ADT® Authorized Dealer Serving Flint & Surrounding Areas

Home Safety Checklist For Flint

Staying safe in your residence should be your topmost priority. But are you missing one or two useful safety components? Use this home safety checklist for Flint and see where your living space requires greater attention.

We give you some whole-home safety ideas, and then we break it down to specific room ideas. Then, phone (810) 207-5457 or complete the form below to speak to a security expert.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Flint

While you should take a room-to-room process for home safety, there are a few methods that are useful for the whole house. These devices can link together through a touchscreen hub, and can even react to other things. You might also manage each of your home safety devices through a mobile security app, such as ADT Control:

  • Monitored Home Security System: Each one of your doors and windows should have a sensor that alerts you and your family to forced entry. As an alarm trips, your monitoring team responds to the call and quickly sends the police or fire department.

  • Smart Bulbs For Every Major Room: Of course, you can schedule your smart lights so your house is more energy-efficient. But smart lights can also help you stay safe throughout an emergency. Make your downstairs lights come on when a sensor trips to scare off burglars or light a path to a safe place.

  • Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Flint can save you between 10%-15% in utility spending. But it also can start your exhaust fan if you have a fire.

  • Monitored Fire Alarms: It’s code that you should have a fire alarm on every level of your house. You can increase your fire preparedness by hanging a monitored fire alarm that looks for excessive heat and smoke, and pings your round-the-clock monitoring experts when it detects a fire.

  • Smart Locks: Every door that uses a deadbolt can upgrade to a smart door lock. Now you may assign key codes to each family member and receive notifications to your phone when your locks are unlocked. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, helping you to quickly flee the house when you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Flint

You’ll spend a lot of time in your living room, so it may be the most reasonable place to improve your home safety. Electronics, like a TV or stereo system, typically are located in your living room, making it a popular room for robbers. Begin with installing a motion detector or indoor camera by the doorway, then try the following ideas:

  • Motion Sensors: By hanging motion sensors, you’ll get a high-decibel siren if they sense unusual motion within your living room. Look for motion sensors that filter out pet movements or you’ll see an alert each time your pet roams by for a bite of food.

  • Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera gives you an eye on your living room. Watch constant streams of your room so you can know what’s going on from the mobile app. Or speak with your family in the living room with the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard expensive electronics and stop overburdening your electric system with a surge protector. For added comfort, use a smart plug with a surge protector built-in.

  • Entertainment Center Attached To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to a wall. This is extra important if your family room has carpet that could make objects extra wobbly.

  • Special Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room has a glass door that slides out to a deck, patio, or outside porch, you probably know that the door lock is usually flimsy. Install an enhanced lock, like a bottom bar or small locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Flint

The kitchen has room for items that can add safety and security to your home. Some of these items should be simple to add and can be found in the grocery store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: Fire can come from from a neglected pot or a faulty burner. Always store a fire extinguisher in close reach for any cooking mishaps.

  • Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be standard anywhere they’re by running water to lessen the chance of electrocution. That includes the outlets by your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per dedicated circuit. But for simplicity’s sake, you’ll want to use a separate GFCI per outlet.

  • Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is advised for kitchens that have gas for the oven and range. If your gas lines spring a leak, the CO detector will play a loud siren and contact your monitoring center.

  • Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety hazard in the kitchen is actually bacteria and protein that comes with blood from meat and dairy. Always have disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to sanitize your counters when preparing food.

  • Refrigerator/Freezer Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the refrigerator should stay at a constant temperature to stay healthy to use. If you accidently leave the freezer or refrigerator door ajar, then an alarm beep will remind you to close the door. Some fridges come with an alarm, some won’t, and you’ll have to pick up a refrigerator alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Flint

Just because you may not have a lot of room in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From water problems to medicine care, here are some safety improvements for your bathroom:

  • Flood Detectors: A leaking toilet or tub can create extensive damage. Find a leak with a flood detector and save yourself from reflooring the whole bathroom.

  • Textured Shower Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing bumps, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Or steer clear from these problems with a textured bathroom mat for your wet feet.

  • No-slip Bathtub Stickies: Another water hazard, a tub basin can be a slick area to move in. It’s a good idea that each tub has some non-slip stickers so your toes have a bumpy patch for stability.

  • Medicine Door Lock: If you have little children or a family member with memory difficulties, you should take additional care regarding medicine. Hide away your pills and syrups by installing a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

  • Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Similarly to the kitchen, you will have to also put in a safer circuit interrupter outlet on each bathroom outlet. These will shut off the electricity if water enters the outlet or they experience a harmful spike from a hair dryer or curling iron.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Flint

Your kid’s bedroom should pair safety with simplicity. If their window coverings or other things are safe but hard to manage, then your child may perform unsafe activities -- like shimmying up a bookshelf -- to touch them. Here are some easy, yet safe, ideas:

  • No Cord Window Coverings: Safety agencies have long called window treatment cords a secret hazard for children and animals. Install motorized blinds or shades that your child can easily control via remote. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your motorized coverings to your security system so they rise without anyone’s help when the sun comes up, and close at night for added darkness.

  • Tableside Security Camera: An indoor security camera perched on your child’s desk can double as a high tech baby monitor that you can watch with your phone. And if they need your help, they can hit the two-way talk feature included on the camera.

  • Outlet Covers: While each outlet should have covers on them to protect your young children, this is especially needed in their bedroom. It’s the one place in your house where your child will most likely play alone without consistent parental supervision.

  • Window Fire Ladder: If you use bedrooms on an upper story, then you should put in a window fire ladder. These should let a child escape in case the hallway or downstairs are engulfed in smoke and fire. Just remember to rehearse how to employ the ladder at least twice a year.

  • Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s strange to view a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever walked on an action figure in your bare feet. A clutter-free floor means a quick way out if there’s a safety or security event.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Flint

The main bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety items make you more responsive when you have an emergency. After all, being wrenched awake by a high-decibel buzzer can be quite a shock.

  • Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your bedside table lets you see what’s what that noise was without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively turn on your ADT mobile app but, the large touchscreen can be easier to manage to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

  • Device Charging Stand: We rely on our phones for so much now GPS, news readers, games, and --legend has it-- even phones. The only problem is that a depleted phone in the middle of the night cuts us off from the outside world if there’s a problem. To keep it nice and ready, a charging cord or station becomes an important part of your nightstand.

  • Nightlight/Smart Lights: A tiny light helps ground you when you’re bolted awake from a siren or unexpected noises. If you have trouble falling asleep with a nightlight, install smart bulbs in your bedroom and hall. Then you can get light on-demand with a button push or voice direction.

  • Fireproof Lockbox: Store your essential documents like insurance cards, stock certificates, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that camps out in a corner or a smaller portable safe that you can grab when you leave during a fire or break-in.

  • Heat Sensor: The issue with bedrooms is that they tend to run too hot or be cold since they are located far from the thermostat. A heat sensor will communicate to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, restful sleep at a wonderful temperature.

Garage Safety Checklist

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Flint

Most safety issues in the garage or basement are with your water or furnace. Finding hazards before they start can stave away bigger problems later on. So, as you walk around your basement or garage, check over these critical items:

  • Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood alarm next to your water heater or sump pump drain can save you from discovering a mess when you step into your basement or garage. It’s sure better than sorting through a bunch of destroyed storage boxes.

  • CO Alarm: It’s smart to have a carbon monoxide alarm in areas where a natural gas leak can spring up. If you use gas heating, try to install an alarm in the same room as your inbound pipes.

  • WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your water alarm finds a hot water heater leak or a burst pipe, then you will want to cap the main water valve at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s perfect when you’re on vacation and get a flood sensor notification on your smartphone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door open leads to all sorts of headaches. You can waste heat or air through that open door, and all sorts of animals or lurkers can just wander in. A sensor will alert you to a neglected garage door and lets you close it with your phone.

  • Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your garage or basement is a definite if you fret about freezing pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be wildly different than the rest of the house, so you may want to have a closer eye on them through your security mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Flint

Your foliage, driveway, and front step are just as crucial to secure as the rest of your house. Try this checklist to make your outside safe:

  • Outdoor Camera: You can place outdoor security cameras to guard against late night lurkers in your back yard. These devices are especially useful in places where you may not have a window installed -- like a side yard or by the garage.

  • Window Height Bushes: Tall foliage can give you some privacy, but they also block you seeing into the yard and curb. Don’t offer potential thieves a place to hide. Plus, tall bushes, shrubs or greenery against your house can obstruct gutters and invite ants and termites.

  • ADT Signs And Decals: One of the biggest discouragements for home intrusion is alerting aspiring burglars that you use a state-of-the-art home security system. An ADT yard sign by the front door and a window decal will show people that they should keep walking to an easier score.

  • Motion Activated Porch Lights: Light is the best enemy to those who lurk in the shadows. Motion-controlled lighting on your porch, garage, or deck can help scare lurkers away. Lights also help you get inside when you arrive home late at night.

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

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install every item on your Flint home safety checklist, we can discuss a powerful security system. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can customize the ideal system for your family’s needs. Simply contact (810) 207-5457 and talk to a professional or send in the form below. Or personalize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.