Snowbirding for the winter, going on vacation, or even just a few days away to visit friends and family can be fun and exciting. It can also become stressful if you’re worried you forgot to turn something off in your home or wondering if you left a door or window unlocked. While you’re triple-checking your luggage and other personal items you’ll be taking with you, don’t forget to put your house in order before you leave. Use these 12 steps to get your home ready when preparing for a trip so you can relax and enjoy your time away from home, whatever you’re doing.
You can have USPS hold your mail for up to 30 days while you are gone using their online portal or by calling them. Many trash disposal companies also have online services that allow you to hold trash pickup while you are gone. You can always call and request the pickup hold if necessary.
Another option is to have a trusted neighbor collect your mail and package deliveries and put out and return your garbage and recycle containers for you. If possible, it’s best not to order anything that might arrive while you are gone to avoid having packages sitting on your front porch.
If you have a trusted neighbor, offer to exchange spare house keys with them so you can watch each other’s homes when either of you is on a trip or vacation. Make sure you have each other’s phone numbers for calling or texting if necessary. It’s reassuring to know you have someone close by who can get in and check on things if necessary while you are gone.
While you are away, remove any hidden spare keys outside your house so that only your neighbor or trusted friend has a spare key.
Even if you are only going to be gone for a few days, try to consume or toss anything in the refrigerator that might go bad while you are gone so you don’t come back to a smelly house and fridge. That goes for fresh food outside the fridge as well such as fruit or vegetables or even bread in the pantry that could turn moldy.
Clean your house a day or two before you leave so you don’t have to think about it last minute when you are getting everything else ready for your trip. Coming home to a clean, de-cluttered fresh-smelling home is well worth the effort.
Wipe down your countertops and stovetop, sweep, and vacuum, especially in rooms where you eat, so there isn’t anything left to attract rodents or pests while you’re gone. Make sure to empty trash cans and laundry hampers as well. In addition to washing your clothes before your trip, make sure to wash your bedding and towels to avoid a build-up of bacteria or mold. Don’t forget to empty the washing machine and dryer before you leave.
This is one of the 12 steps to get your home ready when preparing for a trip that many people forget about until the last minute. So, don’t forget to make arrangements in advance for any pets you aren’t taking with you. Give your pet sitter or boarding facility detailed care instructions and medications, food, treats, and toys needed to keep your pets healthy and happy while you are gone.
Water your indoor and outdoor plants before you leave if you’ll only be gone for a few days to a week. If you’ll be gone longer or have plants that require more attention, have someone come by and do the watering while you are gone.
If you are leaving in the winter, and it might snow while you’re gone, ask your trusted neighbor or friend to have your driveway shoveled while you are away unless that service is included through your HOA.
Even if you use online bill pay and can pay bills from your phone or laptop that come due while you are gone, it’s best not to leave it to chance and pay them before you leave. You may be too busy having fun while away to remember mundane tasks such as paying bills.
It’s especially important to pay your bills before you leave if you pay bills by mail and need to allow a week or more for the payment to arrive. To be safe, pay any bills that are due within a week of your return date before you leave.
Don’t leave dirty dishes and glasses in your dishwasher while you are gone. They can become moldy over time and difficult to clean. Run your dishwasher the night before you leave and unload it the next morning. Leave the door slightly open so it doesn’t trap moisture and get moldy.
Don’t turn the dishwasher on right before you leave. If something happens and it leaks, you could have a huge disaster when you return. Even if that doesn’t happen, your dishwasher and everything in it could get moldy if it’s sealed up for a few days or a week while you are gone.
If your thermostat is a newer “smart” version, you can set it to away or vacation mode so that it’s not heating or cooling your home to normal temperatures to save money. Using different temperature settings will keep your home from freezing or getting too hot while you’re away. If you can control it remotely, change it back to normal mode a few hours before you return, so you walk into a comfortable house.
If you have a manual thermostat, set it to around 50 degrees in the winter so you don’t have to worry about any pipes freezing, and to around 85 or 90 degrees in the summer. This will save money while you are gone, but you may be slightly uncomfortable for a few hours after you return. If you have a neighbor who will be home, ask them to adjust your thermostat for you the night before or the morning of the day you plan to return so your house is nice and comfortable when you get back.
It has become easier and less expensive in recent years to control your home’s lighting remotely with an app using smart bulbs or an automated lighting system. This makes it easy to program lights to come on at different times during the day and evening to give the appearance that someone is home. If you want to take a simpler approach, you can put a few lamps on analog outlet timers for interior lighting while you are gone.
For exterior lighting, it’s best to use light sensors so your lights automatically come on at dusk and turn off at dawn. You may also want to have a porch light on a motion sensor so it will come on at night if anyone approaches your home.
Unplug kitchen appliances such as toasters, toaster ovens, blenders, or anything that could short out and cause an electrical fire. You may also want to unplug TVs and computers to protect them in case of a power surge.
If you are going to be away during the winter months, it’s best to turn off the main water supply to your home and open an exterior faucet to let the water drain out of your pipes. To be thorough, open all the faucets in your home until they run dry, and flush the toilets to prevent mold.
If you need to leave the main water supply on for sprinkler systems or because your heating system uses water, you can close the shutoff valves to your washing machine, dishwasher, and sinks to prevent a leak from becoming a disaster while you are away from home.
Even in the summer months, it’s recommended to turn off the washing machine water faucets, dishwasher, toilets, and sinks to prevent any plumbing issues while you are gone.
If you normally have your blinds and curtains open in specific rooms in your home and only close them when you leave town, you’re advertising that you are away. Leave them as you normally would, or only close the blind louvers partially to make it more difficult to see inside. Curtains should stay as you normally have them in the main living areas and second-floor bedrooms.
Before you leave, walk around your house and check that every window is closed and locked. Then, check all the doors, including the garage side door and any patio doors. Use a bar or rod in the bottom track to prevent patio doors from being opened. Throw the deadbolt locks on all exterior doors from the inside except the door you leave from. If you are leaving through one of the main garage doors, don’t forget to lock the door between the house and the garage.
If you have an alarm system, arm it before you leave. You may also want to contact your provider and notify them of the days you’ll be gone and if you’re expecting anyone at your house while you’re away.
While reviewing the 12 steps to prepare your home for a trip, keep in mind that Scarmazzi Homes communities help alleviate many common concerns people have while away from home. This is because most lawn care, landscaping, and snow removal are covered by the homeowner’s association. With all of that taken care of while you’re traveling, you can relax and enjoy yourself knowing your home is being looked after.
While some very large communities seem impersonal, our communities are sized to make it easy for residents to get to know their neighbors and build personal friendships. So, homeowners feel confident in asking their neighbors to keep an eye on each other’s homes while they are traveling. It’s a philosophy called the “Lock & Leave” lifestyle prominent in Scarmazzi Homes communities.
Contact us to schedule a tour of one of our Pittsburgh area communities and to learn about the advantages of single-level living and other benefits we offer.
