You are heading away for vacation and have made all of the preparations - the destination, the lodging, and all of the experiences you are planning on taking in. In all that craziness, have you thought about preparing your home for your vacation? Below are 10 tips to help you get it ready.
Mail Delivery/Pickup. Yes, your mail. Do you think that your mail is something that you would put on your list to prepare for? This is why. Stacked up mail and packages are sign #1 that a homeowner is not home - especially if it sits unattended for multiple days - and can be a reason perpetrators may target your home. Remedy: Have your mail held at the post office by calling them and letting them know that you will be away. Another way to protect yourself against mail theft and potential home invasion would be to have a friend, relative, or neighbor stop in daily to collect your mail and place it in your home.
Mow Your Yard / Plow Your Driveway. A tall yard or an un-plowed driveway are signs #2 that a homeowner is away again potentially inviting unwanted guests in. Remedy: if you regularly hire out either or both of these jobs, make sure that your contractor stays on schedule. If you normally take care of these yourself, get in one last round before you go. You may also want to hire this out while you are away.
Social Media Postings. We know that you are excited to snap photos of the sites you are visiting or the fun things you are doing - but posting on social media while you are away (that you are away) is sign #3 that a homeowner is away. As much as your accounts may be private, the information can always end up in the wrong hands unknowingly, therefore it is best to share your photos with the world once you have returned home.
Home Check. Regular activity in home will help to keep unwanted visitors at bay (not scheduling it for the exact same time every day either is an added tip). Another option would be to check with your local Sheriff/Police Station to see if they can do a regular patrol when they are close to your neighborhood - our locals are good about taking our requests. A good rule of thumb is to have some you know and trust checking in your house regularly. Not only does it show that it isn't left unattended but is also allows any issues to be detected as soon as something happens, if it should arise. Bonus tip #2 - it is also good to shut off your water and drain your pipes while your are gone as this reduces the instance of water leaks and floods.
Leave a Clean House. You are going to be exhausted when you come home and the last thing you want to look at is a dirty house. Having an empty sink, the laundry all caught up, and the floors vacuumed when you leave is a good feeling when you come back.
Run Your Dishwasher. After you have run the last load in your dishwasher, make sure you run a cycle to clean it using pre-mixed cleaner from the store or by making a DIY recipe from Pinterest. Once your dishwasher has been run and has cooled down, open your dishwasher and allow to air dry. Leave it open while you are gone and it will keep it from becoming stinky and creating mildew.
Open Your Clothes Washer. This same tip for your dishwasher applies to your clothes washer. When you are done, leave it open to air dry (this is also a good regular tip) so the mildew and stench doesn't build up. Bonus tip#3 - the day before you are leaving to return home, find a local laundromat and wash all of your dirties. That way you don't have to bring dirty clothes home with your clean ones and they can all be put away - which avoids the piles of vacation clothes).
Unplug Un-necessary Items. This one I am very frugal about. Not only we will be conserving energy while we are gone but we are taking an extra step to protect our investments from potential storms that may blow through. Surge protectors are usually pretty good but they don't help in a brown-own situation.
Lock Up Valuables or Move Off-site. Valuables, as well as prescription medication, are hot items that unwanted visitors may be looking for. If you have the ability, I would recommend locking anything valuable up that you can or moving them off-site, this way they are protected in the event something happens.
Check Your Doors and Windows. Before you head out, take one last walk around your house and check all of the locks on your windows and doors to make sure they are working and that your home is secure. One of the last things you want to worry about when you are enjoying that much needed vacation is a second-guess on if something was locked.
And as an added tip, if you have monitoring or a security system in place - a regular monthly service or something as a Ring system, make sure they are working properly before you leave, that way you can receive notifications and easily check in on your home.
Comments