How to Do a General Home Safety Check

While you may find your home as comfortable and secure as it can be, you should always be on the lookout for potential safety hazards. Obvious issues like a broken window are easily spotted and repaired, but there are other issues that won’t be noticed immediately. To help you out, we’ve put together a list on what you can do to keep your home safe and secure: 

Check Your Home’s Safety

• Outlets – Do a manual inspection on all outlets at least once a month. If they’re warm, you might want to call your electrician to check them out. Also, make sure you stay within manufacturer recommendations for maximum wattage per outlet, and never plug more than one high-wattage appliance into a single outlet.

• Water heaters – Make sure that your home’s water heaters are set at a temperature no higher than 120 degrees to prevent burns. Also, never leave children alone near a water heater, and keep combustible and flammable materials well away from it.

• Hazardous materials – Cleaning materials and other hazardous materials should be kept out of reach from your children and/or pets at all times. For better security, make sure to put them in locked cabinets.

Update Your Home’s Security

• Motion-sensor flood lights – We recommend installing flood lights outside your home that are motion activated. This can become useful in an emergency, such as a fierce winter- or thunderstorm. The bulbs should also be in good and working condition, so be sure to inspect them from time to time.

• Deadbolts – Install a sturdy deadbolt on every exterior door of your home. For patio doors or doors that have windows, make sure to install a floor lock to be safe and secure.

• Make a spare combination – Your spare key shouldn’t be stored under a rock or your doorframe as these can be some of the first areas where thieves look. Instead, consider giving your key to a trusted neighbor or install a small combination safe somewhere on your property.

If you’re looking for an excellent home improvement contractor, don’t hesitate to call Handyman Connection® of Mason! You can reach us at (513) 733-3777 or fill out our convenient contact form.