According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and resulting injuries.

While you can’t anticipate or prepare for every possible cause, there are numerous preventive measures you can take to help keep your family safe.  Here are several for your consideration.   At the same time, implementing a few added precautionary measures might just help prevent a fire in your kitchen:

• Stay alert. Don’t use the stove or oven if you are sleepy or under the influence of alcohol.
• Don’t leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen while cooking or baking food. If you must leave the kitchen, ask a responsible adult to keep an eye on things until you return.
• Use a timer when baking or roasting food as a reminder to check on it at regular intervals.
• Keep oven mitts, kitchen towels, wooden utensils, food packaging, or anything else that can catch fire away from the stovetop.
• Clean cooking surfaces often to prevent grease from building up.
• Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by carefully sliding the lid over the pan, then turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy n or near your kitchen.
• If you can’t safely fight the fire, leave the house immediately (closing the door behind you to help contain the fire) and call 9-1-1 from a safe location.

Now Security Systems also can help protect your home and family by installing a smoke detector near your kitchen and in other key locations.  We also offer 24/7 monitoring so we can get you the help you might need quickly and reliably. Contact us today for more information and a free in-home security consultation.

Florida this is not, but those fortunate enough to have outdoor swimming pools still manage to take full advantage of the limited pool season.

Not that a pool comes labor or worry free, mind you. It’s a lot of work to open and maintain it.  And then there’s the safety angle, especially when it comes to keeping an eye on your children.  Well, who better to turn to than the American Red Cross. Straight from its website, they offer these important safety tips:

• Secure your pool with appropriate barriers. Completely surround your pool with a 4-feet high fence or barrier with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Place a safety cover on the pool or hot tub when not in use and remove any ladders or steps used for access. Consider installing a pool alarm that goes off if anyone enters the pool.
• Keep children under active supervision at all times. Stay in arm’s reach of young kids. Designate a responsible person to watch the water when people are in the pool—never allow anyone to swim alone. Have young or inexperienced swimmers wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Ensure everyone in the home knows how to swim well by enrolling them in age-appropriate water orientation and learn-to-swim courses from the Red Cross.
• Keep your pool or hot tub water clean and clear. Maintain proper chemical levels, circulation and filtration. Regularly test and adjust the chemical levels to minimize the risk of earaches, rashes or more serious diseases.
• Establish and enforce rules and safe behaviors, such as “no diving,” “stay away from drain covers,” “swim with a buddy” and “walk please.”
• Ensure everyone in the home knows how to respond to aquatic emergencies by having appropriate safety equipment and taking water safety, first aid and CPR courses from the Red Cross.

For added pace of mind, consider adding one or more video cameras to your home security system.  That way, you can keep an eye on the pool even when no one’s using it to help prevent uninvited guests from crashing the party or even your own kids sneaking back outdoors for an extra dip in the pool. For more information, contact Now Security Systems today.

We have plenty of customers – so they tell us – who are incredibly well-organized at work. After all, why make things harder for yourself when efficiency is the name of the game. And yet many of these same people don’t rate themselves quite so well when it comes home organization.  Clothes here and there, cereal boxes and other food items that are hard to reach, keys and gloves that can’t be found…the list goes on and on.

So, what’s a true neatnik like you going to do about it?  Here’s a good head start:

Bins: Storage bins come in many different sizes and colors, but stackable bins enable you to make the most of available space. Use them in the kitchen, bathroom, under beds for off-season clothing, and more.

Hanging shoe bag: Here’s an exchange from an old Three Stooges short:

“Hey, what’s behind that door?”

“The other side of the door!”

Take one of your closet doors, for example? Could you hand a shoe bag on its back side? If so, you’ll free up a bunch of floor space. Put on the back of your linen closet door, and you have a ready-made space for cleaning supplies.     

Lazy Susan: A Lazy Susan not only helps you organize under-cabinet items for ease of access and so you remember what’ back there!

Stepped shelving:  Here’s another convenient way to reach items in the back spaces of a pantry, closet or cabinet shelves. With stepped shelving, you can turn one shelf into two or more to maximize the height of the space available to you.     

Pegboard: A peg board is a great addition to any pantry.  With a few S hooks attached to it, you can hang kitchen utensils and cookware and gain more drawer at the same time. Where else could you use a peg board? How about your garage of work shop?

A well-organized home can only simplify things for you and give you more time to enjoy friends and family, or simply being alone.

Once the warm weather comes, getting the gas grill going is never far behind. Light it up, cook a meal, enjoy, and go to bed nice and full.  Pretty automatic all the way around.

What’s not quite as automatic is cleaning the grill.  “Aw, it looks okay, we’ll get it next time” are words heard from one yard to yard, and neighborhood to neighborhood. And yet, like it or not, the longer you wait, the nastier the job.

So, from our house to yours, here are some friendly tips on how to clean your grill…and remember, the more often the better.

Grill Cleaning Aids 

• Bucket or basin of soapy water
• Grill brush
• Bristle brush
• Rags or paper towels
• Rubber gloves (optional) 

Grill Cleaning Instructions

1. Detach the gas tank from the grill or simply make sure the gas supply is turned off. Also take this opportunity to inspect all hoses and connections for signs of damage.
2. Remove the grill grates and clean them with the grill brush, removing as much stuck on food and grease as possible.
3. Remove anything covering the burners, like ceramic briquettes, lava stones, or V-shaped metal bars, and brush off any food or debris.
4. Gently brush the burner tubes and inspect the gas ports to make sure they are clean and open.
5. Use a brush or rag to clean any debris out of the bottom of the grill and the lid. If you notice any peeling paint, use a bristle brush to remove carbon flakes.
6. Use soapy water to clean the grease collection tray. Replace any disposable pans if needed.
7. Wipe the outside of the grill and side tables with soapy and water.
8. Once everything is dry, replace all removable parts, and get ready to fire it up!

Gas grill safety is another matter, but one we encourage you to give it’s fair due. That includes keeping your grill at least ten feet from you house and keeping a fire extinguisher close by. We’re in the safety business, too, and we want all of your backyard grilling to be free of damage and personal harm.

Warm weather and grilling go hand in hand. A weekend barbecue is a great opportunity to gather with family and friends, enjoy the beautiful weather, and savor both new and long-fancied barbecue recipes.

But as fun and delicious as summertime grilling can be, it’s not without its risks. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association estimates that grills, smokers, and hibachis cause an average of 8,300 fires each year, many of which can be prevented with a few simple – but important – safety measures.

• Thoroughly inspect your grill before firing it up for the season and check it periodicallyr. Check for rust on propane tanks, loose or corroded hoses and couplings, and damaged vents and grates.
• Position your grill on a flat, stable surface at least 10 feet away from any buildings, deck railings, overhangs or low-lying branches.

• Clean your grill often, removing any fat or grease residue from grates and catch trays.

• Do not pour any flammable liquids onto a lit grill to avoid flare ups. And only use lighter fluid to light a charcoal grill.

• Don’t wear loose, flowy clothing while cooking, and use long-handled grilling tools and heat resistant oven mitts to avoid getting burned.

• Place ashes, charcoal, and briquettes in a metal container and douse them with plenty of water, then cover that with a lid. Wait at least a few days before disposing of them permanently.

• Never leave a burning grill unattended and keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case.

• In case of a large flare up or fire, close the lid immediately. For a gas grill, turn off the gas and propane tank if you can do so safely. If the fire cannot be easily extinguished, call 911 immediately from a safe distance.

At Now Security Systems, we’re all about helping you enjoy the best of times without fearing the worst of times. With that in mind, contact us if your home security system isn’t up to par, or if you haven’t yet acquired one.

To update or not to update? Your home, that is. Well, just like always, the decision comes down to a few key variables:

• What are you trying to accomplish
• What’s your budget
• Are you planning to do the work yourself or sub it out

Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but for now, let’s assume that money IS an object, you’re going for a single and not a home run, and generally want to keep your home in the best possible shape.  Here are a few quick and easy ways to go about that.

Accessorize a room with paint. Pick a bold or contrasting color and paint just one wall. It takes less time and paint to cover one wall than it would an entire room and yet still delivers a dramatic result.

Update the kitchen or bathroom faucet. Grab a wrench and kick that old, leaky faucet to the curb. Turn off the water supply, unscrew the connections from the old faucet and screw in the new one. While you’re at it, add an aerator to save water and a few bucks on your water bill.

Clean out your dryer duct. Not only can lint buildup make your dryer dry less efficient, it can cause a home fire. Simply unplug your dryer, move it away from the wall, disconnect the duct, and vacuum it out as best you can.

Perform an electrical inspection. Walk around your home to inspect light switches, outlets, power strips, and cords. Replace any frayed cords and adjust overloaded outlets. Repair any light switches that spark or are hot to the touch, and tighten any loose outlets. If you have small children in the house, make sure all outlets have securely installed covers. For those tasks you don’t feel qualified to tackle on your own, contact a licensed electrician for assistance.

Update cabinet hardware. Even if you can’t afford a kitchen or bathroom makeover, you can still update its look by installing new cabinet hardware. You won’t need much more than a screwdriver plus the new handles, knobs, or pulls. If you’re installing pulls on drawers and doors that didn’t have them before, make a template so you can be sure you’re drilling in the same spot each time.

Install weather-stripping around windows and doors. Weather stripping is an easy and inexpensive way to keep things nice and comfortable indoors while cutting your heating and cooling costs. Install permanent weather-stripping with adhesive around windows and doors that are opened and closed throughout the seasons, or temporary seals that can peel off when no longer needed.

How about your home security system…could it benefit from an upgrade of its own? If so, we’re just the people to talk to:  Now Security Systems. Contact us today for answers to your questions and guidance on how to better protect your home and family.

Look around your home, and here’s what you’ll see: more safety hazards for small children than you can say “No, don’t!” to. The trick is knowing what to look for.

In the interest of helping you protect your children from harm, are several ways to childproof your home in two of the most frequently occupied room:  your kitchen and living (or family) room.

Living areas

• Cover all unused sockets with plastic protectors
• Always be on the lookout for small objects kids can put in their mouths and potentially swallow – that list includes game pieces, buttons, coins, and so many more
• Check all electrical cords to ensure they’re not frayed or otherwise damaged
• Remove sharp objects away from high traffic areas
• Install a safety gate at the top and bottom of stairs until your child has mastered the art of climbing without falling
• Try to avoid purchasing poisonous plants, but you do have any, keep them well out of reach of small, curious hands and mouths
• Fasten high bookcases and other tall pieces of furniture to the wall so they can’t be pulled down
• Keep furniture away from windows
• Check your doorstops for removable caps that pose a choking hazard

Kitchen

• Keep cleaning supplies in a high cabinet rather than under the sink
• Use childproof locks on all lower cabinets
• Don’t leave mouse or insect traps in places where your baby can find them.
• Keep your oven door locked, even when it’s in use
• Use back burners for cooking whenever possible and turn the handles of pots and pans toward the back of the stove
• Remove magnets from the fridge because, if they fall down, they become choking hazards

At Now Security Systems we offer optional video cameras and monitors so you can keep a watchful eye on your children when you’re not in the same room. It’s just one of several ways we can help make your life less stressful and worry-free. Contact us today for more information or a free in-home security evaluation.

Christmas and other holiday season traditions are your proverbial two-edged sword.  Because as much as we hold time-honored traditions near to our hearts, they also have a way of overtaking the holidays, thus leaving little if any time to venture above and beyond.

So, just for the fun of it, Now Security Systems is please to share a few new holiday season traditions you might find too irresistible to pass up.

In-Home Traditions

• Set aside one night each week to watch a holiday movie or television special, such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

• Have your kids start an “I Am Thankful” list. Have them one thing each day they’re thankful for. Then store and save the list so you can add more in the coming years. Over time, it will become a cherished keepsake.

• Purchase or make a holiday ornament for each child, each year. This is a great reason to reminisce while you’re decorating your tree or home. 

Holiday Gift Traditions

• Are you apart of a group of yogis? Buy each other passes to local yoga classes? Well, play it forward by swapping out the passes for a new yoga mat or meditation CD.

• Do you and friends vie for ownership of Park Place or Boardwalk? Enjoy coming up with creative descriptions for Taboo? Why not start a board game exchange? It gives you an excuse to spend more time together.

• Gather photos from different events throughout the year and create a special page for a friend’s scrapbook. If they don’t already have one, make it part of their gift. Then every year you can add one or more new pages.

Traditions for Giving Back

• Find a local organization that enables you to sponsor a family in need or purchase toys for children. Go shopping a family and make your donations when you’re all together.

• Go through closets and donate gently used clothing (coats are particularly useful this time of year) to a local shelter.

• Deliver cookies and treats to your local fire station, police department, and even the staff at your local hospital. After all, they work through the holiday and all year long to help make the world a better and safer place.

And Now for a Word of Caution

Burglars love the holiday season too, and are just waiting to pounce on any home they believe has loaded up on new and expensive items. So, do your best to hide any evidence of your purchases in the following ways:

• Make sure your gifts aren’t visible through windows
• Take caution with your social media posts
• Break up any packaging and dispose of them in your recycling bin or large recyclable bag
• Don’t run external lights through a window
• Put your lights on a timer to help keep would-be intruders guessing

Don’t already have a home security system for that added measure of protection that will give you infinitely greater peace of mind? Then contact Now Security Systems today for a free in-home consultation and proposal.