How to Prepare Your Home For Vacation

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SunshineDestinations.com wants to help ensure that the safety of your home is one less thing to worry about while on vacation. So we have this quick and easy check list to prepare your home for your trip.

 

Make your house look lived-in
An empty house is like an open invitation to burglars. To keep your house looking occupied, here are some great ideas:

• Stop the newspaper and mail & cancel any scheduled deliveries – or ask a trusted neighbor to pick them up (Stacked up newspapers sitting in your driveway is a sure fire way to let anyone who passes by know that no one has been home to pick up the newspapers from the driveway)
• Park your car inside the garage, if you have one (Having a car sit and not move an inch from where it was a few days ago might also bring attention to your home to someone who is looking for a vacant home).
• Ask a neighbor to park in your driveway occasionally (so there’s activity at your house)
• Put at least one light in your house on a timer (a dark home is an invitation for burglars. A timer helps to not waste energy by leaving a light on all of the time as well)
• Install a motion-activated sensor on an outdoor floodlight. (Burglars hate outdoor lighting – and that’s why we love it)
• Make sure your sprinklers are on a timer and your lawn stays trimmed (this is a little more difficult in rainy summer months where grass tends to grow a foot instead of inches in just a couple of days, so pay the neighborhood kid to mow your yard while you are out of town at least once.)

Take the necessary plumbing and electrical precautions
Running appliances while you’re away is not only a needless expense, it could also lead to costly problems.
Here are some ways to avoid the possibility of an appliance breakdown while you're away:

• Unplug small appliances and electronic devices
• Put the water heater in “vacation” mode
• Turn off water valves to the dishwasher, washing machine and all sinks
• Set your thermostat to a temperature closer to outside temps (warmer in the summer, cooler in the winter) but which still protects your plants, pets and furniture. (Especially if you live in a location prone to extremes – can thermostats be lowered or air-conditioning increased to minimize wastage while you’re away without needing to turn everything off)

General home preparation

Other things to consider doing before your vacation:

• Notify your credit card company and home security company that you’ll be out of town 
• Make sure your smoke detectors are working properly
• Leave your emergency contact information with a neighbor
• Dispose of any food that could go bad before you return from vacation
• Take out the kitchen trash – especially anything that might start to stink
• Run your garbage disposal with a half-cup of vinegar and some water