There is nothing like returning to the comforts of home after a nice long trip or vacation. But what if your homecoming is a big slap in the face? Your fridge, trash or toilet is emitting foul odors. Your basement is flooded. Your belongings ransacked by burglars. Your AC bill is through the roof because you forgot to turn it down during your absence. There are many things that can go wrong. So, next time you travel, use this checklist. Some of these points are pretty obvious but even the obvious is overlooked once in a while.
Checklist For Keeping Your Home Safe and Sound While You Are Away
MAKE SOME CALLS
• Tell your neighbors you are going away. Give them keys and your contact information
• Temporarily stop newspaper or other deliveries (or have a neighbor bring stuff in)
• Ask a friend or neighbor to bring in packages and move your bins in and out on trash day
• Contact your security alarm company; let them know you will be away and provide them with your contact info
UNPLUG and REPROGRAM
• Unplug the automatic garage door opener; double check the door is fully closed
• Unplug electronics and computers
• Reprogram heater/AC (keep heat above 55F to avoid freezing pipes)
• Put lights on a timer
• Put TV or music on a timer
• Make sure all taps are turned off
• Ensure there are fresh batteries in all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
CLEAN and CLEAR
There is nothing worse than returning to a pig sty (except maybe returning to a pig sty that an intruder has sifted through)
• Clean out fridge
• Check all the toilets are fully flushed
• Empty the trash; ask neighbors to put out trash on trash day
• Move valuable furniture and upholstery out of line of direct sun to avoid fading
• Clear the waste disposal
• Do all dirty laundry and empty washer and dryer
• Clean the sink and wipe dry
• Clear leaves and debris from external drains on patios and yards to prevent flooding
PETS and PLANTS
• Water plants; Move all plants to one spot so house sitter/neighbor doesn't have to wander around the house looking for plants)
• For longer trips. organize plant/yard care
• Secure kennel or pet-sitter; leave out instructions, plenty of food/water
EXTRA SECURITY
• Remove any hidden keys from their secret spots (under the mat, under the flower pot)
• Leave blinds in their normal positions
• Check with insurance company to make sure there aren't any rules requiring that someone check in regularly at your home during your absence
• Park car in driveway
• Hire a house sitter or have a neighbor/friend drop in at irregular times on a regular basis.
• Double check you have locked all doors and windows, especially in less obvious places like garages and basements
What have we missed? Is there anything else one should do to protect their home before a big trip?
Images: Night Watch Patrol; Moco News; Bella Savvy; Fox Business.
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"Check all the toilets are fully flushed"
This one is too funny. Don't people check for this...every time they use the bathroom?!
@Smellykelly: it's my kids! Worst flushers!
Even when we didn't have cats, we always had a neighbor check the house once a day or so, just to make sure no disasters had happened. It sounds kind of paranoid, but after being the one to discover our next door neighbor's frig. died on day four of their three week trip, and having to clean it out--a HUGE, smelly mess--I figure better safe than sorry.
The problem with "leave blinds in their normal posiitons" is that mine are closed at night and up in the day. So, do I leave them closed all the time - which is great at night but obviously one's around in the day, or do I leave them up - fine for day but not at night. This is always my major concern while I'm away. I wish I could rig up some kind of timer/pulley system that would do it automatically. Asking a neighbour is not an option. Any suggestions?
This is a very through list. These were new to me.
• Unplug the automatic garage door opener; double check the door is fully closed
• Remove any hidden keys from their secret spots (under the mat, under the flower pot)
I'm not sure how to put the TV on a timer. What I have found with digital equipment (stereo, computer, etc.) they don't turn back on after the power comes back on.
It's my fear that we will return to a massive flood, so it's also good to:
1. Shut off water to the washing machine supply lines.
2. Shut off water at the toilets.
3. If possible, just shut off the water to your house. If we have neighbors coming over to water plants or look in on our cat, we don't do this step.
A really good list, but "Check all the toilets are fully flushed." Really?
In the case of pets, make sure you leave some cash in case of emergencies. The bigger the animal, the more money you leave.
My SIL is watching a friend's menagerie (ponies, goats, chickens, dogs, etc.) for several weeks while the friend is in Africa, but during the first week one of his ponies died (old age). So my SIL had to pay $250 to have someone come over to take the animal away. $250 she did NOT have at the time. Yeah, the guy is going to pay her back when he gets back, but in the meantime she has to pay her bills.
Just don't unplug by pulling the wires. Grab the plug and pull it out. Bad example AT!
@hethyr, the pony died while she was away? so sad! I know it can happen though, leaving contact information for your vet to whoever is watching your animals is a great idea. Pets can have very unexpected problems!
I would have someone over to check the house everyday because you never know. My parents' water heater started leaking when they were out of town in the basement. Luckily my brother discovered it before there was any damage and I went over and watched as a new one was installed. Had either of us not been looking after their house who knows what kind of condition their basement would have been in upon their return. Also in the winter I'd want someone to make sure my furnace was working.
I would also recommend backing up all your important data.
I always feel like a paranoid person (to be fair, I live in South Africa) when I back up all my photos to an external hard drive and hide it away before going on holiday.
Clean out the coffee machine.
Remembering to flush toilets before departure is good advice for persons involved in water saving initiatives or septic system problems and therefore don't always flush after every use.
If you're able to, shutting off the water before departure is great advice. Ruptured lines and supply valve malfunctions while people are away from home are a major cause of water damage insurance claims. Water lines to washers, refrigerators, and dishwashers should be shut off before any trip. To insure against ruptures, washer supply lines should be steel braided or something considerably stronger than the cheezy rubber hoses typically supplied by manufacturers.
During winter- I was given the tip to leave one tap SLIGHTLY dripping to avoid frozen pipes. Anyone else hear this?
Yes, I've heard of that. It's done when you have a water line susceptible to freezing which services a faucet. Dripping water from any faucet will not prevent a line elsewhere in a home from freezing
@pattilain: you can never be paranoid enough about those things! my laptop, my boyfriend's computer, our external backup drive and both of our digital cameras were stolen when our apartment was broken into while we were at work. we lost a decade of photos. insurance covered the electronics, but i would give every possession i own for photos of my cats as kittens or of my boyfriend and me when we first started dating, or--especially--just one single photo of my best friend who passed away when i was twenty.