Make your Home Vacation-Ready: Essential Tips before you Hit the Road this Summer
Summer is one of the biggest times for traveling, especially in America. It’s a great time to pack up our bags and set off on adventures to discover new places all over the globe. Before you set off on these adventures, it’s important to ensure that your home is vacation ready.
Preparing your home for a vacation can help you prevent potential issues, and costs and give you peace of mind to not worry about your home while you’re away. Here at TruBlue, we’ve pieced together some extremely important tips for those traveling this summer.
Secure Your Home
One of the biggest concerns when leaving your home for an extended period of time is security. Making sure that all your windows and doors are locked prior to leaving is an extremely important task to complete. Another thing to consider is installing a security system if you don’t already have one. The convenience of modern security systems allows for you to be able to check on your home anywhere in the world via your smartphone, which can provide you with real-time peace of mind.
Prepare Your Appliances
Something that people overlook is the risk of wasting energy as well as the potential for electrical fires. To prevent electrical fires, you want to ensure appliances such as your refrigerator are working properly.. Another thing related to refrigerators that a lot of people forget about- is to clean them out prior to leaving. You don’t want to leave a bunch of food in your fridge that may go bad while you aren’t home. No one wants to deal with a smelly fridge, especially not right after a trip.
Another appliance that should be adjusted is your water heater, setting it to eco or vacation mode will help it conserve energy. Since it is summer now, you don’t need to worry about pipes freezing, however, if it was the winter you should keep it at at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take Care of Your Plants/Animals
If you have plants or animals, make sure that they’re being watched properly while on vacation. Whether you need someone to come into your home and water your plants, or whether you need someone to look after your pets, both are important. If you have a garden, you can set up a sprinkler system on a timer to make sure that your plants are watered properly while you're gone. While, having someone come to water your plants, you can also have them take care of your pets. Having a dedicated sitter come to the home a few times a day to check water and food supplies for your animals and take them on a walk, if needed, can make your pets feel much less afraid by keeping them in a familiar area.
Prevent Potential Water Damage
Preventing potential water damage can be extremely simple, especially with how much of a headache it can cause down the road. Before leaving, check your home for leaks and potential problem areas. Consider turning off the water supply to things such as your washer and your dishwashers to potentially prevent water damage. If leaving for a much longer period of time, consider shutting off your main water supply to your home, and only keep things on such as sprinklers unless they’re essential to maintaining your lawn or garden.
Notify your Neighbors
Letting your neighbors know that you will be gone is another great thing to do especially if you don’t have a proper home security system. Your neighbors can keep an eye on your home and ensure that the authorities are made aware of any suspicious activity that happens at your house while you're gone.
In Conclusion
Properly preparing your home for your vacation can save you so much stress, both while on your vacation as well as on your return home. So, before you hit the road, take some time to make your home truly vacation-ready, maybe incorporating just a few of the ideas stated in this article.
At TruBlue we provide a unique and affordable approach to help you prepare your home- both inside and out- for vacation and the summer months ahead.
Let us know if you need help with anything around your home to ensure a stress-free and fun trip. Safe travels to you and your family!