How Can I Prepare My Home for Vacation?

QUESTION:

Dear Any Hour,

My family has quite a few little trips planned throughout the summer, as well as an extended family reunion for a couple of weeks in July. I always worry about being away from my home because it seems like every horror story I’ve heard about big system failures and basements flooding always happen when the family is on vacation. How can I prepare my home before I leave on vacation? What can I do to make sure we aren’t coming home to a disaster when we leave this summer?

Sincerely,
Paranoid

Ask Any Hour - prepping home for vacation

ANSWER:

Dear Paranoid,

You probably don't want to hear this, but you have reason to be worried. As Murphy's Law dictates, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. But the extension of Murphy's Law is that if there is anything that can go wrong with your house, it will be when you're not home. But there are a number of things you can do to prevent disasters from happening.

The following list is broken down into three categories: high, medium, and low priority. In our opinion, the high priority items are non-negotiable when you leave your home for long periods of time. The low priority items are more for your convenience. However, this list can help you feel like you can leave your home, and the major systems inside, with peace of mind.

(Click here to print your own Vacation Checklist)

HIGH PRIORITY

1. Make sure doors and windows are locked

From fake rocks in the flowerbed to the doormat by the back door, most of us keep a spare key in some pretty obvious places. Remove those while you're gone because criminals know all the go-to spots for hidden keys as well. So what if you have someone collecting mail, watering plants, or caring for pets while you're gone? You have two solutions. One, obviously, is to just give your spare key to the friendly person who will be helping you out. But this comes with risks like losing or misplacing the key. So, a great solution to consider if you're a frequent traveler is a smart lock. You can give your friend or neighbor their own personal code to get into and out of the house while also resting assured that the house remains locked up--all from your smartphone! And, once you get home, you can reset the code.

2. Turn off your home's main water supply

To avoid the possibility of a flood while you're out of town, turn off your water main. This will ensure that a running or broken faucet, toilet, hose, appliance, or line doesn't wreak havoc while you're away. Appliances can fail and pipes can rupture; be safe and turn off the water.

3. Check the sump pump

If you live in an area where you need one, sump pumps are a way to make sure your basement isn't a swimming pool when you get home. Dump a bucket of water down there to kick on the pump and make sure it's working properly.

4. Turn up the Air Conditioner, but don't turn it off

Turning the AC off completely will make your house a hot, humid oven. If you set it to 80*, your air conditioner will pull humidity out of the air while also keeping your house at a temperature where it won't damage the floor, furniture, or any of your belongings. And, if you have a smart thermostat, you can even reprogram it from your phone as you're traveling back so the house is cool again when you get home.

5. Unplug electronics

Remember Murphy's Law? If there is going to be a power surge, it's going to happen while you're out of town. There really isn't any reason for your electronics to keep running while you're away; it only costs you money and poses a potential electrical hazard. Turn them off and unplug them from power sources.

MEDIUM PRIORITY

1. Keep flowers alive with a soaker hose

If you don't want people coming into your home while you're on vacation, line up your indoor plants and run a soaker hose between them. This can also work for your outdoor plants, if you don't have a home sprinkler system.

2. Put timers on lights

To give passersby the illusion there is someone home when there isn't, put lamps in main rooms on a timer. They can turn on at dusk and go off at bedtime, giving the illusion that your home is occupied.

3. Stop mail services or get a volunteer to collect it

Nothing advertises an empty house like an overstuffed mailbox or piles of newspapers on the front porch. Putting in a quick request to the post office is a great idea. They'll hold your mail at the post office until you return so you won't miss anything. Otherwise, recruiting a trusted volunteer to collect your mail and papers, pull any fliers or door hangers off the door, or bring packages in from off the porch is also a great alternative.

4. Seal up any open boxes or bags of food

From ants to rodents, pests are just waiting to feast on the goodies in your pantry while the house is empty and quiet. Sealing up your food keeps those pesky critters from getting interested in your goods.

5. Check up on your insurance

What better time to check on flood, fire, and disaster insurance than right before leaving town? Answer: there isn't one. See what your policy covers and make sure everything is up-to-date.

LOW PRIORITY

1. Pour baking soda and vinegar down the drain

This is a way to make sure that, when you return home from your trip, you don't come home and say, "what's that smell?" coming from the drains. This is simply just a way to keep things fresh while you're gone.

2. Don't post on social media until AFTER you're home

Pictures and memories are a big part of any vacation. But there are some people who watch social media to see who is out of town. If you wait to post until you get home, you're home will be much safer while you're away.

3. Freeze a meal and clean the house

These two are simply so you can give yourself a pat on the back when you get home from vacation. Pop your pre-made meal into the oven when you get home, turn the water back on and turn the water heater up, plug in the TV, and put your travel-weary feet up. You did it! You had a great trip and you took great care of your home.

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