We’ve had a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood recently. It’s pretty frightening. More than a dozen homes have been hit. But not one, according to our local sheriff’s department, has been a forced entry.
The thieves simply helped themselves to the garage door openers from vehicles parked in the driveway.
Most of us leave the garage remotes in the car, either clipped to the visor or on the dashboard. However, after these burglaries, I’m changing my ways.
Here are seven tips for keeping your garage more secure:
- Don’t leave the garage door remote in your vehicle.
- Turn the power off to the garage opener at night. (You can wire it to work with the light switch.)
- Keep the door between your house and garage locked.
- Don’t leave your garage door open all day long. Potential thieves will be able to see what you own (how many of us have the big screen TV and computer cartons stashed in the garage?), or help themselves to items stored in the garage.
- Don’t leave the garage light on all night if you have windows in the garage. Again, it enables burglars to “case” the place.
- Consider a locking mechanism for the garage itself, like a deadbolt, to use especially when you plan to be away for extended periods.
- Maintain the garage door and opener. Have a professional inspect the door for weak springs, corrosion and other issues that make the door less secure.
Like many people, maybe you use the garage for storage and have no room for your vehicles. However, it might be wiser to invest in a storage unit — or simply declutter — and use the garage for your car, which is, after all, your second most valuable possession.
Do you have more tips on securing your home? Post them in the comments below!
Leaving the garage remote in car is one of the biggest mistake which we make in our daily life. I would like to prefer the point having professional inspect the door for weak springs, corrosion and other issues that make the door less secure.
We are having burglary issues as well. But, to my knowledge, there has only been one home invasion. Most of them have been cars that have been broken into (including my own). Luckily, I don’t have a garage anymore, but these are things that we used to do when we did have one.
How awful that someone would break into your car! I hope that all is well with you at this point. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
great site. part of my decluttering is finishing all the projects that I have started and stopped. It feels good going though everything. I feel like I am accomplishing so much. visit me at http://www.finallyfinishing.com
I agree, Jacqueline! It was a good exercise for me to look at all of my partial projects and decide which ones to complete and which ones to forget about — very freeing. Thanks for your link; I look forward to seeing your site.
1. do 2. don’t 3. do 4. don’t 5. don’t 6. haven’t 7. haven’t As you see I have a lot to do! Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Definitely want YOU to be safe, Mom! Thanks for taking the time to comment…
Wow! Who KNEW? What fantastic info! I never thought about the garage door openers in the cars parked outside! Thanks!
I was surprised most by the fact that people leave their cars unlocked with the garage remote clearly visible — that’s inviting trouble! Thanks for stopping by…