\nBy Dan Stout – Family Handyman\n
Many people hide a house key somewhere in the yard. That\u2019s great if someone is taking care of your home or if you\u00a0accidentally lock yourself out. Unfortunately, most home owners \u201chide\u201d their key in obvious spots where a burglar will look immediately. Don\u2019t just put that key under the welcome mat!\n
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The further from the house a key is hidden, the better. A disguised item, such as a fake rock, is only useful if hidden among similar items, like actual rocks. Don\u2019t make it easy for a criminal!\n
Much like a fence, your\u00a0choices in landscaping\u00a0can make your home more or less friendly to those with ill intentions. Bushes and trees up against the side of the home provide cover in the same way that a privacy fence might. Correct this mistake by\u00a0maintaining low height or thin-growing shrubs\u00a0next to the home, and keep the taller, denser plants more distant.\n
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You don\u2019t have to give up all your plants, just give a little more thought to where they\u2019re placed. Taller or more dense shrubs and bushes are fine against solid walls as long as windows and doors aren\u2019t obscured.\n
Many homeowners first respond to home security needs by\u00a0installing outdoor lighting. They turn on the lights at the end of the day, or maybe install a timer or light sensor so that the lights come on automatically at night. While those fixtures do light up your yard, they also creates dense pockets of shadows that make great hiding spots.\n
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You can find a much better solution in motion sensors. You still have the illumination, but they may surprise someone prowling around the home, and surprises scare most intruders away. Plus, the sudden change can attract attention. Motion sensors save energy, leading to\u00a0lower electric bills\u00a0and longer-lasting light bulbs.\n
Alarm systems are wonderful tools, but sometimes the installation crews don\u2019t guide customers enough during installation. Too often, crews install the\u00a0control pad\u00a0where it can be seen from a first floor window. That allows potential thieves to peer in and see whether the system is activated. That alarm company yard sign won\u2019t mean much if they know the system is off \u2014 particularly at night when the green or red status light shines like a beacon in a darkened home.\n
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Few things advertise an absent homeowner like piled-up mail and newspapers. Criminals don\u2019t even need to slow down their vehicle to spot an overflowing mailbox or newspapers scattered on a porch.\n
To avoid this, contact your local post office and\/or newspaper to suspend service while away. Because these services sometimes miss a day or take a little bit of time to cease delivery, it\u2019s also a good idea to ask a friend or neighbor to swing by and collect any mail or newspapers that accumulate.\n
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A little activity around the front of the home also helps to make it look occupied. It\u2019s also a good idea to protect your mail with a security mailbox\n
Most people associate break-ins with the nighttime. While burglars do appreciate the cover of darkness, what they really appreciate is an empty house. At night, people usually hang around home. Instead, burglars find homes more inviting with everyone at school and work!\n
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Since most break-ins occur during the day, take the appropriate measures. Turn on your alarm system when you\u2019re gone, keep an eye out for suspicious activity and make sure you close and lock all doors and windows. This applies when you go to work, school or just out to run errands.\n
Besides measures outside your home, give some thought to what can be seen\u00a0inside your home, as well. Many home owners forget that windows create a two-way portal: Just as you can see out of them, a potential intruder can see in.\n If you have especially valuable items, consider whether they can be seen from a ground-floor window, such as first-floor bedrooms where jewelry or other valuable items may reside on dressers. Some large items like televisions present difficult home-security positioning issues. In that case, pull the shades or shut the blinds each evening.\n Many neighborhoods employ curbside trash and recycling collection. Don\u2019t just leave packaging from an expensive item such as a television or laptop by the curb. That broadcasts the presence of an expensive new item in the home.\n Resolve the issue simply: Use a utility knife to cut the packaging into smaller pieces and stack them in a way that doesn\u2019t display what they once held. (Bonus tip: When you\u2019ve dulled that utility blade)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Dan Stout – Family Handyman Hiding Keys Outside Many people hide a house key somewhere in the yard. That\u2019s great if someone is taking care of your home or if you\u00a0accidentally lock yourself out. Unfortunately, most home owners \u201chide\u201d their key in obvious spots where a burglar will look immediately. Don\u2019t just put that\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[96,46,6,177,31,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-11634","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-diy-home","9":"tag-life-hacks","10":"tag-life-style","11":"tag-security","12":"tag-tips","13":"tag-tricks"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Anh-ghep-Trang-Xanh-duong-va-Vang-Hien-dai-Cam-nang-Van-hoa-Cong-ty-Bai-thuyet-trinh-1-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Packaging Left by the Curb\n