Planning for a vacation out of town, city, state or country can be exciting. While it is common practice to make a checklist of things to pack to prepare you for your vacation, a checklist that may be forgotten about is what to do to prepare your house for your vacation. While you are away, you want to make sure that your home remains safe and in good condition, as well as reducing energy consumption in an empty house.
Power considerations
Unplug and reset the AC unit and the thermostat when leaving for a vacation the energy consuming appliances should be attended to detail to avoid malfunctions and possible accidents. The AC unit should be reset when going for a two-day vacation and unplugged altogether when going for a longer vacation to reduce energy consumption. Another good idea is to put all the water heaters on ‘vacation’ modes.
When you get home from vacation and turn on your A/C, it would be a good idea to replace your air filter. This will ensure that clean air is circulating throughout your house, and can help reduce some of the dust that may have accumulated while you were away.
Kitchen preparations
Turn off the dishwashers and washing machine’s water valves to avoid any leakage or slow drips into the machines. This can lead to damage or the electrical parts of the machines, coming into contact with the water. This preparation is taken of both the short and the long term vacations. For laundry ensure it is done before you set out for the vacation. Sweaty clothes emit an odor that could get worse with time.
Also, clean the fridge to remove all the perishable goods that might expire before the duration of your vacation is over. Leftover foods, spillages on the fridge should be removed, and the fridge wiped appropriately to avoid an odor that might emanate after some time if left unattended to in the period of the vacation. Further, run a hot cup of vinegar through the garbage to avoid bad odor. If your fridge filter is nearing the 6 month mark, now would be a good time to replace it so that you will have fresh, clean water when you arrive home.
Security Measures
For security purposes, leave a light on for short vacations usually three days and below. Leave one of the lights on to show that there is a person in the house and ward off potential buglers. When leaving for a longer vacation of four days or more, you could install an automated light bulb or a motion sensor outdoor flashlight. This not only keeps off burglars but could serve to notify your trusted neighbor in case of any activities in your compound.
Garden preparations
Do not forget to tend to your plants; for a 2-day vacation, watering the plants before you leave is advised. If the vacation extends, you can arrange with a neighbor to water them for you or install a self-watering plant stake to serve the purpose.
Have a fantastic vacation, won’t you?
