Your home is a safe haven for you and your loved ones and you will always want it to be as safe and secure as possible, budget or not. If you have a very high budget, you can get those expensive access control locks with security cameras and alarms integrated. However, if you are on a low budget, there is nothing to worry. You can make you home as secure even with a low budget. Let’s find out how.
- Make your front door lock more secure with a deadbolt.
A deadbolt makes your door much more secure than a regular spring bolt since it cannot be moved to the open position unless you have the key to turn in and open it. However, do not make the mistake of buying those cheap deadbolts which can be drilled, picked or kicked in easily. You want something which is strong enough to withstand these forces. Some of the budget-friendly deadbolts out there include:
- Yale YH82
- Kwikset 980
- Schlage B60N
In case you rent the house, make sure your landlord has changed the locks before you moved in, if not, it is better you replace or rekey the lock. Call a professional locksmith in Washington DC to assist you with this.
- Strengthen your door hinges
If your door hinges are weak, someone can easily kick the door open. Invest in some extra long door hinge screws since short screws become loose over time which makes the door insecure. Hinge screws are not expensive at all and they will add more security to your door, so why not! Check your door hardware from time to time to ensure everything is working in order.
- Get a reinforced strike plate
This is most often the forgotten or ignored part of the lock. If you have made up your mind to invest in a good deadbolt, make sure you get a reinforced strike plate or a dress-plate to strengthen the lock. A strike plate is basically a metallic plate which is fixed to the doorjamb for the bolt of the door. This plate protects the jamb against friction from the bolt and increases the security in case the jamb is made of a softer material like wood. If you are not sure which type of strike plate is best for you, call a residential locksmith near you.
- Automate you electronics
Making your home a smart home is not always expensive, this might be the case if you have a lot of area to cover, however you can do so with a less budget as well with a couple of programmable timers. They can be easily plugged into the standard outlets. You can connect your lamps, television, music system. Smart bulbs are also a great way to add security as well as reduce the electricity bills since they consume less power and last longer. These bulbs can be programmed to be dimmed, work on a timer and set to a different color. Having some lights which come on automatically can act as a good deterrent for criminals.
- Make sure there are no hiding spots in your backyard
The lesser the chances of people hiding, the lesser will be the chances they try to break-in. Lighten your yard with outdoor lighting as much as possible. You can go for those weather proof lights which are either hard-wired to solar powered lights. If you have a little extra budget, you can go for smart light with motion detection sensors which can turn the light on as soon as there is some movement detected in the yard. This is a great deterrent for burglars.
A locksmith can assist you with most of this without you having to take any headache. Q locksmith services are experts in the industry with 12 years of experience in commercial, automotive and residential locksmith services in Washington DC, Maryland and Baltimore. Call us at 888-571-4443 today and make your home a safer place!