Home Safety Checklist For Des Moines

Keeping safe and secure in your residence should be your number one responsibility. But are you forgetting some useful safety items? Look over this home safety checklist for Des Moines and find out where your house can use some work.

We give you a few whole-home safety techniques, and then we delve down on a room level. Then, call (515) 212-6493 or complete the form below to talk to a security expert.

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Des Moines

While you should employ a individual room method for home safety in Des Moines, there are some methods that work for all of your rooms. These devices can sync to each other through a smart hub, and oftentimes respond to other components. You can also manage each of your home safety devices with a mobile app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your doors and windows should have a sensor that warns your family to forced entry. When the alarm goes off, your monitoring center picks up the call and quickly sends a first responder.

Smart Lighting For Most Rooms: Of course, you can schedule your smart lights so your house is more eco-conscience. But they can also help you keep safe during an emergency. Have your downstairs lights flash on when an alarm triggers to shoo off burglars or illuminate a path to a safe place.

Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Des Moines should save you between 10%-15% in energy spending. Also, it can flip on your exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Fire Detectors: It’s code that you need to have a smoke detector on every level. You can increase your fire game by hanging a monitored fire alarm that detects both smoke and heat, and notifies your round-the-clock monitoring team when it thinks that there’s a fire.

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every entryway that utilizes a keyed lock can be made safer with a smart door lock. Now you may set codes to family and friends and get texts to your mobile device when the locks are unlocked. Your locks can even automatically open, letting you quickly flee the house when you have an emergency.

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Des Moines

You’ll spend most of your time in your living room, so it’s the most reasonable area to start making your home more secure. Popular items, like a big screen or stereo system, typically reside in your living room, making it an alluring space for thieves. Begin with installing a motion detector or security camera by the doorway, then take a look at all these safety protocols:

Motion Detectors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll have a loud alarm if they sense unusual motion in your living room. The best devices are motion sensors that filter out pets or you’ll see an alert each time your pet roams by for a drink of water.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera gives you an eye on your living room. Get real-time streams of your room so you can see what’s happening through the mobile app. Or speak with your kids in the living room with the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard those electronics and stop overtaxing your circuits with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, use a smart plug with a surge protector built-in.
Entertainment Center Attached To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll want to secure your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is extra important if your living room uses carpeting that can make objects extra unbalanced.
Enhanced Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room has a glass door that leads to a backyard, deck, or porch, you probably can see that the lock is usually worthless. Put in an enhanced lock, like a cross bar or locks that bolt to the bottom and top of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Des Moines

Your kitchen has plenty of items that can bring safety to your house. Many of these things are also a snap to add and should be purchased from the grocery store:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can spring up from a neglected pot or a faulty burner. Always store a fire extinguisher at the ready for any stove or oven mishaps.
GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be used anywhere there’s nearby running water to lessen the chance of a deadly shock. That means the outlets close to your kitchen counter and sink. Since the late ‘80s, it’s been required to have one GFCI per circuit. But all your outlets will go if any outlet detects a surge, so you’ll want to use an unchained GFCI per outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is needed in kitchens that employ gas for the oven and range. If your gas lines malfunction, the CO detector will cause a high-decibel sound and contact your monitoring expert.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety hazard in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and contamination that comes with uncooked meat and other foods. Always store antiviral wipes or an antibacterial spray to clean your area when making a meal.
Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in the fridge should stay at a chilly temperature to be ready to use. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open, then a constant beep will tell you to check the seal. Some refrigerators come with an alarm, older models won’t, and you’ll have to buy a refrigerator alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Des Moines

Just because you may not have a bunch of space in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From flood prevention to medicine care, here are five safety tips for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking toilet or bathtub can cause extensive damage. Get alerted early about water problems with a flood detector before they cause hundreds of dollars in damage.
Textured Shower Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be devastating, causing cuts, sore joints, or trips to the hospital. Make sure you avoid these hazards with a textured bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

Textured Bathtub Stickers: Another water hazard, a tub can be a slick area to stand in. It’s a good idea that each has some non-slip stickies so your toes have a rough patch for stability.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have young toddlers or a family member with memory difficulties, you should take extra precautions regarding medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by installing a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

GFCI Circuits: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you will have to also put in a grounded GFCI outlet on every bathroom circuit. These will stop the flow of the electricity if they ever get wet or they experience a sudden spike from a curling iron or hair dryer.

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Des Moines

A child’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with simplicity. If their window shades or other items are safe but tricky to manage, then your child may try dangerous methods -- like scale a chest of drawers -- to open them. Here are 5 straightforward, yet safe, ideas:

Cord-Free Window Coverings: Safety professionals have designated window treatment cords a secret hazard for children and animals. Put in motorized shades that your child can easily control through a remote. Or even better, link your shades to your ADT security system so they open automatically when it’s time to get up, and close at bedtime for added darkness.

Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera perched on your kid’s dresser can double as a high tech baby monitor that you can see from a mobile device. And when they need you, they can push the 2-way talk button on the camera.

Outlet Covers: While each outlet should use protective covers on them to protect your little children, this is especially important in their bedroom. It’s the one place in your house where your child will most likely be solo without parental supervision.

Window Fire Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second floor, then you will want to install a window escape ladder. These should help your children get out of their room in case the stairs or ground floor are on fire. Make sure to rehearse how to use them at least twice a year.

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

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Des Moines

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 jerked awake by a loud buzzer can be disorienting.

Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your dresser gives you a sense of what’s going on without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively use your ADT mobile app. However, the large touchscreen can be faster to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.

Phone Charging Station: We rely on our phones for so much now alarms, internet searches, time wasters, and sometimes even phones. However, a dead phone in the middle of the night cuts us off from the outside world if something goes wrong. To keep it nice and ready, a an easy-to-use charging station is an important part of your nightstand.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A tiny light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a siren or unexpected noises. If you have trouble falling asleep with a nightlight, install a smart bulb in your bedroom. Then you can control light anytime with a button push or voice direction.
Fireproof Lockbox: Keep your vital papers like social security cards, medical information, or a bankbook in a fireproof safe. This can be a large one that sits in a corner or a small handheld safe that you can grab as you escape during a fire or break-in.

Temperature Sensor: The issue with a master bedroom is that they tend to be too hot or be frigid since they are far away from the thermostat. A heat sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you should have a pleasant, restful sleep at the perfect climate.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Des Moines

Most safety needs in the basement or garage have to do with your water heater or HVAC system. Finding hazards at the source can stave away bigger disasters in the future. So, as you walk around your storage areas, take note of these critical items:

Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor by your water heater and sump pump drain can prevent you from wading into a lake when you go into your garage or basement. The last you need is to spend the weekend getting rid of standing water and sorting through all those ruined boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s beneficial to install a CO alarm in an area where a gas leak can occur. If you have gas heating, you should hang an alarm in the same room as your HVAC unit.
WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your water detector senses a hot water heater leak or a burst pipe, then you need to cut off the main water line at once. With a remote shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s perfect when you’re visiting relatives and receive a water leak notification on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up causes all types of headaches. You can waste heat through that open door, and critters or thieves can just wander in. A remote sensor will text you about a neglected garage door and lets you close it through the app.
Heat Sensor: A heat alarm in your garage or basement is a definite if you fret about your pipes freezing. The heat in these rooms can be surprisingly different than the rest of the home, so you will need to keep a closer eye on them by using the ADT mobile app.

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Des Moines

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

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s at the door 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 hang outdoor security cameras to guard against suspicious movement in your back yard. These devices are nice in areas where you might not have a view -- like a side yard or by the driveway.

Window Height Shrubs: Tall shrubs can offer some solitude, but they also hinder you seeing into the yard. Don’t provide potential intruders a place to hide. Plus, large shrubs or trees too close to your house can clog gutters and invite ants and termites.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest disincentives for a thief is telling potential intruders that you own a monitored security system. An ADT sign by the main walk and a window decal will show people that they should move on to an less prepared score.

Motion Controlled Porch Lighting: Light is the largest deterrent to those who sneak around in the dark. Motion-activated lighting on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare lurkers away. Flood lights also help you get inside when you arrive to the house late at night.

Call Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Des Moines

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install every item on your Des Moines home safety checklist, we can install a customized security system. With alarms, security cameras, and home automation, we can customize the perfect system for your home’s needs. Just call (515) 212-6493 to get started or fill out the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.