Is your home safe from burglars? You probably thought so until you saw this video. Bump keys are things most of us have never heard of before. If you have heard of these before you may have had a hobby breaking into places, or you are probably a police officer. Believe it or not, this burglar tool has been proven to work for over 50 years. So much for feeling your home is secure when you leave. The Bump Key burglar tool could be made by a 3rd grader with a file, thanks to the simple directions made available by sites such as YouTube. The question now is how safe are you and your material possessions considering how easy it is to acquire and make the bump keys. Bumpkey.us sells keys as cheap as $3.50 while offering bigger packages. Everything the burglar ever wanted to enter your home. Are you scared? Maybe, we all should be a little scared knowing how easily a burglar can enter our houses.

There is only one bit of knowledge a burglar needs to enter your house when they use a bump key, and that would be, how many tumblers are actually in your lock. That knowledge is required to get the key to work. But, the truth of the matter is that most keys are cut from standard formats, giving the “bump key burglar” a quick and easy guess of which bump key to use on your lock.

BayAreaLocks.com recommends buying secure locking systems that combine digital and mechanical keying. But are they any safer? Will they provide you with a better sense of security? Medeco™ and Abloy™ are companies that sell secure locking systems that combine digital and mechanical keying. They show a key that appears unique. It looks special, and you know immediately from looking at it the bump key burglar tool won’t work. You may feel more secure, but now you have a key that’s warranty will end in two years. As if that isn’t bad enough, you must remember that this is hybrid technology mechanical and digital technologies combined. This places a limit on temperatures within which the technology is useable. For most people, -22° to 122 ° F would be considered normal living temperatures. For someone in Texas or Nevada or, other hot places such as Bahrain, it is possible this technology wouldn’t come close to working correctly. People who live in the Northern regions of the USA and other places in the world, would find the cold temperature margin a big issue. Even in New York State, they close schools for temperatures that go below -20° F.

The only other safety measures you could add to keep thieves out of your house would be a burglar alarm system or a rather viscous dog with a bad reputation.

So are you safe considering how easily accessible this information is for the up and coming burglar? The answer to this has to come in the form of additional questions. Do you trust your neighbors? Do you feel your neighborhood is secure? Do you believe your neighbors are looking out for you? Feeling safe at home has to be founded on these issues, not the ability to keep the burglar out of your home.

Safe living,
Yovette Mumford

Hi,

Sometimes when you feel the heating in a room is not enough, a portable space heater can be a less expensive option. They are also perfect for those times when you want to heat only one room thus avoid the cost of turning on the central heating system. By using the portable space heater, such as the Bionaire Safety Smart Heater, you can raise the temperature only where you want the heat, thus save on energy costs.

There are several types of portable space heaters you can choose from – heater fan, convection and ceramic, all of which heat the entire room, and the radiant heater, which provides focused spot heating. The Bionaire Safety Smart Heater, is the radiant type, which is really designed to provide heat to nearby people and objects, not the entire room. The Bionaire Safety Smart Heater, uses infrared radiation to heat up people and things that can be reached directly by the waves of energy emitted from the heater.

Radiant space heaters like the Bionaire Safety Smart Heater, are more cost-efficient in energy consumption when you wish to stay in a room for a few hours only. This way you don’t need to heat up the whole room; you only need to stay directly in the path of the infrared radiation.

The Bionaire Safety Smart Heater, is fitted with several levels of protection to ensure safety during its operation. It will turn off instantly if it tips over. It is thermostatically controlled, i.e. it shuts off automatically when temperature settings are reached, and comes with a sleep timer. Individuals in the family, who are sensitive to cold, or the elderly, will find this radiant heater very appropriate for their needs.

This is an electrical device so safety should be a prime consideration when you’re using space heaters. Place it in a location away from foot traffic, and keep children and pets away from it. Life has no reset button, think safety!

Safe Living,
Yovette Mumford

Hi,

During this holiday season, as we light the wood in our fireplaces or use other fuel-burning appliances, let us not forget the risks of fumes and the build-up of carbon monoxide — the invisible, odorless, silent killer. The best way to guard against it is to set up carbon monoxide alarms, like the First Alert Carbon Monoxide Alarm in key locations inside the home.

First Alert Carbon Monoxide, Alarm, Plug In, No Installation Needed, White (Sold Individually)

Carbon monoxide can come from many sources in the home, and protecting yourself and your family from it is critical. The Carbon Monoxide Alarm is our primary line of defense against this toxic gas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, high levels of carbon monoxide can kill a person in a matter of minutes. Any fuel-burning, combustion appliance (gas ovens, charcoal grills, etc.) that is not vented properly can produce carbon monoxide. Cars idling in the garage can also give off carbon dioxide from the exhaust system.

The First Alert Carbon Monoxide Alarm is easy to use. You just plug it into an electrical outlet and it’s immediately operational. Unlike battery-powered alarms, you can be sure the First Alert Carbon Monoxide Alarm will continue working (unless there’s a power outage). You don’t need to worry about battery replacements or the alarm not working because of batteries gone dead.

Carbon monoxide poisoning deaths happen more often than anybody would like. We can help prevent them by using carbon monoxide alarms. Let us ensure adequate protection in our homes this holiday season and all year through. Life has no reset button, think safety.

Safe living,
Yovette Mumford

Hi,

The celebrations and festive mood of the holiday season can lull us into a sense of complacency that nothing untoward will happen. We should not forget that fires can occur as readily during the holiday season as the rest of the year — which is why it is essential for every home to have at least one working smoke alarm.

First Alert/BRK #SA501CN2-3ST 2PK Battery Operated Smoke Alarm

Smoke alarms are inexpensive protection for you and your family. It is advisable to have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, and better still to eventually build it up to a whole system of interconnected, wireless alarms. Smoke is often the first sign that a fire is occurring; therefore an automatic detection system based on a series of smoke detectors is a valuable tool in the early detection of fire. This is something you can achieve with the First Alert Battery Operated Smoke Alarm.

Fire experts say that working smoke alarms will double your chances of survival in case of a fire. The First Alert Battery Operated Smoke Alarm will emit a sharp, loud 85 decibel sound when smoke sets it off. In cases of false alarms, the device has a mute button which you can press to silence it immediately; this same button can be used to test the alarm — which you should do at least once a month.

The First Alert Battery Operated Smoke Alarm is a photoelectric smoke detector, using light to detect visible smoke particles produced by burning material. This helps to reduce the chances of false alarms. The best thing about it is that you can slowly add units to the system, until a total of 18 units are interconnected in a wireless link. If one unit is set off, all units will also sound to make sure everyone in the house hears the alarm.

Safety products like these make great gifts during the holiday season. They can be installed easily and become useful immediately. Life has no reset button, think safety.

Safe living,
Yovette Mumford

Hi,

For the busy homemakers among us, any product that liberates us from unpleasant daily chores and gives us more time for more productive pursuits would be especially welcome. This holiday season, you may want to make a gift of the Vacuuming Robot by iRobot, also known as the Roomba.

Roomba 560 Vacuuming Robot by iRobot (IR117)

Vacuum cleaning robots give you high levels of convenience. You simply set them down in the area you want cleaned, and they operate by themselves. There is no more manual interference needed from you, except when you want to change the operating area, as the room, for example. They can clean rooms by themselves, all day long. When their batteries are low, the robots return automatically to a charging station, at which point you can detach and empty the permanent dustbin.

The Roomba Vacuuming Robot by iRobot has a very low profile, so it is small enough to pass under furniture and the round shape allows it to maneuver out of traps without difficulty. You will thus see areas you cannot reach, like under the bed and the furniture, cleaned daily by the robot. Aside from floors, the Roomba Vacuuming Robot by iRobot also cleans parts of walls with a spinning side brush. Click the picture and see all the product features, including the Roomba’s optical sensors to detect the degree of soiling, so that it can distinguish those areas already cleaned from those that have been left out.

If you compare vacuuming robots with the normal vacuum cleaner that you manipulate around the room, you would be able to finish the job faster. Robots are slower, but they don’t have to do anything else. They are also more accurate and thorough in cleaning the area. How do you recover the cost? You can think of the time that you gain for your other activities. But you can also calculate the difference in operating cost: vacuum cleaning robots like the Roomba consume less power than conventional vacuum cleaners, so you recover the product cost from that.

The thorough cleaning you can get from the Roomba Vacuuming Robot by iRobot assures you that unwanted dust and balled-up fur, even in those places you cannot see, will be removed. Overall, you get a cleaner room which should help those who react adversely to dust and other dirt. Life has no reset button, think safety.

Safe living,
Yovette Mumford