Home Safety Planning

Prepare for your next home safety project by discovering our planning ideas & tips.

S22 E16: Tom Silva learns how to fire-harden a home
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How to Harden Your Home Against Wildfire

General contractor Tom Silva meets with a homeowner and improves her home’s fire resistance with the help of a fire-hardening contractor.
S22 E4: Ross Trethewey and Kevin O'Connor discuss CO monitors

Understanding Low-Level CO Monitors

Home technology expert Ross Trethewey teaches Kevin O’Connor about low-level carbon monoxide, how standard CO monitors work, and why low-level CO detectors are important healthy and safety devices.
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The 5 Best Baby Gates (2024 Guide)

You can section off your home’s rooms or levels with baby gates to prevent your toddler from getting hurt. In this guide, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best baby gates on Amazon.
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The 5 Best Fire Escape Ladders (2024 Review)

From pet rescue crates to multi-story ladders, we researched the best fire escape ladders and devices on Amazon to help you find the one that’s right for you.
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A Snowbird’s Guide to Winterizing the Home

Do you travel to warmer weather during the winter months but often worry about leaving for a long period of time? Read on for tips on protecting your main residence from potential problems so you can relax all season in that sunny vacation spot.
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The 5 Best Fire Extinguishers (2023 Guide)

Fire extinguishers put out small fires in your kitchen, basement, bedroom, or other area of your home. In this review, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the five best fire extinguishers on Amazon to help you find the product that’s right for you and your home. The products included in this article are available at various home improvement stores, local home centers, and online retailers like Amazon.
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The 13 Most Hazardous Homeowner DIY Trends

From DIY decks and porches to seemingly innocent wall demolition—a home inspection expert explains which popular home improvement projects are the riskiest for homeowners to tackle and why.
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Smart Home Security: Keeping Tabs on Your House

Protect your property from porch pirates, intruders, and more with a smart home security system you can set up in an afternoon.
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How to Prevent House Fires

Unsure where to begin when it comes to preventing a house fire? Start with the action items here.
Image of a yellow and black backup power generator outside of a home at night. Lead image for This Old House's Best Home Generators guide

7 Best Home Generators (2024 Guide)

When you’re buying a home generator, it’s important to consider outlet options, fuel type, and noise level, among other factors. In this review, we take a look at the best home generators on the market, provide tips and resources, and answer a few frequently asked questions.
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How Much Does a Home Security System Cost?

In this article, we break down the costs of a home security system so that you can select the one that’s right for your home.
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Best Home Security Systems

Investing in a home security system can improve home safety and help protect your home from break-ins and theft. Keep reading to learn about the best home security systems and find a solution that’s right for you.
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Best Glass Break Sensors

Glass break sensors provide an additional layer of home security to any alarm system. Here are our picks for the best glass break sensors available to homeowners.
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Best Driveway Alarms

Protecting your home starts the minute someone enters your property, and for many that’s via the driveway. Keep reading for the best driveway alarms and tips for choosing the best alarm for your home.
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Best Home Security Cameras

Homeowners have more options for home security cameras than ever before, complete with a laundry list of basic and advanced features. We break down the best home security camera systems available and go over some key factors to consider when making your decision.
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Best Nanny Cams

Nanny cams, also known as indoor security cameras with motion detection, can help keep your home safe while also allowing you to check in on kids and pets. We’ve reviewed the best nanny cams of 2022 to help you choose the right camera for your home.
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Vivint Smart Home Security Review

In this Vivint review, we break down the company’s home security equipment and monthly monitoring plans. Keep reading to see if it’s the right security system for you.
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Best DIY Home Security Systems

If you don’t want to be held down by long contracts, you may benefit from a DIY home security system. In this article we discuss the best DIY home security systems to help you choose a system for your home.
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SimpliSafe Home Security Review

SimpliSafe is an established home security company that offers alarm systems and monitoring services to keep your home or business safe. This review of SimpliSafe includes everything the company has to offer and shows how it compares to competitors.
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Understanding the Dangers of Thirdhand Smoke

Ask This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey and painter Mauro Henrique discuss how to remove a cigarette smell from a home and why it is important to do so.
Ring Security System Review (2023)

Ring Security System Tested and Reviewed (2024 Guide)

In this Ring Security System Review, our team installed and tests Ring’s alarm system. Read on to find out how it performed during our tests.
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Best First Aid Kits (2023 Guide)

In this review and buying guide, our team evaluates some of today's top-rated, best first aid kits for quality, inventory, and usefulness.
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How to Wire a Portable Generator

Ask This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman explains a few different methods for hooking up a portable generator to a house.
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How to Safeguard Your House from Wildfires

Ask This Old House host Kevin O’Connor learns about ways to make a home more resistant to wildfires.
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3 Things to Do Before a Storm

Do these simple tasks before severe weather hits to help minimize or even prevent costly damage to your home
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Things to Do Before You Leave for Vacation

Avoid mere inconveniences—as well as potential catastrophes—by taking care of some not-so-obvious to-do list items
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Creating a Comfortable Home as You Age

This post originally appeared at mykukun.com
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Whole-House Battery Backup

Their numbers are still small, but home battery backup systems may be the wave of the future.
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How to Create a Drainage Swale

The plant-populated channels can redirect storm water to specific locations
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Upgrade to a Smart Smoke Detector

Standard-issue detectors have saved countless lives, but those battery-powered sentries can drive you crazy with false alarms and middle-of-the-night chirps ("Help! my battery needs changing . . . now!"). Some new smartphone-connected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors offer fixes for that—and more. Here’s a sampling.
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Really Smart Homes

There are a lot of choices these days in the way of connected devices for a safer, more secure, and more convenient home. Maybe too many. To help you figure it out, here are 5 starter kits tailored to 5 very different types of homes and homeowners
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How to Hack-Proof Your Smart Home

A senior security researcher at the risk management firm Tripwire gives his tips for protecting your router and Wi-Fi devices

14 Fast Fall Fixes

Service smoke alarms, drain the water heater, fertilize the lawn, drain and store hoses, PLUS other things you've got to get done before cold weather kicks in for good.