Home Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Staying safe and secure in your residence should be your topmost responsibility. But are you overlooking a few big safety items? Take this home safety checklist for Ann Arbor and see where your living space requires greater attention.

This guide begins with a few whole-house safety items, and then we delve down to specific room ideas. Then, contact (734) 224-3173 or send in the form below for additional information.

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Ann Arbor

While you should employ a room-to-room process for home safety in Ann Arbor, there are some things that work for the whole-house approach. These items can talk together through a touchscreen hub, and oftentimes work off other things. You can also control each of your home safety equipment with a mobile app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: Each one of your windows and doors should have a sensor that alerts you and your family to forced entry. When your alarm trips, your monitoring expert answers the call and immediately contacts emergency personnel.

Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Sure, you can schedule your smart lighting to become more energy-efficient. But smart lights can also help you stay safe during an emergency. Make your lights flip on when an alarm triggers to scare off intruders or brighten a path to a outside place.

Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Ann Arbor could save you between 10%-15% in utility spending. But it also can start your exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you need to have a smoke detector on each level. You can improve your fire readiness by hanging a monitored fire alarm that detects both smoke and heat, and alerts your 24/7 monitoring team when it senses a fire.

Smart Door Locks: Every doorway that needs a keyed lock can upgrade to a smart lock. Now you can preset codes to each family member and receive notifications to your phone when your locks are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly leave during a fire or other emergency.

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

You’ll spend most of your time in your living room, so it can be the perfect area to improve your home safety. Highly sought after items, like a TV or video games, typically are located in your family room, making it a tempting room for robbers. Start with installing a motion sensor or security camera in there, then continue on with all these safety protocols:

Motion Sensors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll have a high-decibel siren anytime they sense unexpected motion within your family room. The best devices are motion detectors that ignore pet movements or you’ll have your sirens go off every time your dog comes in for a drink of water.
Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera offers an eye on your family room. Watch real-time feeds of the area so you can see what’s happening through the mobile app. Or chat with your family in the room using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Safeguard all your electronics and quit overburdening your electric system with a surge protector. For added comfort, set up a smart plug with anti-surge functionality in the unit.
Furniture Secured To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll want to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially crucial if your living room has carpeting that could make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
Special Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room uses a sliding glass door that leads to a patio, deck, or screened-in porch, you already get that the lock is usually flimsy. Put in a custom lock, like a bottom bar or locks that bolt to the bottom and top of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Your kitchen has plenty of items that can add comfort and safety to your home. Most of these objects are also easy to add and should be bought from the grocery store:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can spring up from an overfilled frying pan or a faulty burner. Always store a fire extinguisher at hand for any kitchen mishaps.
GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be installed anywhere they’re by water to ward off electrocution. That means the outlets around your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But for simplicity’s sake, you’ll want to have a separate GFCI per outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is advised for kitchens that employ a gas stove and oven. If your gas lines spring a leak, the carbon monoxide detector will emit a loud, buzzing sound and call your monitoring center.
Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety issue in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and cross-contamination from uncooked meat and vegetables. Always have cleaning wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your counters before and after making a meal.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the refrigerator should remain at a constant temperature to be safe to use. If you accidently leave the refrigerator door open, then a constant beep will tell you to shut it securely. Some appliances come with a pre-installed alarm, older models don’t, and you’ll have to buy a fridge alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Just because there’s not a bunch of square footage in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From flood prevention to anti-surge outlets, here are some safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or bathtub can cause a whole lot of damage. Discover a leaking pipe with a flood detector before they cause hundreds to thousands of dollars in renovations.
No-slip Bathroom Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be painful, causing pulled muscles, sore joints, or trips to the hospital. Or prevent these hazards with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

Textured Bathtub Stickies: Another water hazard, a tub basin can be a slick surface to stand in. Make sure every has some no-slip strips so your feet have a bumpy patch to grip.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have curious children or anyone with memory complications, you have to take additional precautions regarding prescription medicine. Safeguard your pills and syrups by installing a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

GFCI Circuits: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you should also put in a safer circuit interrupter outlet on every bathroom outlet. These will stop the flow of the electricity if they ever get wet or there’s a harmful spike from a hair dryer or curling iron.

Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Your kid’s bedroom should pair safety with simplicity. If their window shades or other items are safe but difficult to manage, then your kids may perform risky activities -- like scale a chest of drawers -- to touch them. Try these easy, and safe, ideas:

Cordless Window Treatments: Safety agencies have designated window treatment cords a secret danger for kids and pets. Use motorized shades that your child can easily open and close via remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your shades to your ADT smart hub so they rise without anyone’s help at dawn, and lower at bedtime for added darkness.

Tableside Security Camera: An indoor security camera placed on your toddler’s desk can double as an HD baby monitor that you can see with a smartphone. And if they need your help, they can use the 2-way talk feature that comes with the camera.

Plug Covers: While every outlet should have outlet safety caps on them when you have small children, this is doubly urgent in a child’s bedroom. It’s the main place in your house where your children will most likely play solo without constant additional supervision.

Window Safety Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second floor, then you should install a window fire ladder. These will help a child escape in case the hallway or downstairs are blocked off with fire. Remember to go over how to employ the ladder at least twice a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll get it if you’ve ever stepped on a Lego in your socked feet. A clean floor gives your child a quick way out during a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Your master bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety components give you peace of mind if you experience an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a loud siren can be confusing.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your bedside table lets you see what’s going on without jumping out of bed. You could also turn on your ADT mobile app but, the HD touchscreen may be better to use when you’re bleary-eyed and finding your bearings.

Phone Charging Station: We rely on our cell phones for almost everything now GPS, news readers, social media, and maybe even phones. The only problem is that a dead device will cut us off from reaching help if there’s a problem. To make sure your phone always works, a an easy-to-use charging station is an important part of your nightstand.

Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A plug-in light can calm you when you’re jolted awake from an alarm or other loud noises. If you have trouble falling asleep with an outlet light, install smart lights in your bedroom. Then you can have light anytime with a mobile device or voice direction.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your vital paperwork like social security cards, stock certificates, or a bankbook in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a bigger one that is located in your closet or a smaller portable lockbox that you can carry as you escape during an emergency event.

Temperature Sensor: The drawback with a master bedroom is that they can be too stuffy or be frigid since they sit far away from the thermostat. A heat sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, peaceful sleep at just the right temperature.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Ann Arbor

Most safety problems in the basement or garage are with your water or HVAC system. Discovering hazards early can prevent bigger problems in the future. So, as you walk around your basement or garage, take note of these critical items:

Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor in back of your water heater and sump pump drain can save you from wading into a lake when you walk into your basement or garage. It’s much better than rummaging through a bunch of soggy storage boxes.

CO Alarm: It’s beneficial to have a carbon monoxide detector in a place where a natural gas leak can happen. If you employ gas heat, you should put a detector in the same room as your inbound pipes.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm senses a plumbing leak or a burst pipe, then you will have to cut off the main water pipe immediately. With a remote shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s perfect when you’re out of town and see a flood sensor text on your phone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up leads to all types of problems. You can lose a bunch of HVAC energy through that large opening, and critters or intruders can just walk in. A remote sensor will alert you to a forgotten garage door and allow you to close it remotely.
Temperature Sensor: A heat alarm in your basement or garage is handy if you wonder about freezing pipes. The temperature in these areas can be drastically different than the main part of the house, so you will need to maintain a close look on the temperature with your mobile app.

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Ann Arbor

Your yard, driveway, and front step are just as crucial to defend as the interior of your house. Try the items on this checklist to make your outside safe:

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s arrived at the front door before you open it and chat with guests. Get a visual on package deliveries and record video clips if they vanish off the step.

Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to alert you to unusual lurkers in your back yard. These cameras are especially useful in places where you might not have a view -- like around a cellar or by the garage.

Low Shrubbery: High bushes can create some serenity, but they also hinder your line of sight of the outside. Don’t give potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, large shrubs or foliage against your house can clog gutters and summon pests.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest discouragements for a break-in is telling would-be burglars that you use a monitored ADT security system. An ADT yard sign by the front door and a window sticker will show lurkers that they ought to keep walking to an less prepared house.

Motion Activated Porch Light Fixtures: Light is the biggest obstacle to those who skulk in the unlit places. Motion-activated lighting on your porch, garage, or deck can frighten possible intruders away. They also help you see the walk when you come back home late at night.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Ann Arbor

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install each household item on your Ann Arbor home safety checklist, we can offer a state-of-the-art home security. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can customize the best system for your house’s needs. Just call (734) 224-3173 to get started or fill out the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.