In the constant advance of technology, many of the old ways to secure your home still are the best. Things like a simple stick placed securely in the window track of each window will physically keep the window from being removed and allowing entrance from a would be burglar or thief. The lowly stick is actually a physical barrier that even will allow fresh air to enter the home without compromising security.
The best sticks for this type of security are basic dowels. A dowel is a round stick of wood that comes in a variety of circumferences. From 1/16 th inch all the way to over 1 inch round, there is a dowel to fit every need. These can be bought for a couple of dollars at the local hardware or home improvement center. The dowels come in 30 inch or 36 inch lengths and can be cut with any wood saw.
When installing dowels in your windows, they should fit comfortably in the bottom window track. They shouldn’t be able to be removed by shaking the moving part of the window. They should also not be cut to an absolute length that would make them difficult to remove. The intent is to keep the window from opening so far as to allow entry. A dowel cut 1 or 2 inches less than the track length is ideal for this strategy.
Dowels can also be used on double hung type windows. Double hung windows are the type that open up and down instead of the more typical side to side. To secure a double hung window, its necessary to hold the dowel in the vertical track. This can be done using a hood and eye mechanism. A hook and eye can be bought at the same hardware store for about 30 cents. The eye of this hardware part is a bolt that has a round end. This can be screwed into the very top of the window frame. The hook, is obviously a hook type bolt that can be screwed into the end of the dowel. Securing the window is now simply a mater of hooking the dowel into the attached eye bolt at the top of the window. The dowel will hang down thereby keeping the window from being easily opened.