Preparing Your Home for Vacation

Preparing for a vacation can be a lot of work. Whether packing up the car, hitting the road, or dusting off your passport for a long flight, taking a vacation requires more than just preparing an itinerary. Your home will be left vacant while you’re gone, and you want to ensure your home is ready for it! Here are my best tips to help you prepare your home for vacation.

Preparing Your Home for Vacation

 

Make your house look lively

People looking for houses to rob will notice the lack of people or cars in your driveway. While you’re gone, you want to show that someone is there and that you aren’t on vacation.

 

Here are some ideas to help your home look occupied even if no one is home:

 

●     Hold your mail to avoid piles of mail in your mailbox

●     Play music 

●     Put your house lights on a timer

 

Get rid of any food that can rot

After a long trip, you don’t want to come home to moldy food in your fridge. Get rid of any food that will go bad or that you won’t eat when you return from vacation. This includes things like milk, bread, and leftovers. Also, make sure to take out your trash before leaving; even little remnants of food can be enough to make your whole kitchen stink while you’re gone.

And don't forget to wash those dish rags and towels! They can start to smell if they are left for just a few days.

Don’t forget about trash day

If you’re going to be away during trash day, have a neighbor or friend bring your trash can out and put them away if you’ll be gone. The last thing you want is an overflowing can of trash or to have it sitting out for long periods while you’re gone.

Letting neighbors know you are gone will also help them keep an eye out for any suspicious activity! 

 

Adjust your blinds

You don’t want people to be able to see what’s inside your house. This is easy for people to figure out you’re not really home and that you have valuables inside worth stealing! Make sure all your window blinds are closed, and no one can see what’s happening inside your house.

 

Don’t keep all your valuables in one place

In the unlikely event that your home is robbed, you want to make it as difficult for people to get away with all your valuable stuff. If you have important documents or items, not in a safety deposit box, scatter them throughout your home. Consider putting them in drawers or the laundry room where people are unlikely to look for them. Burglars are going to look for a quick score, and searching your house top to bottom for your aunt’s pearls isn’t going to be on the list.

 

Remove spare keys and garage door openers

If you’re having someone watch over your house, make sure to hand them the key yourself. Don’t leave any keys or garage door openers visible where people can easily find them. Take them with you or leave them with a trusted friend or neighbor until you return.

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Before you prepare to put yourself in vacation mode, make sure your house is ready too! These tips can help prevent home break-ins and ensure you have a lovely home to return to.

 

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