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Home Security Tips For Staying Safe During The Winter Months

With a particularly bitter winter bearing down upon giant stretches of the country, people are starting to wonder when spring will ever be on the way. Aside from the inconvenience of stormy skies and chilly days, winter is one season that brings with it more trouble for households than spring, summer, and fall combined. For those living in colder climates, a harsh winter can cause a myriad of problems, from pipes freezing and bursting to increases in car accidents and damage to homes after branches freeze and fall down.

But staying warm, cozy, and safe during winter is easier than ever before. With the combination of new technologies and common sense, most households around the country are able to make the sort of improvements to home security they need for the colder months without spending a ton of money. Here are ten easy ways to stay safe and sound no matter how low the temperature or what sort of blizzard happens to be raging outside.

10. Keep a close eye on your space heater. While it’s a great way to keep drafty spaces warm, it also poses a major safety hazard. Keep flammable objects, pets, and small children away from space heaters, and always have an adult in the room when a heater is on.

09. Install carbon monoxide detectors. In chillier months, the chances of a household experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning is much higher, since more fuel-burning heating devices, like fireplaces and wood stoves, are being used. A detector is a huge asset to your family’s safety during the cold months. Some home alarm systems come with carbon monoxide detectors, so check to see if yours does.

08. Shovel the walk as frequently as you can. If a big storm is coming, you want your driveway and your walkways to be cleared in the event that there’s an emergency.

07. Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Sometimes, bad weather means the need to leave, whether it’s to a friend’s house where the power is more reliable or to a hotel. For a ready-to-go kit, blankets, matches, water, and nonperishable food are all musts.

06. Only use conventional heaters for heating. Do not try to use your gas-powered stove to stay warm, as it might leak fumes and cause trouble for members of your household.

05. Don’t neglect the pipes. Always leave a trickle of water running in all of your faucets so that they don’t freeze and burst. This is especially crucial if you plan on going out of town and turning the heat down.

04. Befriend a chimney sweep. If you have a chimney, making sure that it is clear and ready to work is a major step before trying to use it for the season. A number of home security mishaps could have been avoided each year if someone came by to check up on the chimney before an overzealous family lit it, only to find it blocked with leaves. Don’t let that be you!

03. Only burn logs. It’s not a good idea to use other materials in your fireplace. They might burn too fast, let off way too much smoke, or worse yet, have poisonous gases. Stick to the basics–chopped firewood from ash, maple, or oak trees.

02. Be ready to stay, too. If the heat goes out, you’re going to need a number of supplies to survive overnight. This means extra layers, many blankets, flashlights, extra batteries, candles, a battery-powered radio to keep up with the news, and food and water for all members of the family, including pets.

01. Have the car ready for winter. Home security extends to your vehicle, which might need to be used right before particularly bad weather strikes. To ensure that your car is actually going to work when the moment strikes, it’s best to have ample antifreeze, snow tires or tires with more tread, and a well-charged battery. Also be sure to keep blankets in the car, in case of any emergency. You’re going to need to stay warm, after all. And never, ever use your car as a replacement heat source! It’s dangerous to run the engine and sit in the car for extended periods of time with the window closed.

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