Do you know how one third of all burglars enter homes? They enter through unlocked doors and windows. This is the easiest and most common way for someone to enter your home – just open an unlocked door.
Despite this fact, many people still don’t take the number one precaution of locking exterior doors. Get in the habit right now of keeping your doors locked at all times, yes, both when your house is vacant, but also when someone is home.
And while this habit is important, unfortunately a locked door won’t necessarily stop a determined criminal. To be truly effective, a door should be reinforced and strengthened. It will depend on your neighborhood, finances, abilities and other variables as to what you can do to reinforce and strengthen your doors. And even then, you can’t entirely eliminate the possibility of criminals breaking into your home. So the best you can do is make it as difficult, time consuming and noisy as possible so they will hopefully bypass your place altogether.
Install deadbolt locks with a minimum 1 inch bolt throw on all exterior doors. If a criminal has to destroy part of a window or door to gain access, there will be evidence of illegal entry which will help with your insurance claim. For the money, a key operated deadbolt is one of the best means of defense for securing your home.
Hollow-core metal or solid wooden doors are stronger choices.
Mail slots weaken doors, so if you must have one, place it lower on the door toward the bottom.
Make sure the door frame and strike plate are also strong. It does you no good if the deadbolt holds and the frame around the strike plate splinters and allows entry.
Install lights that illuminate doors and keep them on at night and when you are away.
Door hinges should always be on the inside.
Storm doors can help save energy and also ad an element of security by adding one more element to go bypass, which takes more time.
Chain locks are not very effective in preventing someone from entering. A good kick will usually break these. However, a stronger one on a stronger door could provided delayed entry. And if you have a solid door without a peephole, a chain lock enables you to crack the door open to speak to visitors without opening the door. Not great, but better than nothing.
Exterior doors should have a peephole to allow you to see outside without opening the door. Wide angle lenses are preferred to give you better view. Remember to use them!
A door stop should be kept beside the door. If you have to open a crack, placing the door stop behind the door can prevent it from easily being pushed open on you. Like a chain, it won’t necessarily stop entry, but will gain you time.
Sliding glass doors are probably the worst exterior doors you can have. The locks are often ineffective and criminals can cut or break the glass. You can make these better by using a polycarbonate or shatterproof glass and installing vertical bolts that fit into holes in the floor and upper frame. There is also the old trick of cutting a broom handle to fit the track in which the doors slide to prevent the door from being slid open.
Certain safety practices and measures will depend on the kind of home you live in. If you own your own house you will have more flexibility that if you rent, or live in an apartment. Regardless, you can take the measures available, or get your landlord to take them, to make your doors harder to get through, and thus your home more safe. And remember, the most common way in is through an unlocked door or window, so get in the habit of locking your locks today.