Going on vacation, regardless of the time of year, is exciting! White sugar beaches in July, powdery ski slopes in December, the cobblestones of Rome in March – no matter where you book, a vacation is an amazing adventure!
When you leave to go on vacation, no matter how long it’s for, you’ve got jobs to do before you go. Not only have you got to prepare tickets, visas if any and passports, you also need to ensure that you have looked after your house. The interiors will need a proper clean out and the laundry needs to be done and put away. There’s not much worse than getting home from a break and having a house in disarray, the end of a vacation can feel depressing enough! So, what do you need to do to get your house ready for your vacation so that it’s still in one piece when you get home?
First, you need to get your house cleaned from top to bottom. Hire a cleaner if you must, but a clean house is one you can be sure won’t be at risk of fire or flood. You’d have taken your time to ensure that you still have a house standing up when you get back. Cleaning the house may not be fun at the time, but it’s definitely an important job to get done before you go away. You’d never think that cleaning a house before you go is part of home security essentials, but imagine preventing a fire because of it! Next, you need to alert the alarm companies that you are going away. Ideally, your house is going to be wired up and ready with an alarm, and if you let the alarm company know that you’re going away and how long for, you’ll get a quicker response time if there is a break-in.
Once you’ve done that, you need to go around the house and flush out the toilet pipes, garbage disposal and bleach the bins. Some of the worst odors come from toilets and garbage and even if you can’t see a blockage, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. Using methods like these to flush out your pipes and garbage disposal will mean coming home to freshness. Cleaning aside, unplugging small appliances, washing machines and the oven is a smart decision before you go away. We mentioned cleaning to prevent fires, but this has the same effect. Other than the refrigerator, there should be no plugs left on while you’re gone. Even if they stay on when you’re at work, it’ll be the one time you’re away that the electrics will trip – it’s Murphy’s Law!
Adding timers to your light switches and thermostat is a good decision before you go, so that you can give the illusion that someone is still home. Security is very much an issue on vacation, as you want to be able to come home to all your belongings. A clean and safe home is one that stays happy and secure – let yours be that home.
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