Window Safety Tips

Tip #1 Keep windows and doors locked—even when you or family members are home.

Tip #2 Update locking hardware on your entry doors. Install new keyed locks and deadbolts.

Tip #3 Ensure that window air conditioners are not easily removable from the outside. Bolt them in place from the inside.

Tip #4 Keep drapes or shades drawn—during evenings and at night—so as not to entice intruders. Sheers can help to conceal your home’s interior during the day while allowing in light.

Tip #5 Remove shrubs and trees from in front of windows so they can’t hide possible intruders. Keep shrubs trimmed low.

Tip #6 Replace old, easily-breached windows with heavy-duty replacement windows that have passed ASTM* structural forced entry tests.

Tip #7 Install new heavy-duty basement windows. Older, substandard basement windows are often targeted by intruders.

Tip #8 Install windows with laminated glass when building a new home or replacing your windows. Laminated Armor Glass is very difficult for intruders to penetrate. A quality laminated glass system consists of one composite pane made up of a polyvinyl butyral interlayer sandwiched by two sheets of glass—and another pane of annealed or standard glass.

Tip #9 Replace your entry doors with metal or fiberglass doors with peepholes and minimal—if any—glass for the best security. Be sure that they incorporate substantial locking systems.

Tip #10 Replace old patio doors with new, more secure models. Insist on doors that incorporate laminated glass instead of tempered glass. Tempered glass is designed for safety, but not security.