Mornings are both a hectic time and an important time for home security; It’s not always a good mix. As experts reportMost home burglars attack in the middle of the day, when people are less likely to be around, and they look for easy vulnerabilities.

If you are in a hurry, you may leave your home open to burglary or cause other expensive problems. We’ve identified the most common steps that busy people tend to forget; so when the busy morning routine begins, here’s what you need to check or double-check before you hit the road.

1. Unplug heaters

This is common if the morning is cool to run a space heater In the coldest rooms for extra heat. Or you may have installed a heater from the night before. Unplug all heating appliances or at least turn them off completely before leaving home.

Even if it’s not currently on, an active heater in an unoccupied home can pose a significant fire hazard. This is also good advice for any device that gets hot! These include an electric blanket, an electric kettle for boiling water, etc. may take place.

Read more: 9 Places You Should Never Put a Heater

2. Locking the side doors

Locking the front door every morning can be a pain, but it’s an easy habit, especially if you you are using automatic smart lock settings. But other doors, like sliding doors or garage doors, are harder to remember to lock. Burglars are always looking for an easy way in, so it’s common for them to quickly check every door in the house.

you can choose An affordable lever smart lock upgrade For your side doors, you don’t have to worry about forgetting them again. Or create a routine — maybe with the help of voice assistant reminders -taking a tour around the house to check every door before leaving.

3. Turn 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. Whenever possible, use thermostat scheduling features to automatically facilitate heating/cooling when everyone leaves the house in the morning. If you’re still manually adjusting thermostat changes, it’s probably time for a change.

Adjust temperatures about 7 to 10 degrees more or less more than you would if people were home. Consider pets’ comfort and plants they are left behind. Don’t forget to update your morning schedules seasonally, depending on weather trends in your area.

Read more: Best Smart Thermostats

4. Closing windows

If you opened any windows to take advantage of the cool night air, be sure to close them in the morning. Burglars often watch open windows for a chance to quickly enter a home. Additionally, as the day warms up, open windows can affect your heating or cooling system and cost extra money.

5. Checking the kitchen

Rush to have breakfast in the morning and remember the packed lunch, people may leave freezer Having the doors ajar is a huge waste of energy and can cause danger. More delicate foods inside. Also, if you’re short on time, you may have forgotten your food in the fridge, so a quick check of the ice bin is always a smart idea.

Additionally, someone may have left the oven, toaster, or air fryer on after breakfast, creating another fire risk. If there isn’t much coffee left in the coffee maker, it’s a good idea to turn it off to prevent the coffee from burning. Do a general check of your kitchen appliances to make sure they are securely turned off. More advanced devices It usually has an auto-shutdown feature that turns off the power after a certain period of time.

6. Closing the garage door

While closing the garage door is often a reflex, this also means it’s hard to notice when you forget. An open garage is one of the most inviting signs for thieves, and it also welcomes dust, animals and other problems. One of the easiest ways to maintain garage doors is to use a garage door. smart garage door controller With automatic settings and reminders. A set of smart home cameras It can also be set up in the garage to give you customized alerts when the door is left open.

If you’re worried about someone breaking open even a closed garage door, you can look for these features. Automatic garage door locking when closed and other neat security tricks.

7. Activating the security system

If a home security systemYou should activate it as you walk out the door. This isn’t always easy to remember, especially when “getting out the door” involves multiple trips or herding the kids.

Our favorite solution is to use a phone or key fob with geofencing or similar features that will automatically arm/disarm the system when you move a certain distance. The most modern security systems has this ability. You can also set security systems to automatically arm at certain times, but this is a riskier option late in the morning.

While you’re developing these important morning habits, you might want to check out our stories. The best ways to deter thieves And Common home safety mistakes people make. If you have any other questions, visit our page home security cheat sheet to find all our best guides.