A broken window isn't always a sign that somebody has tried to break into your house. A straight golf ball or a game of fetch gone wrong with the dog jumping up at the window can break the glass. Considering the fragility of glass, you'd think we'd find a better material by now. But windows add natural light to the house, and they allow you to keep the elements out.
But a broken window presents a safety and security hazard, and you have to address it as soon as you can. Getting a replacement window fitted may not be something that's in your budget straight away, but your initial instincts may also not see you in the right direction of what to do with a broken house window. To ensure that you get this right, here's what you should be doing if you've noticed a broken window on the side of your house.
- Understand how it happened. If you or one of your kids has noticed the broken window, try and figure out how it got broken in the first place. Sometimes the cause of damage may be obvious. You could be standing in the kitchen cooking and one of the kids' footballs can come flying through a window. Other times you do have to determine whether it's a threat that needs to be dealt with and whether or not somebody did attempt to break him. In the case of damage that's caused by storms or wild weather, you might need to speak to your insurance company straight away to both protect your property and get a replacement window sorted.
- Block off the area. Regardless of where the smashed window is in your house, you need to block off the area so that you can make sure that you get rid of all of the broken glass. You don't want there to be a hazard inside your house or a threat outside of it, so cordon off the area and call a local repairer or a window company to come and replace it. A broken house window isn't just an entry point for chances you want to rub your house, but for other pests and rodents. You want to get the window covered and repaired as soon as you can.
- Clean up the mess. There actually is an art to cleaning up broken glass safety, and it starts in the preparation. Sturdy shoes and sturdy gloves are a good idea so that you can get rid of all of the glass without worrying about any tiny shards slithering into your feet. It's vital as a safety step, so reduce the chances that anyone else who is going to handle the glass is going to be injured too.
- Cover the window until you can get the window repaired. You need to get it covered whether you've got some duct tape and plastic bags, or you've got some cardboard or wood in the right size. You need to make sure that you have a temporary window covering to keep the elements out and the air conditioning in. This is especially the case in the colder months where all of your heating is going to leak straight out of an open window.
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