting one or two useful safety items? Take this home safety checklist for Bloomington and find out where your home requires an update.

This guide starts with some whole-home safety techniques, and then we whittle it down room-by-room. Then, call (309) 316-6083 or complete the form below to get your house safe and secure.

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Bloomington

While you should use a room-by-room process for home safety in Bloomington, there are a few methods that are useful for your entire home. These components can sync with one another through a wireless hub, and can even work off other things. You might also manage every one of your home safety devices with a mobile security app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your doors and windows should employ a sensor that notifies you and your family to forced entry. When an alarm triggers, your monitoring expert picks up the call and immediately contacts the police or fire department.

Smart Bulbs For Every Major Room: Sure, you can schedule your smart lighting to make your home more eco-conscience. But they can also allow you to keep safe in an emergency. Make your lights come on when a security alarm trips to frighten off intruders or illuminate a path to a secure place.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Bloomington should save you up to 15% in energy costs. It also can start your exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Fire Alarms: It’s code that you have a fire alarm on every level of your house. You can improve your fire readiness by installing a monitored fire alarm that detects unusual smoke and heat, and pings your 24-hour monitoring agents when it detects a fire.

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every doorway that utilizes a keyed lock can upgrade to a smart lock. Now you can preset codes to each family member and receive notifications to your smartphone when your locks are unlocked. Your doors can even automatically turn off, letting you quickly flee the house when you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Bloomington

You’ll spend a lot of time in your living room, so it’s the best room to optimize your home safety. Popular items, like your TV or stereo system, usually are located in your family room, making it a popular area for burglars. Start with hanging a motion detector or indoor security camera by the doorway, then continue on with some of these safety protocols:

Motion Detectors: By putting in motion detectors, you’ll get a shrieking alarm if they sense unusual motion in your living room. Look for motion detectors that aren’t set off by pet movements or you’ll have a tripped alarm every time your dog roams by for a bite of food.
Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you an eye on your living room. View constant streams of the area so you can see what’s going on through the mobile app. Or speak with your kids when they come back from school using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Protect expensive electronics and quit overburdening your outlets with a surge protector. For additional comfort, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality built-in.
Heavy Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll need to bolt your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to the wall. This is extra crucial if your family room has carpet that might make heavy objects extra wobbly.
Enhanced Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your family room uses a sliding glass door that slides out to a deck, patio, or outside porch, you get that the door lock is fairly worthless. Put in an enhanced lock, like a cross bar or small locks that secures the door to the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Bloomington

Your kitchen has plenty of items that can bring comfort and safety to your house. Some of these items are also easy to add and should be purchased from the a retail store:

Fire Extinguisher: Fire can spring up from an overfilled frying pan or an errant grease splatter. Always store a fire extinguisher in close reach for any stove or oven mishaps.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be installed everywhere there’s nearby running water to prevent a deadly shock. That means the plugs around your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been code to have one GFCI per circuit. But each one of your plugs will go dead if any outlet sees a surge, so try to use an unchained GFCI on each outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is recommended for spaces that use a gas stove and oven. If your gas burners malfunction, the CO detector will play a loud, buzzing sound and contact your monitoring agent.
Cleaning Wipes Or Spray: The largest safety hazard in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and contamination that comes with uncooked meat and vegetables. Always have antiviral wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your counters after preparing food.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in the fridge should stay at a chilly temperature to stay ready to use. If you accidently leave the freezer or refrigerator door open, then a constant beep will remind you to check the seal. Some fridges already have this installed, others won’t, and you’ll have to buy an external alarm from the store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Bloomington

Just because there’s not a bunch of square footage in your bathroom, you will still have safety issues. From flood detectors to medicine care, here are some safety tips for your bathroom:

Flood Sensors: A leaking sink or tub can lead to extensive water damage. Discover a water problem with a flood detector before they generate hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage.
Non-slip Bathroom Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing pulled muscles, sore joints, or sprained ankles. You can prevent these problems with a non-slip bath mat for after your bath or shower.

No-slip Bathtub Stickers: Like a tiled floor, a tub basin can be a slick place to be on. Make sure each bathtub has some non-slip strips so your feet and toes have a rough patch to grip.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have little children or a family member with memory complications, you need to take extra attention regarding prescription medicine. Secure your pills and syrups by using a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

GFCI Circuits: Just like the kitchen, you will have to also use a safer GFCI outlet on each bathroom circuit. This will cut the electric current if water splashes on them or there’s a harmful jolt from a hair dryer or curling iron.

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Bloomington

A child’s bedroom should balance safety with manageability. If their window treatments or other things are safe but difficult to manage, then your child may perform dangerous activities -- like scale a dresser -- to touch them. Here are 5 simple, yet safe, ideas:

No Cord Window Coverings: Safety experts have identified corded window treatments a hidden problem for both children and pets. Install motorized shades that your child can easily manage with a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your motorized coverings to your ADT security system so they can raise automatically when the sun comes up, and go down at night for added darkness.

Indoor Security Camera: A camera sitting on your toddler’s desk or dresser can double as a high tech baby monitor that you can view from a smartphone. And when they want you, they can push the two-way talk feature on the camera.

Plug Covers: While every outlet should use protective covers on them when you have small children, this is especially important in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your child will most likely be by themselves without consistent additional supervision.

Window Fire Ladder: If you use bedrooms on an upper level, then you should put in a window escape ladder. These can help your children leave the house even if the stairway or lower levels are engulfed in smoke and fire. Just remember to go over how to unfurl the ladder one or two times a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s strange to think about a toy box as a safety item, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever walked on an action figure in your socked feet. A clean floor means a quick retreat if there’s a fire or break-in.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Bloomington

The main bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety devices make you more responsive if there's an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a high-decibel siren can be quite a shock.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser lets you see what’s going on without leaving your bed. You could alternatively turn on your ADT smartphone app. However, the large touchscreen can be easier to use to use when you’re bleary-eyed and finding your bearings.

Device Charging Stand: We depend on our cell phones for so much now GPS, news readers, game machines, and sometimes even phones. The only problem is that a depleted cell can cut us off from communications if something goes wrong. To make sure your phone always works, a an easy-to-use charging station is an essential.

Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A small light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a fire alarm or other loud noises. If you won’t drift off to sleep with a small nightlight, use smart bulbs in your fixtures. Then you can get light anytime with a push of a button or vocal command.
Fireproof Lockbox: Stash your important papers like insurance cards, medical information, or a bankbook in a fireproof safe. Your safe can be a bigger one that is located in your closet or a smaller handheld safe that you can snatch when you leave during an emergency event.

Temperature Sensor: The problem with most bedrooms is that they tend to feel too stuffy or be frigid because they sit far from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can communicate to your smart thermostat so you should have a pleasant, peaceful sleep at just the right climate.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Bloomington

Most safety needs in the garage or basement have to do with your water or HVAC system. Finding problems early can stop bigger problems in the future. So, as you look around your basement or garage, check over these crucial items:

Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood alarm by your water heater and sump pump drain can save you from wading into a mess when you step into your garage or basement. It’s sure better than rummaging through a heap of destroyed storage boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s nice to install a CO alarm in areas where a gas leak can spring up. If you have a gas furnace, you should install a detector in the same room as your unit.
Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm detects a hot water leak or a burst pipe, then you will want to shut off the main water pipe at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can block water flow from your phone. That’s perfect when you’re visiting relatives and get a water leak notification on your smartphone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up causes all sorts of headaches. You can lose a bunch of heat through that large opening, and critters or intruders can just wander in. A sensor will notify you about an open garage door and lets you close it through the app.
Temperature Sensor: A temperature alarm in your basement or garage is essential if you fret about freezing pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be drastically different than the main part of the home, so you may need to maintain a close look on the temp through your security mobile app.

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Bloomington

Your landscaping, driveway, and front porch are just as crucial to secure as the rest of your home. Use this checklist to defend your perimeter:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s at the the front step before you answer it and welcome guests. Get a visual on deliveries and review video clips if they vanish off the step.

Outdoor Camera: You can place outdoor cameras to guard against late night activity in your yard. These devices are especially useful in areas where you may not have a window installed -- like around a cellar or by the garage door.

Window Height Shrubbery: High shrubs can offer some solitude, but they also obscure your view of the yard. Don’t give potential thieves an area to hide. Plus, large bushes or foliage too close to your house can jam up gutters and bring in ants and termites.
ADT Signage: One of the most popular discouragements for a break-in is advertising to would-be burglars that you have an updated ADT security system. An ADT yard sign by the front door and a window sticker will alert lurkers that they should shove off to an easier house.

Motion Activated Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the greatest enemy to people who sneak around in the shadows. Motion-triggered lights on your porch, garage, or deck can shoo lurkers away. Lights also help you see the walk when you get back home on those dark, winter nights.

Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Bloomington

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install each household item on your Bloomington home safety checklist, we can install a customized security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can install the ideal system for your family’s needs. Simply phone (309) 316-6083 for more information or complete the form below. Or personalize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.