Home Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

Being safe and secure in your home should be your number one responsibility. But are you overlooking one or two useful safety components? Look over this home safety checklist for Grand Rapids and see where your living space needs greater attention.

We give you five whole-house safety items, and then we break it down to specific room ideas. Then, you can call (616) 207-3771 or send in the form below to talk to a security professional.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Grand Rapids

While you will want to use a room-by-room method for home safety in Grand Rapids, there are some things that work for a lot of your rooms. These components can sync with one another through a touchscreen hub, and can even respond to one another. You can also control every one of your home safety components using a smartphone app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your entryways should have a sensor that warns your family to intrusion. As your alarm trips, your monitoring center answers the alert and quickly calls a first responder.

Smart Lighting For Most Rooms: Sure, you can set your smart lights to make your house more energy-efficient. But smart lights can also help you remain safe throughout an emergency. Have your lights flip on when a sensor triggers to shoo off intruders or brighten the way out to a secure location.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Grand Rapids can save you 10%-15% in utility spending. But it also can start an exhaust fan if you have a fire.

Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you have a fire alarm on every level. You can increase your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that detects both heat and smoke, and alerts your 24-hour monitoring agents when it senses a fire.

Smart Locks: Every doorway that needs a deadbolt can be made safer with a smart door lock. Now you may program key codes to each family member and receive texts to your phone when the locks are used. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, helping you to quickly flee the house when you have an emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

You’ll spend most of your time in your family room, so it’s the most reasonable room to start making your house safer. Electronics, like a big screen or video game console, probably reside in your living room, making it an alluring room for thieves. Start with hanging a motion sensor or indoor security camera by the doorway, then try all these ideas:

Motion Sensors: By hanging motion detectors, you’ll hear a loud alarm whenever they sense unexpected motion in your family room. Look for motion detectors that aren’t set off by pets or you’ll get your sirens go off each time your dog comes in for a bite of food.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera offers an eye on your living room. Watch constant feeds of the area so you can see what’s going on through the mobile app. Or chat with your kids in the room using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Make sure you protect expensive electronics and stop overburdening your circuits with a surge protector. For extra comfort, set up 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 attach your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is extra crucial if your living room has carpeting that could make furniture extra unbalanced.
Special Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your family room has a glass door that slides out to a patio, deck, or porch, you get that the lock is fairly thin. Install an enhanced lock, like a metal bar or small locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

The kitchen has plenty of items that can provide safety to your home. Most of these items are also easy to add and should be found in the grocery store:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can come from from an unwatched pot or a faulty burner. Always have a fire extinguisher at hand for any kitchen emergencies.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Every Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be installed everywhere they’re close to running water to prevent an electric shock. That includes the plug outlets close to your kitchen counter and sink. Since the late ‘80s, it’s been required to have one circuit interrupter outlet per dedicated circuit. But for simplicity’s sake, try to have a separate GFCI per outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is handy in spaces that have a gas stove and oven. If your gas lines malfunction, the carbon monoxide detector will emit a loud noise and call your monitoring center.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The largest safety hazard in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and cross-contamination from uncooked meat and dairy. Always store cleaning wipes or spray to sanitize your area after cooking.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the refrigerator need to stay at a constant temperature to stay healthy to eat. If you accidently leave the freezer or refrigerator door open too long, then a constant beep will let you know so you can shut it securely. Some appliances come with a pre-installed alarm, others won’t, and you’ll have to buy an external alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

Just because you don’t a lot of space in your bathroom doesn’t mean that there aren’t safety concerns. From water problems to anti-surge outlets, here are a few safety ideas for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or shower can create extensive water damage. Discover a leaking pipe with a flood detector before they cause hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage.
No-slip Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be devastating, causing cuts, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Or prevent these issues with a non-slip bath mat for while you towel off.

Textured Bathtub Stickers: Likewise, a tub basin can be a slick area to move in. It’s a good idea that each tub has some textured stickies so your toes have a textured patch for stability.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have curious toddlers or anyone with memory complications, you have to take additional precautions regarding medicine. Safeguard your pills and syrups by using a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you will have to also use a safer GFCI outlet on every bathroom circuit. These will stop the flow of the electric current if they ever get wet or they experience a harmful jolt from a hair dryer or curling iron.

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

A child’s bedroom should balance safety with simplicity. If their window shades or other items are safe but tricky to manage, then your children may get around the device with risky methods -- like scale a chest of drawers -- to open them. Here are some easy, yet safe, ideas:

Cordless Window Treatments: Safety experts have designated corded window treatments an unsuspecting problem for both children and pets. Use motorized blinds or shades that your child can easily open and close with a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your shades to your ADT smart hub so they can raise automatically when the sun comes up, and lower in the evening for an easier sleep.

Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera perched on your kid’s dresser can act like a baby monitor that you can view from a smartphone. And if they need something, they can use the intercom talk button that comes with the camera.

Outlet Covers: While every outlet should have outlet safety caps on them for your small children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your house where your toddler will most likely hang out alone without constant additional supervision.

Window Escape Ladder: If you have bedrooms on an upper story, then you need to have a window safety ladder. These should let a child leave the house even if the stairway or ground floor 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 strange to think about a toy box as a safety component, but you’ll get it if you’ve ever stepped on an action figure in your bare feet. A clutter-free floor means a quick retreat if there’s a fire or break-in.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

The master bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety items make you more responsive when you have an emergency event. After all, being startled awake by a wailing buzzer can be disorienting.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your dresser lets you see what’s going on without leaving your bed. You could also use your ADT phone app but, the large touchscreen may be easier to control to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

Device Charging Stand: We rely on our smartphones for so many things now alarms, web browsers, game machines, and maybe even phones. However, an uncharged device in the middle of the night cuts us off from reaching help if something goes wrong. So, a charging cord or station becomes 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 other loud noises. If you can’t fall asleep with an outlet light, put in a smart bulb in your bedroom and hall. Then you can control light anytime with a mobile device or vocal command.
Fireproof Safe: Keep your important documents like social security cards, passports, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a big one that sits in a corner or a slender handheld safe that you can carry on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Heat Sensor: The drawback with a master bedroom is that they might run too hot or be frigid because they sit far away from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a nice, peaceful sleep at just the right climate.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Grand Rapids

Most safety issues in the garage or basement deal with your pipes or HVAC system. Finding issues at the source can stop larger emergencies in the future. So, as you look around your basement or garage, pay attention to these crucial items:

Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor next to your water heater or sump pump drain can prevent you from wading into a pond when you walk into your garage or basement. Do you really want to spend your weekend getting rid of standing water?

CO Detector: It’s beneficial to have a carbon monoxide detector in a place where a CO leak can spring up. If you have gas heat, you’ll want to put an alarm in the same area as your unit.
WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm senses a hot water heater leak or a busted pipe, then you will want to cut off the primary water valve immediately. With a WiFi shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s helpful when you’re out of town and see a flood sensor notification on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door open brings about all types of problems. You can waste HVAC energy through that open door, and all sorts of animals or lurkers can just saunder in. A sensor will text you about a neglected garage door and allow you to close it with your phone.
Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your garage or basement is handy if you worry about frozen pipes. The heat in these rooms can be wildly different than your main rooms of the home, so you may need to have a closer eye on the temp through your security mobile app.

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Grand Rapids

Your foliage, drive, and front walk are just as important to make safe as the inside of your house. Try this checklist to create a safe outside:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s at the door before you open it and talk to visitors. See packages and record video clips if they are stolen.

Outdoor Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to notify you about late night lurkers in your yard. These devices are nice in places where you might not have a window -- like around a cellar or by the garage door.

Low Bushes: High shrubs can offer some privacy, but they also hinder you seeing into the outside. Don’t provide potential burglars an area to hide. Plus, high bushes or foliage around your home can jam up gutters and invite bugs.
ADT Signs And Decals: One of the most popular deterrents for a thief is alerting potential burglars that you own an updated home security system. An ADT sign by the stoop and a window sticker will alert ne'er-do-wells that they might want to shove off to an unprotected score.

Motion Triggered Outside Lighting: Light is the best obstacle to those who skulk 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 get back home on those dark, winter nights.

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

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver each household item on your Grand Rapids home safety checklist, we can offer a powerful security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can install the perfect system for your family’s needs. Simply phone (616) 207-3771 to get started or complete the form below. Or customize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.