With travel opening back up after COVID-19, many homeowners are taking the opportunity to get out and travel. Vacations are a much-needed break from the last year, but before you go, make sure you leave your home safe and secure. Here are some tips as you pack up.
Safety Inside Your Home
- Unplug any non-essential electronics: Reduce your risk for a fire while saving money. Unplugging these devices adds an extra layer of protection if your home has an electrical surge. These can cause home fires, and if that happens while you are on vacation, they are devastating to manage.
- Get a smart thermostat: You don’t need to spend the money to keep your thermostat running at its usual temperature, but you don’t want to turn it off all the way when you are on vacation. One of the best ways to manage the temperature inside your home is through a SafeTouch Smart Thermostat — using the MySafeTouhc mobile app, you can monitor the temperature while you are away.
- Store valuables and keep them concealed: Large electronics, gaming consoles, jewelry, and guns need to be stored out of sight when you leave your home for a vacation. Cover your windows, and place smaller items in boxes inside cabinets, safes, or other covered storage.
- Use lighting to make it look like someone is in the home: Pre-program some of your lights to turn on and off at various times while you are away. With security solutions like SafeTouch, you are able to simulate a human presence while you are on vacation; having timed lighting helps you pretend like you are home when you’re away.
- Make sure batteries are fully charged: Make sure your batteries in your smoke detectors and motion detectors won’t stop working while you are gone. Even if your safety devices are hardwired, many of them run on batteries if there is a power outage.
Safety Outside Your Home
- Make sure you have a professionally monitored security system: SafeTouch Security Systems are installed professionally and monitored in real-time by trained professionals. The latest security technology uses mobile phone apps to customize alerts, arm or disarm your home, watch surveillance video, view sensor and alarm history, and check your visitor activity — from anywhere. You also need to make sure you have a security system that can get to your home in a guaranteed response time.
- Check your locks: This is one of the most basic ways to protect your home while you travel. Make sure you don’t leave any extra keys under doormats or planters and lock everything possible — this includes your windows. The best way to let anyone in and out of your home while you are gone is to use a smart lock.
SafeTouch Security Systems’ Smart Door Locks allow you to lock and unlock the door with push buttons or through the MySafeTouch app. Having a smart lock lets you control who has access to your home while you are away; you can track petsitters, neighbors bringing in the mail, or anyone else checking on your house. The greatest benefit is that a smart lock does not require a physical key.
- Keep the outside of your home neat: Make sure to hire someone to mow your grass and take care of yard work. Either suspend your mail delivery or have a neighbor get it for you. Make sure to let your neighbors know that you will be gone so that they can keep an eye on your property. Having an overgrown lawn or piles of newspapers are signs that no one is home and creates a greater security risk.
- Make sure you have a complete security system for the exterior of your home: A great security system should be able to monitor your home at all times. Some of the newest technology creates fully integrated security systems so that all of your devices are controlled from an app and in-home security panel.
These systems include video doorbells, interior and exterior security cameras, motion sensors, and even garage control kits. Make sure that you have exterior lights so that your video cameras have clear visibility at night. Most burglars prefer to enter your home in a dark area, so having lights is a great deterrent.
Stay Safe This Summer and Enjoy Your Vacation
One of the best ways to keep your home safe while you are gone is to keep your vacation off of social media. The other best safety decision you can make is to invest in a professionally monitored security system. SafeTouch Security is the nation’s largest, independent communications-security company. Our innovations, guaranteed fast response, and incomparable value are how we make advanced home security simple. Contact us today to get a quote!