Home Safety Checklist For Amarillo

Keeping safe in your home should be your number one responsibility. But are you overlooking a few big safety components? Look over this home safety checklist for Amarillo and discover where your home can use an update.

This guide starts with a few whole-house safety ideas, and then we break it down room-by-room. Then, phone (806) 302-1613 or complete the form below to talk to a security professional.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Amarillo

While you will want to take a room-to-room approach to home safety, there are some things that are useful for your entire home. These devices can link with one another through a smart hub, and often can react to other components. You might also control each of your home safety devices through a mobile security app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Home Security System: Each one of your windows and doors should use a sensor that notifies you and your family to intrusion. After your alarm triggers, your monitoring agent answers the alert and quickly calls the police or fire department.

Smart Lighting For Every Major Room: Of course, you can set your smart lighting so your house is more eco-conscience. But they can also allow you to keep safe during an emergency. Have your smart bulbs flash on when an alarm triggers to frighten off intruders or illuminate your way to a secure place.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Amarillo could save you 10%-15% in utility spending. Also, it can turn on an exhaust fan during a fire.

Monitored Fire Detectors: At the very least, you will have a fire detector on each floor. You can improve your fire readiness by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that detects both heat and smoke, and alerts your 24-hour monitoring agents when it detects a fire.

Smart Door Locks: Every doorway that utilizes a deadbolt can upgrade to a smart lock. Now you can preset key codes to each family member and get texts to your phone when the locks are activated. Your locks can even automatically turn off, letting you quickly flee the house during an emergency.

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Amarillo

You’ll hang out most in your living room, so it’s the perfect room to kick off your home safety makeover. Highly sought after items, like a TV or video game console, typically sit in your living room, making it a popular area for thieves. Begin with hanging a motion sensor or indoor security camera in your room, then try all these safety protocols:

Motion Detectors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll hear a shrieking alarm anytime they detect unusual movement in your living room. Look for motion detectors that filter out a dog or cat or you’ll have a tripped alarm every time your pet passes through for a bite of food.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera offers a constant watch on your family room. Watch live streams of the area so you can see what’s happening without leaving your bed. Or chat with your family in the living room with the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard expensive electronics and stop overloading your electric system with a surge protector. For added energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality built-in.
Heavy Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to bolt your heavy furniture and entertainment center to a wall. This is extra important if your family room has carpeting that might make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
Special Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your family room has a sliding glass door that opens to a patio, deck, or porch, you get that the latch is usually flimsy. Use a special lock, like a metal bar or locks that are located on the top and bottom of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Amarillo

Your kitchen has room for items that can bring comfort and safety to your home. Most of these things should be simple to add and should be found in the Target or Walmart:

Fire Extinguisher: Fire can spring up from an overfilled pot or an errant grease splatter. Always keep a fire extinguisher at hand for any stove or oven emergencies.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be used anywhere there’s nearby running water to prevent electrocution. That means the plugs around your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been required to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But if you don’t want every outlet to turn off when one outlet surges, try to use a separate GFCI for every outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is handy in kitchens that employ gas for the stove and oven. If your gas appliances malfunction, the CO detector will play a loud siren and call your monitoring professional.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety problem in the kitchen is actually bacteria and contamination that comes with uncooked meat and vegetables. Always store cleaning wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your counters after cooking.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in the fridge need to stay at a chilly temperature to be safe to consume. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open, then an alarm beep will remind you to close the door. Some appliances come with this installed, others won’t, and you’ll have to get a refrigerator alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Amarillo

Just because you may not have a bunch of square footage in your bathroom, you will still have safety concerns. From flood prevention to electric safety, here are some safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Sensors: A leaking sink or shower can lead to a whole lot of destruction. Find out early about pooling water with a flood detector before they cause hundreds of dollars in renovations.
Non-slip Bath Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, sore joints, or broken bones. Make sure you prevent these hazards with a textured bathroom mat for while you towel off.

No-slip Bathtub Stickies: Likewise, a tub basin can be a slippery area to stand in. Make sure each tub has some no-slip strips so your feet have a textured patch for stability.

Medicine Door Latch: If you have curious children or a family member with memory complications, you should take additional attention regarding prescribed medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by installing a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

GFCI Circuits: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you need to also put in a grounded GFCI outlet on each bathroom receptacle. This will stop the flow of the current if water enters the outlet or you have a harmful surge from a curling iron or hair dryer.

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Amarillo

A child’s bedroom should balance safety with accessibility. If their window treatments or other items are safe but tricky to operate, then your children may try unsafe activities -- like shimmying up a dresser -- to touch them. Here are some simple, yet safe, ideas:

Cord-Free Window Treatments: Safety professionals have long called cords from shades and blinds a secret problem for kids and pets. Put in motorized shades that kids can easily control through a remote control. Or even better, pair your motorized treatments to your ADT smart hub so they rise without anyone’s help when the sun comes up, and close at night for extra privacy.

Tableside Security Camera: A camera sitting on your child’s desk can behave just like an HD baby monitor that you can see with a smartphone. And if they want your help, they can push the intercom talk feature that comes with the camera.

Outlet Plug Covers: While every outlet should have protective covers on them to protect your little children, this is doubly important in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one place in your house where your children will most likely hang out solo without adult supervision.

Window Escape Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second level, then you should have a window escape ladder. These will help a child escape in case the stairway or ground floor are engulfed in smoke and fire. Just remember to rehearse how to employ the ladder at least twice a year.

Toy Box Or Low Bookshelves: It’s weird to look at a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your socked feet. A clean floor let your child have a quick retreat during an emergency.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Amarillo

The bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety items give you peace of mind if you experience an emergency event. After all, being jerked awake by a high-decibel buzzer can be quite a shock.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your bedside table lets you see what’s happening without leaving your bed. You could alternatively use your ADT mobile app. However, the HD touchscreen can be better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

Personal Charging Area: We rely on our smartphones for almost everything now alarm clocks, internet searches, social media, and --legend has it-- even phones. The only problem is that a dead phone can cut us off from the outside world if something goes wrong. So, a charging station or cord is an important part of your nightstand.

Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A plug-in light can be a beacon when you’re startled awake from a siren or unexpected noises. If you can’t fall asleep with a small nightlight, put in smart lights in your bedroom. Then you can have light simply with a button push or voice direction.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your essential papers like insurance cards, medical information, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a large one that sits in a corner or a slender portable safe that you can snatch as you escape during a fire or break-in.

Temperature Sensor: The issue with bedrooms is that they tend to feel too stuffy or be frigid since they sit across the house from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you should have a comfortable, relaxing sleep at just the right climate.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Amarillo

Most safety needs in the garage or basement are with your pipes or furnace. Seeing problems early can stop more devastating problems later on. So, as you walk around your basement or garage, check over these crucial items:

Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor next to your water heater and sump pump can stop you from finding a lake when you go into your garage or basement. It’s much better than sifting through a bunch of destroyed storage boxes.

CO Alarm: It’s nice to have a CO alarm in areas where a CO leak can occur. If you use gas heating, try to hang an alarm in the same room as your inbound pipes.
WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector finds a hot water heater leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to cut off the main water line immediately. With a remote shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from any mobile device. That’s helpful when you’re visiting relatives and receive a water leak alert on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up causes all sorts of problems. You can lose heat or air through that large opening, and critters or thieves can just wander in. A sensor will notify you about a neglected garage door and allow you to close it remotely.
Heat Sensor: A heat alarm in your garage or basement is essential if you wonder about freezing pipes. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than the rest of the home, so you may want to keep a close look on the temp with your security mobile app.

Outside Safety Checklist for Amarillo

Your foliage, drive, and front porch are just as important to defend as the rest of your house. Try the items on this checklist to make your outside safe:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s at the door before you answer it and chat with visitors. Get a visual on deliveries and look at video clips if they disappear.

Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to guard against unusual movement in your yard. These cameras are nice in places where you may not have a view -- like a side yard or by the garage door.

Low Shrubs: Tall shrubs can give you some privacy, but they also block your line of sight of the yard and curb. Don’t give potential thieves a dark shadow to hide. Plus, large bushes, shrubs or foliage too close to your home can jam up gutters and bring in pests.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest deterrents for a break-in is telling potential rogues that you have a monitored security system. An ADT sign by the main walk and a window sticker will tell people that they should move on to an easier score.

Motion Activated Flood Lighting: Light is the largest deterrent to people who skulk in the shadows. Motion-controlled lights on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare possible intruders away. Lights also help you get inside when you get to the house late after work.

Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Amarillo

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver each household item on your Amarillo home safety checklist, we can offer a customized home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can customize the perfect system for your house’s needs. Simply contact (806) 302-1613 to get started or fill out the form below. Or customize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.