4 Steps to Take to Improve the Security of Your Home This Winter

If you want to keep your family safe, you need to make sure that your home is as secure as possible. Here are four steps that you can take this winter to increase the security of your home.

#1 Use Deadbolts on All Exterior Doors

The first thing that you need to do is make sure that all of your doors have deadbolts on them. Deadbolts are much more difficult to crack then regular turn locks. However, in order for your deadbolts to be effective, they need to extend into your door frame as deeply as possible. If your deadbolt lock is really short, you should purchase a deadbolt that is longer and fix your door so that it extends fully into the lock.

If you have an attached garage, be sure to also update the door that allows entrance to your garage. Even though someone still has to go through the door to your house, this can be an easy way to get into your home. The door you use to get into your garage from the outside and the door within your garage to your house should both be equipped with deadbolts to protect your home.

#2 Get Rid of Your Spare Key

Second, you need to get rid of all the spare keys that you have hiding around the outside of your home. Thieves will be able to find the key that you hid under your front door mat, on top of the door frame, under the dog's food bag, and any other place that you think of. If you feel the need to keep a spare key, give it to a close friend or family member you trust not to use it to gain unauthorized access to your home; don't hide it around the outside of your house.

If you really feel the need to keep a spare key, keep it inside of a safe or lockbox in your garage; that will be make harder for a thief to crack.

#3 Update Your Doors

Third, you need to update your doors. You want to have solid and strong doors that are not easy to break down. Ideally, your exterior doors should be either made of metal or enclosed within a steel shell if they are made of wood. This will make it more difficult to break or cut through your door, and will help ensure that your door doesn't weather and suffer damage, which can make it easier to break into your home.

#4 Install a Security System

Finally, you need to install a security system in your home. A security system will allow you to make sure that your home stays secure when you are not present or when you are asleep. A high-quality security system will include motion sensors on all of your exterior doors and windows and will allow you to activate and monitor it from afar to make sure that your home is always secure. Talk to a company like Atlas Alarm Corporation to learn about your options.