Mornings are both hectic and a key time for home security — not always a good mix. As experts have reported, most home burglars strike in the middle of the day when people are less likely to be around, and they look for easy vulnerabilities.
If you're in a rush, you could be leaving your home open to theft, or creating other expensive problems. We've identified the most common steps busy people tend to forget, so when the hectic morning routine begins, here's what to check — or double-check — before you leave.
1. Unplugging heaters
If the morning is chilly, it's common to run a space heater in the coldest rooms for extra heat. Or you may have a heater plugged in from the night before. Unplug or at least completely shut down any heating devices before you leave the home.
Even if it isn't currently on, an active space heater in an empty house can be a significant fire hazard. This is also good advice for any device you have that heats up! That could include an electric blanket, an electric kettle for boiling water, and so on.
Read more: 9 Places to Never Put a Space Heater
Lever locks can help secure side doors.
2. Locking the side doors
Locking the front door every morning can be a pain, but it's an easy habit to form, especially if you use automatic smart lock settings. But remembering to lock other doors, like sliding doors or garage doors, is trickier. Thieves always look for an easy way in, so it's common for them to quickly check every door in a home.
You could choose an affordable lever smart lock upgrade for your side doors so you don't need to worry about forgetting them again. Or create a routine — perhaps with the help of voice assistant reminders — to make a pass around the house to check each door before you leave.
Smart thermostats make morning adjustments a breeze.
3. Turning down the thermostat
Leaving the thermostat too high is a costly mistake, but it's easy to forget about heating levels when you're in a hurry. When possible, use thermostat scheduling features to automatically ease off heating/cooling in the morning when everyone leaves the house. If you're still setting thermostat changes manually, it's probably time for a change.
Set temperatures for about 7 to 10 degrees more or less than you would if people were home. Take into account the comfort of pets and plants that are staying behind. And remember to update your morning schedules seasonally depending on weather trends in your area.
Read more: The Best Smart Thermostats
4. Closing windows
If you opened any windows to take advantage of the cool night air, remember to close them in the morning. Burglars often watch for open windows, a potential quick entry into a home. Plus, as the day warms up, open windows could mess with your heating or cooling and cost extra money.
When you're in a rush, don't forget to check the fridge to make sure you have your lunch — and that the fridge is closed.
5. Checking the kitchen
In the morning rush to grab breakfast and remember packed lunches, people can leave refrigerator doors ajar, which is a big energy drain and could endanger more sensitive foods inside. Also, if you're strained for time, you may've forgotten your meal in the fridge, so it's always a smart idea to give the ice box a quick check.
Additionally, after breakfast, someone may've left the oven, toaster or air fryer on, which is another fire risk. If there's not much coffee left in the coffeemaker, it's a good idea to shut it down so the coffee doesn't get burnt. Do a general check of your kitchen appliances to make sure they're safely turned off. More-advanced appliances often have auto-shutoffs, which switch off the power after a set amount of time.
6. Closing the garage door
Though closing the garage door is usually a reflex, that also means it's hard to notice when you forget. An open garage is one of the most inviting signs for burglars and also welcomes in dust, animals and other problems. One of the easiest ways to take care of garage doors is using a smart garage door controller with automatic settings and reminders. A number of smart home cameras can also be set up in the garage to give you customized alerts if the door is left open.
If you're worried about someone forcing even a closed garage door open, you can look for features that auto-lock a garage door when it closes and other neat safety tricks.
Arlo's new Security Tag is a great fit for its supercompact home security system.
7. Arming the security system
If you use a home security system, you should arm it as you head out the door. That's not always easy to remember, especially if "heading out the door" involves multiple trips or herding kids.
Our favorite solution is using a phone or fob with geofencing or similar features that will automatically arm/disarm the system when you move a certain distance away. Most modern security systems have that capability. You can also set security systems to automatically arm at certain times, but that's a riskier option on late mornings.
While you're building these important morning habits, you may want to check out our stories on the best ways to deter thieves and the common home security mistakes people make. If you have other questions, visit our home security cheat sheet to find all our top guides.