There are plenty of
things in the average home that should be under lock and key, whether there are
children living in the house or not. For the safety of your family, visitors
and finances, here are ten of the things you should always secure properly.
- Firearms – Most people believe that guns
only need to be in a locked safe or secured cabinet if there are children
living in or visiting the home, but this may not always be the case.
Serious collectors should also lock up their firearms, as they could be a
target item for burglars that know you own them.
- Ammunition – If you do have children in your
home, it’s best to go a step further and lock the guns in one cabinet and
the ammunition in another locking location such as a strongbox or safe.
Taking this precaution adds another safety measure to prevent tragedy in
the event that children are able to somehow gain access to a gun cabinet.
- Alcohol – Young children might get into a
liquor cabinet out of sheer curiosity, while their older siblings or
babysitters may have more nefarious plans in mind. Putting alcohol in a
locked cabinet is a good way to keep your kids out of it and prevent
liability in the event of a visiting teen’s desire to imbibe.
- Jewelry – Valuable pieces of special
occasion jewelery should be locked away in order to keep them safe in the
event of a home invasion or burglary. This may not be convenient for items
that you wear every day, but especially valuable pieces that you wear only
rarely should never be left in an easily-portable jewelry box or unlocked
cabinet.
- Sensitive
Personal Documents –
Financial records, passports and birth certificates should all be placed
in a safe or strongbox to keep the sensitive information they contain away
from prying eyes in the event of a burglary.
- Medicine
Chests – The most obvious
reason to lock medicine chests is to keep children from accessing
potentially lethal chemicals. However, prescription drugs with street
value can be another target for burglars who know you’re on such
medications.
- Power
Tools and Machinery – In
addition to being costly to replace in the event of theft or damage, power
tools and other machinery can be quite dangerous in the hands of children.
Wandering neighborhood kids that can access a detached shed or workshop
might be tempted to play with these items out of sheer mischief, but you
could be held legally liable if they injure themselves with them while on
your property.
- Bureau
Drawers – When there are
crawling infants and walking toddlers in the house, any bureau or dresser
drawer that can be reached should be fitted with childproof locks in order
to prevent delicate fingers from being crushed in them or the temptation
to pull them out and scale them like stairs.
- Cabinetry – All of the lower cabinets in
your kitchen must be locked if there are children in the house, as they’re
likely to contain hazardous chemicals and potentially unsafe kitchen
implements with sharp edges or points.
- Your
Wireless Network – All
too often, less savvy web users don’t understand the necessity of
thoroughly locking their wireless network until they fall victim to con
artists. Neighbors leeching on your connection that download illegal files
can even leave you shouldering the blame.
Taking the proper
precautions to secure your family, valuables and personal information may
present a few minor inconveniences, but those inconveniences are nothing
compared to the heartache and stress of carrying regrets that you didn’t.
Contacts and sources:
Martina Keyhell
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