Burglar Proof Your Windows

Upgrading your windows is a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency and appearance. Additionally, keeping your new windows from being shattered not only protects your investment but also protects your family from intruders.

Luckily, several ways exist where you can fortify your windows to keep out burglars, make accessing the windows from the outside difficult, and even protect your kids from getting an injury from broken glass.

Here are a few ways you can secure and protect your new windows and your home.

Install New Window Locks

Upgrading the locks on your windows is a cost-effective way to make them safer without altering the glass or causing extensive damage to the frame or windowsill. Learn about a few common types of windows with popular and effective window lock options:

• Lock options for double-hung windows. Keyed window locks allow you to completely prevent the window from someone opening it from the inside. Wedge-style locks allow you to control how far the window opens, which is ideal if you forget to close your windows at night.
• Lock options for casement windows. Keyed window locks, sash locks designed for use on casement windows, or a chain lock are good options for casement windows.
• Lock options for sliding windows. In addition to upgrading the lock, you have other options to secure a sliding window. Inserting a wooden or metal dowel into the track makes the window difficult to open. You can also place metal clips in the tracks, which allows homeowners to control how far the window opens from the inside.

Sliding glass doors allow homeowners to enjoy the outdoors without dealing with mosquitoes. Unfortunately, they also provide easy access by intruders. Inserting a dowel in the track is one option. Loop locks, which you install at the bottom or top of the door, makes breaking open the door latch difficult for intruders.

Install Window Bars

Living in a high-crime area or simply wanting the added security of metal bars are two reasons why a homeowner has bars on their windows. The bars also prevent flying objects from hitting the windows and keeps your kids from crawling out open windows. Windows bars are at hardware or home improvement stores. These are adjustable, fit over the windows, and are more cost-effective.

Custom-made window bars are available as well. They are more expensive, but you can custom design the bars to work with the aesthetic of your home’s exterior. These bars are available in steel and iron and are a good option for custom windows that are not conventional sizes and shapes. After the bars are fabricated, they attach directly to the window frames.

Choose window bars you can open from the inside. This option provides you the safety of security bars and allows you to jump out of the windows during a fire.

Install Window Security Film

Unlike solar window film, which helps prevent harmful ultraviolet rays from entering your home, window security film makes breaking glass difficult. If the glass does break, the film helps keep the glass shards in place, rather than them falling on the floor.

Wet-glaze anchoring, dry-glaze anchoring, and mechanical anchoring window security films are three popular residential options. Each option refers to the way film attaches to the windows. For example, wet-glazed anchoring requires first removing the seal and replacing it with silicone that attaches the film to the frame. Mechanical anchoring attaches multiple layers of film to the frame.

Invest in Laminated Glass

Many current windows feature tempered glass, which is a traditional pane of glass strengthened from a furnace superheating the glass and then the glassmakers quickly cooling it. Upgrading your windows to laminated glass, or a window that features a layer of vinyl inserted between two panes of glass, is a great way to save on your monthly energy bills and protect your home from intruders.

Laminated windows are difficult to break. If an intruder breaks the exterior layer of glass, they face a layer of vinyl that makes accessing and breaking the second glass pane difficult. The vinyl sheet also helps hold the broken glass in place and prevents you or your kids from cutting yourselves on glass shards that would have otherwise scattered on the ground.

Plant Shrubs and Trees Near Windows

Finally, if you want to upgrade your landscape, consider planting shrubs and bushes that feature thorns in front of your windows. For example, planting beautiful rose bushes under and in front of your first- floor windows deters intruders.

From protective window film to current window upgrades and laminated glass, you have several ways to make your residential windows more safe and secure. If you have any additional questions, contact the professionals at Valley Glass today. We can professionally install and upgrade your home to the best glass and windows for better home protection.