Posts Tagged ‘Home Security’

10 Steps to Protecting Your Home During Summer Vacation

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Beach Scene

Summer is here and many of us are looking forward to getting away for a break from the pressure of work and school. Any time we are away our homes are more vulnerable to burglars. Knowing this certainly doesn’t help us to the transition from the stress of everyday life to a restful, relaxing vacation.

The good news is, there are a few simple things we can do to protect our homes and our valuables allowing us to more fully enjoy vacation. While securing your valuables in a quality home safe or gun safe is a good step in the right direction there are a number of other helpful things you can do to protect yourself.

Generally, making your home appear that there is someone living there is a big step in the right direction.

  1. Invite a trusted college student to house sit while you are away. Students often appreciate the opportunity to get away from home for a week or two and sweetening the pot with a bit of cash in exchange for watching over your home, watering plants and/or caring for animals is a great investment.
  2. Put your newspaper and mail on hold. If you are concerned about alerting the paper delivery person consider cancelling the paper and restarting it when you get back in town. Piled up papers in the driveway are a sure sign to a prospective burglar that this home is a hot target.
  3. Park a car in the driveway. Ideally one that will come and go. See if a neighbor is willing to park in your driveway at night when they come home from work.
  4. Install one or more motion sensitive lights around the exterior of your home.
  5. Put multiple inside lights on timers, going off and on at different times.
  6. Add a radio or TV on a timer as well, the sound will be an excellent deterrent.
  7. Make sure your yard is mowed while you are away. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, splurge and pay someone to do it for you while you are away.
  8. If you trust your neighbors, let them know you will be away with the dates you will be gone and a contact phone number in case something suspicious occurs that you might want to know about. Be sure to let them know if you expect anyone to come to your home while you are gone or they and you may be alarmed unnecessarily.
  9. 9. If you don’t already have one, consider a home security system that will notify you and local law enforcement if there is an unauthorized visitor enters your home.
  10. Secure your valuables in a quality home safe or gun safe as your last line of defense against burglary and fire.

At Maximum Security Safes we are concerned about the overall security of your family and valuables. We recognize that the home safes and gun safes we sell are just the last line of defense and that there are a number of other important security measures we all should take. Consider the steps above and before you leave home check out our educational information and selection of home safes and gun safes at Maximum Security Safes or call us at 800-538-0600.

Jewelry Safes and 8 Other Tips to Protect Your Jewelry

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Diamond ring for jewelry safe
Jewelry safes protect personal jewelry from damage, theft and fire. The key characteristics of a home jewelry safe include an interior that provides well designed, velvet lined organization for your jewelry and a safe itself that provides verified burglar and fire protection. Third party verification by a reputable testing agency ensures that the protection that you expect is indeed the protection that you are getting with the jewelry safe that you purchase.

In addition to jewelry safes there are several other tips to consider to protect your jewelry. Damage to jewelry is very common, but fortunately proper attention and care can limit if not eliminate the likelihood of damage.

  • Remove jewelry before playing sports, swimming, gardening or doing difficult chores around the house. Be sure to put it in a safe place, your jewelry safe.
  • Don’t leave your jewelry on an open surface such as a counter, near a sink or in a public area.
  • Jewelry should never be put in your pocket, it just isn’t worth the risk. Instead take the time to put it in a safe place, your jewelry safe.
  • Be careful when removing gloves as jewelry can easily become snagged or lost.
  • Personally inspect your jewelry regularly for missing stones or damaged prongs, especially immediately after you bump or catch your jewelry.
  • Periodically have your jeweler inspect your jewelry, especially the items you wear often. A jeweler can detect and repair small problems like a loose prong or faulty clasp before something is lost.
  • Consider insuring your pieces of most significant value. You may find that the cost to insure is reduced if you store your jewelry in a quality jewelry safe.
  • Using a home security system is always a good companion to jewelry safes. The sign on your lawn or window may cause the thief to pass by your house and if they do enter they will know their time is limited.

My daughter’s friend recently found her mom’s diamond, lost 2 ½ years ago, in the backyard at their house. It had already been replaced, at full cost. I had two of my mother’s rings stolen years ago when our home was burglarized, they were never found. Family heirlooms lost forever. The moral of the stories is take precautions with your jewelry before this happens to you. At Maximum Security Safes we have a full selection of jewelry safes and safes of all types and sizes with most items in stock for quick delivery. Check out our jewelry safes on the web or at our Santa Ana showroom this week!

Burglaries Lead to More Safes for Home

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Police in communities across the country are alerting homeowners of a rise in home burglaries. It is time to do a home security evaluation and consider a quality home safe to secure your valuables.

Over the past few months there has been a significant rise in the number of newspaper articles in which police warn homeowners of an increase in home burglaries.

Police report a rise in home burglaries. San Ramon, CA 11/09
During the holidays home burglaries increase. Richmond Hill, GA 12/8
4.5% increase in burglaries over last year. Omaha, NE 11/09
• The list goes on….

Police urge homeowners to secure their homes and protect their valuables. Safes for home are one significant piece of doing just that.

Our current economy is the major factor contributing to this increase in home burglaries. However, this time of year makes us particularly tempting targets due to earlier darkness and the influx of cash and gifts in homes as a result of the holidays.

We all need to take security more seriously, especially right now. The first step in that direction is to check your home for safety. Check out the Home Security Checklist from the National Crime Prevention Council.

The next step is to lock up your valuables in a burglar and fire resistive safe from Maximum Security. Call us today at (800) 538-0600 or locally at (714) 550-4123 and we will help you find just the right home safe for your needs.