When you’re getting ready to go away on holiday, there can be a lot of excitement. But for me, there can also be a lot of stress and sorting things. Packing your stuff up can be stressful making sure that you have everything, as well as then thinking about laundry is done, dishes are clean, and that your fridge isn’t full of food that is going to go off when you’re away and get wasted. Such a joy, right?
Packing your luggage is one of the most obvious things to sort before you go, but there are plenty of other things that you can do in and around your home to make sure that things are all organised for your return, as well as making sure that your home is safe and secure when you’re away too. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your home.
Here are some of the things that you can do next time you are heading off on holiday.
Deep Clean
One of the last things that you’ll want to come home to after a nice, relaxing holiday, when yo just want to seep or unpack, is have to face a dirty home. You might not need to deep clean all the rooms in the home before you go. But a few things like the floors, bathroom, and kitchen can be a really good idea. However, there are some things that are good to be cleaned and disinfected if you’re not going to be home for couple of weeks. It can help to prevent pests taking over, as well as making are that mould won’t start to take over anywhere either.
Sort the Bins
On a similar note, taking out the bins and making sure that they aren’t just going to sit and fester is all part and parcel of cleaning up. And again, can help to reduce the risk of pests, bad smells, or mould in the home. If you will miss a bin collection day, then it could be worth asking a neighbour to put the bins out for you so that your waste doesn’t all pile up on your return.
Unplug Electronics
An absolute nightmare situation when you’re away on holiday would be for something to catch fire and you get a call from a local friend or neighbour telling you what has happened. So taking some steps to reduce the chance of that happening is really important. Unplug electronics, even leaving things on standby uses electricity. Apart from your fridge, which usually has a separate fuse and so on of its own, unplug everything else.
Another things to check on is making sure that your fire alarm works as well – it is usually connected to the electrical system but could have batteries as well.
Check or Install Alarm
If you don’t have an alarm system on your home then now is the time to make sure that you do get one; vacation or not. It can act as a big deterrent for theft if it looks to outsiders that you are away. Not only that but it can work at reducing the risk of theft as the alarm noise would sound if someone did try to break in your home. So there is no time like the present when it comes to securing your home.
Ask a Friend For Help
If you have a trusted friend that isn’t too far away from you, then it can be a great idea to ask them to check on your home from time to time if possible. They could take parcels in for you or take in the mail if you trust them with a key. If you are going away when there is some snowy weather, it can also help to have some footprints in and out of the home too, so it looks like you are home, rather than untouched snow that shows no one is leaving or entering.
Check All Windows and Doors
Right before you leave on your trip, it is a really good idea to check all the entry points around your home. Even if a window is left slightly ajar, it could be used as an access point. It can be easy to forget about a door or window that rarely gets used, but those are the places that a potential thief would be likely check.
Get Light Timers
If someone suspects that you are not home, and they never see a light on in the house, even at night, then it can pretty much confirm that you are not there. So one simple step you can take to help deter is to put lights around your house on timers. You can get timers that go into your plug from places like Amazon, but if you have a smart phone, you could even program the lights from your phone when you are away.
Have you got any other tips that you would add to the list? It would be great to hear what you think.
I do agree that cleaning is something you want to make sure of, alongside doing all the washing so you’re not left with even more when you’re back. I like to do an online food shopping delivery to arrive later the day I am back so I know I’ll have food x
That is a fabulous tip – thank you!
I love how clean and tidy my house looks just before we leave for a holiday. All the clutter seems to magically disappear (probably into my kids bags!).
Jenny recently posted…Five Happy Things {Week 230}
Haha yes very true… unless you leave in a mad rush!
this is so true! you can really never be to sure when it comes to the security of your home! Recently had a trip with the whole family and i know in myself that the house is secure but for some reason there’s always that small voice of fear that always whispers.
Stephanie Ontengco recently posted…When your House Helper Leaves Unexpectedly
I can relate to that!
I like the suggestion to install security alarms for property protection. However, it would be the best if you warn the criminal that your property is protected and that illegal entry will be punishable. For this, have something that displays security presence, like security cameras. This can greatly deter criminals from targeting the property.