Top 5 Tips for Holiday Home Safety

While the winter holiday season may be “the most wonderful time of the year,” it can also be a stressful time for many households. The house needs to be cleaned for visiting relatives, presents need to be purchased and wrapped, and festive dinners need to be cooked and on the table before bedtime. With all the chaos that comes with the season, the last thing you want to worry about is the safety of your home. 

According to a study conducted by SimpliSafe, 45% of respondents shared that they have had packages stolen from their front porch or home during the holidays and a whopping 70% shared that they have set off their smoke alarm while cooking a holiday meal. With all the distractions that come with the holiday season – whether it’s forgetting to lock the door before  you travel to Grandma’s house, neglecting to bring in package deliveries or leaving the casserole in the oven too long –  it’s no wonder that monitoring center calls can increase during this time of year. 

So, how do you ensure your home is safe this holiday season?

1. Update the Perimeter of Your Home

Burglars, and porch pirates, in particular, like to take advantage of the holiday season for many reasons. Not only do early sunsets help obscure burglars in darkness, but with so many of us distracted by holiday celebrations, burglars can go unnoticed even in the light of day. Updating the perimeter of your home can be a great way to ensure extra safety this holiday season. Some tips include:

• Adding extra lighting around your home, such as Christmas lights and yard decorations, to make it harder for lurkers to stay hidden.

• Remembering to lock your first-floor doors and windows and close your garage doors, even when you’re home, to ensure you don’t get any unexpected visitors. 

• Installing an outdoor camera or a video doorbell. Not only will they help monitor for porch pirates, but they have the added benefit of letting you know when friends and family arrive for holiday festivities. 

2. Consider Indoor Cameras

In addition to protecting the outside of your home from intruders, it’s also worth taking the time to protect the inside of your home from other potential hazards. Adding an indoor camera is a great way to keep an eye on those within your home while you are busy wrapping presents or outside shoveling snow from your driveway. 

With an indoor camera, you can watch live stream video at any time through a mobile app and get alerts when movement is detected. No more worrying about the cat climbing up the Christmas tree and breaking heirloom ornaments or wondering if the kids have snuck off with a jar of holiday cookies. 

3. Check Your Smoke Detectors 

Kitchen mishaps are incredibly common during the holiday season. With so many dishes being cooked at once and with family and friends coming and going at all hours of the day, it’s easy to forget a boiling pot or two. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your smoke detectors are up-to-date and fully charged. 

Many smart smoke detectors, including SimpliSafe’s, are uniquely designed to alert you to smoke in the “smoldering stage,” or the stage before smoke ignites into flames. Not only will a smoke detector  save your holiday roast, but it could save your family from a potential home disaster. 

4. Prepare for Freezing Temperatures

One common and potentially expensive holiday mishap is freezing pipes. When pipes freeze, they can not only leave you without hot water, but they can potentially crack and burst, causing water damage and wreaking havoc in your home.

When temperatures drop to freezing (below 32 degrees Fahranheit), the likelihood of frozen pipes increases. To save your holidays from pipe damage, follow some basic mitigation measures such as:

• Shutting off the water to any external faucets.

• Leaving indoor faucets slightly open so that they release a steady drip of water and allow constant water flow through your home’s pipes.

• Remembering to turn on the heat, even when you leave your home for an extended period of time.

• Installing a SimpliSafe’s smart Temperature Sensor to alert you when your home’s temperature drops below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature sensors can also be used to ensure your home is kept at a safe temperature for your pets and plants.  It’s important to remember, especially during this reflective time of year, that home security products not only protect your home but your loved ones too. 

5. Get Professional Home Monitoring

While it’s helpful to have your home equipped with home security products to alert you to anything from a broken window to a damaged roof, a burst pipe or a kitchen fire, they can only do so much. To really have peace of mind during the holiday season, it’s worth signing up for a professional monitoring service. 

With professional monitoring from SimpliSafe, you can fully enjoy your holiday celebrations, knowing that your home is protected 24/7 by professionals. The moment an alarm goes off – whether a smoke detector or an entry sensor – the monitoring center will be alerted and able to dispatch police, fire or medical services in the event of an emergency. Subscribe today and consider the added protection a priceless gift to both you and your family this holiday season.