How to leave curtains when away

red_devil

when away from house whats the best way to leave curtains from the security point of view.

Open
shut
half open.

Thanks.

ormus

get a neighbour or family member to close & open em for you. everyday.
a lounge/hall light with a timer is good idea too.

System

We go away frequently and always draw the front downstairs full because it is possible to see right through otherwise. Downstairs we temporary hang nets so that any overseeing neighbours don't know if we are in or out.

Upstairs, all curtains are "half".

Our front door bell is disconnected so if anyone is pressing it, if they can't hear anything they won't know if it is working or not.

Our telephone ringer is off. If anyone were at the front door and they could hear a constant telephone ringing, they guess we were out.

Dusk to dawn lights front and back, Sensor light on side.

Only one neighbour knows where we are and he ensures nothing in letterbox.

red_devil

not possible to do the family or neighbour thing!
No family in area and no neighbour I would want coming into home.

ormus

curtain closer, electric motor with a timer?

morg_monster

We had this problem at christmas! first time living in a house - previously in a 3rd floor flat - where it didn't really matter!
We left them open, as we hardly had anything in the house anyway, due to just moving in.
I think i'd leave them open but just try to make sure there was nothing really tempting left on show and easily nickable (laptop, ipods, etc etc). I think nets are a really good idea but I just hate the look of them, if it was easy to have a set to just put up when you are away, that might work. Lights on a timer I think are also a good idea.

missprice

anyone can look in my house from the street so i always have downstairs curtains shut through winter
then no one ever knows if we are away
never needed an excuse but would say its to keep the heat in
plus i aint too close to all the chavs round here
very few people get through my door so no one knows if i have anything worth nicking

dampdaveski

I regularly have this 'discussion' with my wife.
If you leave the curtains half open, it is blatantly obvious noone is home for a while, likewise leaving open is good during the day, but crap on a night and vice versa.
lights on a timer is a good idea
I think curtains closed, sticking a radio on a timer is the best compromise

DD

ormus

the junk mail and the milk bottles will give the game away too.

27col

My pal who lives in Cyprus half the year has his curtains on a circuit that closes them at night. I assume that the control is by means of a photo cell rather than a timer. So they close when it gets dark and open when it gets light. I am visiting him tomorrow so I will check what the arrangement is for the lights.

missile

I have a barking dog device, which works on a proximity sensor. When anyone appraoches the front door the machine barks. The barking gets progressively more intense as you get closer. It sounds very realistic.