Ahh the lovely sounds of summer… sprinklers spraying, lawn mowers chopping, and a veritable chorus of moms shouting “Kids, shut the door!”.  Why is it our kids have such a hard time with this concept?  We’ve only lived in this house a few weeks and I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked downstairs only to find the basement door wide open – welcoming in the muggy Midwest heat and all the creepy critters that come with it. Sound familiar?

If your kids tend to invite the outdoors into your house, try this cheap and easy solution. Instead of bellowing from the next room each time your kids head out for some sunshine, just add one of these little adhesive-backed alarms to your door. Place one side of the alarm on the edge of the door and the other side on the wall or moulding (they don’t have to be perfectly flush – just within 1/2 inch of each other). When the door is opened and the two parts are separated, the alarm will sound.

Each alarm is equipped with two settings: alarm and chime. If your kids just need a little reminder now and then, you’ll want to set it to chime so it will beep twice each time the door is opened. The beep is pretty loud so in addition to helping your kids keep the door closed; the chime feature is a great way to know when your kids are going in and out. If your kids are like mine and need more than a reminder, you might want to change the setting to alarm.  That way, when the door is opened, the beeping will continue until the door is closed again.

You should be able to find alarms like these at most major retailers like Target, Lowes and Home Depot. I found mine in the lighting section of WalMart. I paid $10 for a pack of two. If you consider how much it’s saving me in air conditioning and extermination costs, it’s well worth the price. Just thought I’d pass it on.