Home Safety & Security Tips

Growing up in a city, everyone I knew locked their door. Granted, we all hid keys in easy to find places like the doormat right in front of the locked door, but we locked them nevertheless. Turns out, not every region of the country locks their doors equally. A new survey from Safehome.org looks at the door locking habits of folks across the country. While they have a reputation for being easy-going and welcoming, turns out Southerners draw the line at letting you just waltz on into their homes.

Even if preparedness isn’t your strong suit, there are certain home staples that any successful household should possess.

If you have one in your home, read this.

The company asked customers to stop using all of their products immediately due to safety concerns.

We aren’t the only things that get too hot in the summer–our tech can be in danger as well. Old laptops are notoriously susceptible to overheating, but even newer ones can be damaged in summer conditions. But with the right precautions, your laptop will be fine–even if you want to head outside on a sunny day to get some work done.

Quick! You wake up late for work to find that your alarm clock is off. But the power… the power’s still on. What happened? Well, your trusty alarm clock (or phone) might just have been plugged into a less trusty outlet that refuses to grip onto anything plugged into it. Those loose plugs sometimes fall out completely with a possible fire hazard on your hands. When you plug something in that doesn’t feel quite snug, it’s probably the plug.

These steps will give you peace of mind while you're away.

Mirrors show up as a plot device in everything from scary movies to carnival fun houses and sleepovers. And that unsettling, creepy feeling can work its way into your modern home.

If you had to leave home—right now—because of an emergency, what would you grab?

As anyone knows, there are about a million and twelve things to do when the holidays hit, everything from finishing holiday gift shopping to trying to remember to pack everything you need. But before you go, make sure you cross each one of these tasks off your to-do list.

There are currently 6 reported incidents of the glass jars shattering, causing fire damage to nearby items.

There are some proactive steps you can take to protect your packages.

Because if emergency equipment looks nicer, maybe more people will stock it at home.

Pack these 11 tools and you'll be ready for anything—even if you’re living in a studio apartment that barely has enough room for a twin bed.

Five minutes is all it takes to make sure you're better equipped to deal with a dilemma.

It may seem convenient, but it's a very bad idea.

We asked a cybersecurity expert—and people like you—to outline the practical rules and legalities of password-sharing in the age of streaming ubiquity.

Keep your valuables safe with these simple systems.

Getting hacked is one of the most common and easiest ways someone can invade your privacy.

Smoking doesn't just ruin a smoker's health—it's ruining their home, too.

After yesterday’s tale of an oven-baked laptop, where a paranoid apartment dweller thought to stash his Mac in the oven to evade a potential burglar’s loot radar, we now know where not to hide our valuables. But the basic idea behind the plan is still smart: If you’re going to be away from home for a while, leave your expensive tech in unexpected places that burglars wouldn’t think to raid. Here are a few better ideas.Headed away for the holidays?

In case you're trying to outsmart a nosy partner, or just want to make sure Amazon understands that cat lady tote was a one-time gag gift.