Take steps to keep home safe and secure

All of us must work and consequently leave our homes for long periods of time. As our county becomes more and more populated, crime rates will increase.

Home invasions unfortunately will increase as well as our population grows. Home security in larger cities has become an industry in itself. In this week's article I thought I would provide you, the reading audience, with some tips in home security.

1. Don't leave spare keys in the traditional locations: In mailboxes, under doormats, under potted plants, above the door, etc.

Find a secret way of concealing the extra key, such as putting a key pop can laying next to a plant, or wrap the key up in aluminum foil and bury it in a special place in your yard.

2. Don't leave notes for repair people or family members on you door telling them where the key is or when you will be home.

3. Turn the ring tone down on your phone when you leave. Prowlers will know the home is empty if the phone is unanswered.

4. Timer switches should be used on your lights, radios, and television, so that they come on when you're gone. By doing this, it will appear that someone is home.

5. When you leave on a trip, don't stop or cancel your mail and newspaper; if you do, you'll be letting a lot of strangers know you'll be gone and for how long. It's better to have a professional company, neighbor or family member pick up or take your mail. Make sure they also pick up flyers as well, so that your home looks occupied.

6. Barking dogs make the best alarm system.

7. If you've just bought a new home, have the locks changed. You have no idea how many keys were made for that home.

8. Make sure all door hinges are set inside of the home, if not, all a burglar has to do is knock out the pins and enter your home.

9. If you have sliding glass doors, install a drop bar or pole locking the door in place. I drill small holes at the bottom and top of both doors, then insert a long nail securing both doors together.

10. On attached garages, buy a small "C" clamp and clamp it on the tracks of the door. The door cannot be opened if the clamp is tightened.

11. Place window coverings over your garage windows preventing prowlers from looking in to see if your car is gone.

12. If your going to be gone for several months, hire a professional company to come by your home on irregular intervals and do security checks. They should check your mail often, cut your grass, clear your sidewalks and driveway, check your home for frozen and leaky pipes, and check the internal temperature. If it drops below that, they should find out why.

By using a professional company, you could save thousands of dollars in repair cost in water damage should a pipe break during the winter, not to mention property loss if their was a break in.

If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed a NWES (255-2266) or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, Attn: What Would Ed Do?