Did you read our post, Lighting Your Home: Outdoor Lighting Tips? In the post we touched on the basics of which types of lighting will work best outside your home. We usually find a few things while surfing the web to share and we’ve found a few Dos and Don’ts of porch lighting to share. Many of us think turning on the front porch, garage and back door light sends a signal of a secure home, but does a repetitive pattern disclose the opposite? How often do you check to see if your motion sensors are working correctly, do you ever check? Take a look at these Do’s and Don’ts of outdoor lighting that we often overlook found on unplggd and let us know what you think.

• Don’t leave the light on all night because it’s probably not green.
• Do set any overnight nights to a 1/2 power dimmer setting.
• Do install motion sensors or infrared sensors to shed light on any unexpected late night/early morning activity.
• Don’t forget that motion sensors can lose effectiveness over time, test them on occasion.
• Don’t leave the light on all day. If you turned it on because you know you won’t get home until after dark, you’re sending a signal to potential burglars that they have plenty of time to burglarize your home.
• Don’t leave the light on during week-long vacations.
• D0 set your lights to a timer or a solar sensor so they automatically turn on each day when it gets dark.
• Don’t only leave the light on at the specific entryway you know you’ll use. A single light on by one door sends the signal that you’re out and will be returning through that door.
• Don’t turn the light on only when you feel vulnerable. Somebody watching your home may realize your spouse is out of town when your outdoor lighting patterns change.
• Do keep to your normal porch-light-schedule. Any deviations may signal you will be out late, set timers instead. I
• Do realize that indoor lights can help with safety, too. A blue light bulb set to a random timer looks like a television being turned on and off inside.