Your garage is a place where you can safely park your car, stock your childhood memories, hide your valuables, store your gardening tools, and do a number of other things. Due to this, it should be kept locked and protected and you should ensure its maximum safety. Not all people think of it that way and that is when thefts and break-ins happen. If you, however, want to protect your personal treasures, here several steps you must take as soon as possible.
Take Care of the Remote
This should go without saying: do not leave your garage remote lying around! There are only a handful of places people usually hide their remotes and an experienced thief will find it in no time. That is why opting for a keychain remote is a better idea. Some of its benefits are small size and the option of controlling several garage doors at the same time, but its main perk is the fact that it can always be with you. Therefore, try not to lose it as it can end up in the hands of a thief quite easily.
Enhance the Protection
A simple garage door will not stop any thief, especially not the one with the knowledge to pick the lock. Due to that, there are two things you need to do to turn your garage into an impenetrable fortress – install a more stable door and reinforce the lock. When purchasing the doors, remember that the strongest options are usually the best. Sturdy models will scare the thieves away and prove to be the finest protection you can hope for.
When it comes to the locks, reinforcements are absolutely necessary in this day and age, say at Apex Locksmiths. Since the burglars are becoming more and more skilled, do not expect that your basic lock will stop them. You can fortify your garage door locks on your own by installing heavy-duty strike plates and using long screws that penetrate the framing, or you can just hire an expert locksmith to do it for you.
Motion Detectors, Cameras and Alarms
Not a lot of thieves are prepared to face the law, which is why they are usually easily frightened by motion detectors, cameras and alarms. As soon as they see that your garage is equipped with these, most thieves give up and find another target. That is why you should consider introducing some kind of protection system to your garage.
You can choose between investing big bucks into a serious surveillance system or you can settle for a simpler solution. Light fixtures with motion detectors will scare the thieves as none of them want to try to work their way into a garage under bright lights. Both of these options give you a chance to notice the burglar on time and notify the police.
Install Window Bars
If your garage has accessible windows, this is the point of entry most burglars will consider. That is why window bars are an easy, but a much needed solution that will prevent unwanted guests from prying your windows open. Moreover, you can handle this project on your own and it will not take much of your time – there are ready-made handle bars you can install, or you can just use steel pipes available at every DIY store.
Further Considerations
Among some of the other options people use to protect their garages are guard dogs, door timers and window covers that prevent the burglars from seeing all the goods stored in your garage. While many think that experienced thieves always find a way to get inside your garage, these ideas will certainly make their job much harder or even impossible to complete.