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Going Away - Curtains Open or Curtains Closed? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In the clouds
Posts: 3,775
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Going Away - Curtains Open or Curtains Closed?
Merry Christmas guys.
As the thread title says...when you are leaving the house for hols etc. do you shut your curtains or leave them open? I'm off to Google advice myself but, wondered what the general consensus might be. Burglaries are very prevalent where I am at the moment and am thinking of security. Cheers
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: South
Posts: 10,847
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Quote:
Merry Christmas guys.
As the thread title says...when you are leaving the house for hols etc. do you shut your curtains or leave them open? I'm off to Google advice myself but, wondered what the general consensus might be. Burglaries are very prevalent where I am at the moment and am thinking of security. Cheers ![]() |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 4,837
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Closed as said above, During the day people will assume they are closed due to bright winter sun...If they notice at all
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,847
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Get a timer and plug the radio and a light in, timed to come on in the evening. If someone were watching the house every night for the pattern, they'd notice, but it should be fine to deter casual thieves.
My car was broken into the last night of a two week holiday, and I think one of the things that showed it was unattended was idiots putting flyers under the wipers that weren't moved and showed people that the car hadn't been visited for days. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,053
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Timer for the lights upstairs and down. Close or partially close downstairs curtains if only to deter thieves from looking inside and seeing the layout of the house and belongs exposed to daylight.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 62
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half way open. That way any thug with designs on the joint has to really get close to case the place.
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#7 |
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Liverpool/sarf London.
Posts: 11,740
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Half way and get a timer
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 11,776
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Full length window - closed. They are always closed in the day when I'm out anyway. Normal size window - a bit open.
I'm on the first floor so feel my place is fairly secure. Downstairs has been broken into (they now have bars on the windows) but I've been here 15 years without any problems. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In the clouds
Posts: 3,775
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Quote:
Closed as said above, During the day people will assume they are closed due to bright winter sun...If they notice at all
Haven't seen one of those in a little while now. Fog, lots of fog.
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: In the clouds
Posts: 3,775
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Thanks guys - will go with half open and I've got two timers. I think I might use one for a lamp downstairs and another for the christmas lights I have on the first floor window - that way we'll look festive and not like we aren't here.
I think. Or maybe not. Not sure - don't want to burn the house down. |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,998
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I bought venetian blinds for my front windows just to use when we go away (which we do quite a lot) and I almost close them - can't really tell from the outside whether they are open or closed.
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#12 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,053
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Quote:
Thanks guys - will go with half open and I've got two timers. I think I might use one for a lamp downstairs and another for the christmas lights I have on the first floor window - that way we'll look festive and not like we aren't here.
I think. Or maybe not. Not sure - don't want to burn the house down. It's extremely unlikely anything will happen anyway. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2,714
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Closed just because at night anyone who wants to rob you will be peering in windows. YOu don't want them seeing a living room full of all your gear like a fancy tv and pc and so on. A friend of my dad's has a radio on a timer.
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: At college, in L.A.'s office
Posts: 54,214
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I always close mine but I leave a couple of lights on as security lights except in the summer when it's only dark for a couple of hours. Our fish tank lights are on a timer.
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#15 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 20,674
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I tend to think about if the sudden change is noticeable - if you've always left your curtains open etc then they are suddenly shut all the time. If someone has been casing the place.... Sorry not allaying your fears am I
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Manchester UK
Posts: 3,294
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I'm going away at Christmas too. My downstairs curtains will be closed and upstairs partially closed. We have two ceiling lights in the living room so the one closest to the back I'm leaving on. Mainly because it's not that noticeable in the day time but it casts a dim light at night time. I've got a timer for my lamp in my bedroom and one for my daughters.
You can buy timer switches for ceiling lights too, I never knew that up until last week when I was looking online for the lamp timers. Can't afford them this close to Christmas but I'll be getting a couple in the new year. I'm also letting my (trustworthy) neighbour know I'll be away so she can keep an eye out and also leaving a contact number with her. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Scotland .
Posts: 5,654
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Closed . With one simple window light and a lamp on a joint timer . Just a santa or a snowflake basic dec. Not a full tree . I distrust tree lights or decs with transformers hugely and never have them on unless we are home . Those transformers get HOT .A simple 3 pin plug dec is safer in my opinion .
A lamp on a timer in the front bedroom is good as well and leave that bedroom door open to let the light shine out onto the landing and back rooms. Just remember to set the bedroom timer to come on after the living room one goes off . |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 9,229
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I dont understand this. My living room curtains are never closed, we have voiles over the window but the window is a bay with a sofa in it so the curtains dont close over it anyway. They hang at the edges for decoration.
The upstairs bedroom at the front is a spare room so the curtains are never closed. We sleep at the back which obviously cant be seen from the street. |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 11,776
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Quote:
I dont understand this. My living room curtains are never closed, we have voiles over the window but the window is a bay with a sofa in it so the curtains dont close over it anyway. They hang at the edges for decoration.
The upstairs bedroom at the front is a spare room so the curtains are never closed. We sleep at the back which obviously cant be seen from the street. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 9,229
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Quote:
So you have the luxury of living somewhere where open curtains doesn't mean displaying all and sundry to the street / with a spare room. Is it really too much of a stretch to understand that some people use their curtains as curtains?
We are on a street, although we have a small front garden. People can see through the voiles a bit I suppose. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,207
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I lived in a vulnerable place once and I had a really good timer wired into the living room "big light". You could set it for the same time everyday, or choose different times to make it look more authentic.
Curtains - I usually go for a halfway option, but the reality is it looks silly. If I see it somewhere else I think, they're on holiday! |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,281
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I have a timer socket that fits in a standard light fitting, and makes the light come on and off again at random.
I put this in the bathroom as this light can legitimately come on any time day or night - there is often a legitimate reason why a bathroom light comes on at 3am. |
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: California
Posts: 1,370
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we use the fake tv light & out neighbors always know if we are going away. I always close the blinds, but we do that every evening anyhow. http://faketv.com/
however I am still working with the dusk plus switch right now it only really works on/off/ |
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,415
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Quote:
we use the fake tv light & out neighbors always know if we are going away. I always close the blinds, but we do that every evening anyhow. http://faketv.com/
however I am still working with the dusk plus switch right now it only really works on/off/ You have to make sure that no one can actually see the fake TV unit if they look through the window.An upstairs room would be ideal. |
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 8,946
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I have timer lights, and venetian blinds left partly closed. But my neighbour comes across and alters them every couple of days and moves whichever car is left. In summer his grand-kids cut my grass for me, so it's hard for anyone to realise we're away from home.
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