Homeowner’s Academy
This is your guide to interesting facts, tips and general homeowner information. We hope you find the information useful – and feel free to share with friends!

Preventing Home Burglary

Spring cleaning often comes with a fresh coat of paint. Painting can be a great way to change the feel of a room or give your home some great curb appeal. Painting also plays a role in home repair by protecting the wood of your home against the elements, essential here in Florida.

If you decide to try your hand at painting this spring, People’s Trust has some tips that can keep the experience enjoyable and safe for everyone in your family.

Try Some Eco-friendly Paint

Spring conjures up the sniffles for many people in the great outdoors, but paint may do the same thing inside of your home. Household paints have previously contained up to 300 toxic chemicals, including the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release particles into the air for years after you paint.

Try a low-VOC paint, which tends to be water-based, for any home interior painting. These have taken off in recent years and come in every shade and finish imaginable. Some brands also create no-VOC paints by replacing chemicals with more natural ingredients. These no-VOC paints are often pet-safe, but always check the label and never leave your pet unattended in a room where paint cans are open.

Home Repair Supervision

If you have children, never let them be in a room with open paint cans by themselves. If children are under the age of 10, they should never be in a room with any open painting materials. Even eco-friendly paints are extremely dangerous if ingested. If you believe your child has ingested any paint, immediately call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.

Try Cloth Catchers for Indoor and Outdoor Painting

You can pick up plastic sheets to protect your floors and lawn, but these often move and tear as you walk around painting. Turn to cloth or canvas drop cloths that will stay in place easier and can be weighed down with objects without the risk of tearing.

For painting the outside of your home, try a tarp with tie-holes. These can be staked into the ground to provide a steadier surface for a ladder.

Ventilate: Make Room to Breathe

If you’re painting inside, open the doors and windows. If your room has a fan, turn it on. You want proper ventilation for any space you’re painting to help air out the room and not breathe in paint fumes. If you can’t ventilate where you’re working, get a respirator and only paint in short stints.

Ventilation is essential to most common home repair improvements.

Stick to the Shade

If painting outside, you know that you need to take a break in the shade, but what about your materials? Paint, paint thinner and lacquer all need to stay in the shade as much as possible when painting outdoors.

Not only can heat and sun alter some of these items when they’re sitting in the can, but heat can also be a big problem for these flammable items. The city of Las Vegas actually warns its citizens to be careful when painting their homes or canvases outside because paint thinner has been ignited by the sun and started home fires.

Clean Up after Home Repairs

When you finish painting for the day, clean up the entire space. This will prevent spills and any accidental exposure.

Latex paints can typically be cleaned from surfaces and your skin with soap and water. Oil-based paints will have specific cleaning instructions located on the paint can itself. Take a look at your can before you start painting and write down what it says, because paint often spills on the outside of the can during the painting process.

Gasoline was once used to clean paint off of brushes, but this should never be used. Gasoline is extremely dangerous and should never be used as a cleaner for any object.

It’s always a smart practice to clean up and watch your space clearly when doing any home repair project.

by PTI Marketing | Oct 29, 2013

Each year in the United States there are more than 5 million home burglaries. Nine out of ten of these are preventable. The risk of being burglarized can be greatly reduced by taking simple steps to make your home more difficult to enter and less enticing to burglars. People’s Trust Insurance Company wants to keep you and your loved ones safe. Review these tips for best practices on preventing home burglary. 

  • Make sure that exterior lights are mounted out of reach, so that burglars can’t easily unscrew bulbs. Consider buying motion-sensitive lights, which are now available at relatively low prices. Use a variable light timer to activate lights inside your home. Burglars are much more likely to break into a dark yard where they can easily hide.
  • Trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows so burglars can’t hide in the shadows. Trimming tall trees or hedges can also help in preventing burglars from easily climbing these and gaining access to a second story window.
  • Make it time-consuming for a burglar to break into your home by installing deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.
  • Place additional locks on all windows and patio doors.
  • If you can afford it, install an alarm system that will alert neighbors and the police of a burglar’s presence. Don’t share your alarm code with housekeepers, maintenance people, etc. Security system decals and signs are also an effective deterrent. A burglar who sees a yard sign while casing a neighborhood may never even approach your house, and one who gets close enough to see a security system decal may think twice before trying to enter your home.
  • Always lock your doors and windows when you are home and when you go out.  Most home burglaries happen between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
  • Do not hide a spare key in an obvious location such as under a planter or doormat. Think about giving the spare key to a trustworthy neighbor instead.
  • If currently using a door chain to screen visitors, consider using a peep hole that will prevent you from having to open the door to identify visitors. Never open the door for someone you don’t know that you are not expecting.
  • Don’t tempt a thief – lawnmowers, barbecues, and bicycles are best stored out of site. Always keep your garden sheds and garages locked.
  • Never leave notes on your door such as “gone shopping.”
  • Following a routine can help you make sure your house is secure. Ensure that doors and windows are locked and security systems are activated at night. Notify the police if you see suspicious activity/persons in your neighborhood.

This Blog is sponsored by:
People’s Trust Insurance Company