Here are some ways to stay safe when home alone:
- Inspect your home for safety risks such as broken window locks or rickety doors
- Get to know your neighbors so you feel comfortable around them
- Invest in a home security system with motion lights and camera
- Check that all your doors and windows are locked
- Keep your blinds and curtains closed so thieves can’t see your valuables
In this article, we’ll discuss whether it’s dangerous to live on your own, what you should and shouldn’t do when by yourself, and how to make the solo home experience safer.
These tips are useful even for couples and families, so keep reading!
Is Living Alone Dangerous?
There’s something so gratifying about setting off on your own in the world.
Whether you’re paying a mortgage on a home or you’re renting an apartment, you’re proving that you’re an independent adult who can support herself.
It’s a huge rite of passage, but is living by yourself dangerous too?
There’s a lot of research on the subject of safety for solo seniors, but not as much for younger women.
That said, there certainly are some risks that someone on their own can experience no matter their age.
Here are those dangers:
Having To Take Care Of Everything Yourself
Since you don’t have a spouse, partner, or family member in the house with you, you have to do all the house maintenance on your own unless you’re a renter.
That means climbing a ladder to remove leaves out of the top of the gutter, resetting the electrical box, and lifting heavy items, all of which can be risky.
Falling And Being Unable To Get Up
Everyone knows the famous “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials. This is a phrase most associated with elderly people, as their decreased mobility can leave them stranded in potentially life-threatening situations.
If you live alone, though, you could find yourself stuck in a similar scenario even as a young woman.
Let’s say, for example, that you were mopping the kitchen floor. You forgot the floor was still drying and you walk in, slip, and break your leg.
You’re alone and your phone is in the living room. Now what?
Social Isolation
The last danger of living alone is that you may experience social isolation. Even those people who prefer solitude need to communicate and share with others.
Since you’re by yourself all the time, it’s easy to feel lonely and cut off from friends and family.
The current COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide lockdowns that have resulted can only exacerbate your social isolation.
What Should You Not Do When You Are Home Alone?
You’re now more aware of some of the dangers of living alone.
Awareness is good, as it allows you to take preventative measures (either on the cheap or with other forms of security).
So you can be safe and smart on your own.
Here are some things you should never do when home by yourself.
Investigate That Weird Noise
Unless you have a home security system with cameras installed that indicates there’s no one on your property, investigating what’s going bump in the night could lead to disastrous consequences, such as walking in on a robbery.
Should you suspect someone has invaded your home, call the police. Don’t take matters into your own hands!
Open The Door If You’re Not Expecting Anyone
Who’s at the door? Doorbell alarms can tell you, but if you don’t own one, then you have no idea who could be waiting for you.
If you know that your friends are coming over or that your DoorDash order is about to arrive, it’s one thing to answer the door, but otherwise, keep it closed.
When you order goods online, make sure you track their shipping and arrival dates so you don’t get unnecessarily spooked by the Amazon delivery person or the UPS driver.
Leave The Curtains Open
There are several good reasons we’d advise against leaving your curtains open.
For one, you’re giving any passerby on the street a full glimpse into your living room or another part of your house. It’s like tuning into a local access TV station and you’re the star.
Second, if a criminal was targeting your home for a break-in, your wide-open windows make it really easy to tell when you’re at home versus when you’re not.
You’re now an easy target, which criminals love.
Third, even if you hadn’t attracted the attention of nefarious characters before now, you could by keeping your curtains open day in and day out.
If someone can look into your window and see your large-screen television, fine china, or other covetable valuables, you can bet your bottom dollar they might make a plan to steal those things.
Climb High Places
Unless you know how to properly use a ladder, we wouldn’t suggest you do any sort of climbing to the roof or the attic when you’re by yourself.
It can easily turn into one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” scenarios.
By the way, proper ladder protocol is this: put the ladder on a flat, level, secure surface.
Position the ladder so that for each four-foot height increment, the ladder gains one foot of distance from the house or building, aka the four-to-one rule.
How Can I Stay Safe At Night At Home?
If you’re away at work most of the day, safety at home isn’t something that crosses your mind during those hours.
If you are working from home, though, you’ll want to check out the tips in my article, How To Stay Safe As A Woman Living Alone.
On the weekends, you probably feel much more comfortable being home alone in broad daylight.
Once the sun sets though, you tend to get a little knot in your stomach. How do you stay safe at night when you’re by yourself?
A lot of the same safety tips as we’ve covered throughout this article will suffice, but there are additional things you can do as well.
Do Double-Check Your Locks
Even the most safety-minded of us get preoccupied at times and forget to lock the door.
It doesn’t hurt to go through your entire house or apartment and give the doorknobs a firm shake to ensure each one is locked.
Do the same thing with the windows. You’ll be able to sleep a lot more soundly!
Do Turn On Your Porch Lights
If you don’t have a home security system with a motion-detection light, a porch light is a good temporary stand-in. Motion-sensor porch lights or front lawn floodlights are even better.
Even if they go off because a raccoon is rummaging through your trashcan or since someone is out taking a late-night jog, you’ll be glad to have these lights working.
Do Leave At Least One Light On In The Home
A dark house can be inviting to intruders, as the property could possibly be empty. To indicate to people that you are indeed home, keep a light on in the house.
It can be something like the basement light or the den light, as long as it’s visible from your windows.
Don’t Turn Down The TV Or Music Volume
Nighttime is when many people let loose and relax after a long day of work, but make sure you’re not having so much fun that you lose awareness of your surroundings.
Avoid wearing earbuds or headphones; there’s no one else in the house to bother with your music. Don’t crank the TV volume up either.
You need to keep your ears open so that if potential danger occurs, you hear it and can act quickly.
Conclusion
Living alone is something to be proud of! You don’t want to spend your life in the shadows feeling afraid of every little thing.
With the information in this article, you can now identify dangers, safeguard yourself from them, and become more comfortable in your own home, even if you’re living solo.
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