Whether your family's ideal vacation is sun and sand or slopes and skis, you want to spend it relaxed and happy, not worrying about your empty home. Here's a list of things to take care of before you leave so you can have peace of mind.
In Advance
- Deliveries: Have a neighbor pick up mail, newspapers, flyers, etc. every day while you are gone. For longer vacations, have the post office hold deliveries until you return, and stop delivery on your newspapers. Stop all other routine deliveries that would occur in the time you are away (i.e. groceries, water).
- Trash: Arrange to have someone get your garbage and recycling to the curb, or keep it in your garage or other storage place until you get back. Do not leave your garbage on the curb for a week.
- Plants: Have someone come over and water your plants for you, or talk to your local garden center about how to design a self-watering system.
- Animals: If you have pets, be sure they are taken care of, whether it's someone dropping in, someone taking them home, or someone kenneling them for you.
- Security: Depending on where you live, contact your local police station and let them know when you will be away and how long. In some communities they will periodically check up on your house. Check your alarm systems (burglar, fire) and notify the companies that monitor them. Buy light timers and make sure they work. Ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for anything unusual.
- Contact: Designate someone you trust to be the emergency contact person for the police and your alarm company. Give that person a key, an itinerary, your contact information and the alarm code.
- Food: Dispose of any perishable food items, especially milk or other products that go bad quickly.
Just Before You Go
- Electricity: Turn off all lights that aren't on timers. Unplug all non-essential electrical appliances and all electronics. Any one of these could spark a fire, and many use electricity even when they are not on, so unplugging them makes the most sense. Turn your electric water heater down or shut it off at the circuit breaker.
- Gas: If you don't heat with gas, shut off the gas going into your home, or have the gas company do it for you. Most utility companies turn the gas back on and light pilot lights for free. The rest do it for a fee. An alternative is to set gas appliances to the "vacation" or "pilot" setting. Don't shut off the pilot lights only — turning on an appliance with the pilot light off can cause a dangerous build-up of gas.
- Water: Run the dishwasher and flush all toilets. If you don't need the water on for plant and grass watering, shut off the water supply to your house to prevent flooding. Opening a faucet in the lowest level of your home will relieve pressure on your pipes and allow the system to drain slightly.
- Furnace: Don't turn your furnace off when you go away. Your pipes could freeze and burst, which would be a most unpleasant discovery upon your return. Instead, turn your thermostats to 55 degrees, which saves money, keeps water pipes warm and prevents condensation on walls and windows.
- Yard: Shovel your walks and pathways, and then put away all equipment in a secure location, unless you've made arrangements for someone to use your stuff to shovel in your absence. Also, be sure your fence gates are locked, especially if you have a pool (even in winter, pools can be dangerous for kids).
- Security: Set all lighting timers. Move your valuables out of obvious sight. Lock your garage door and unplug the automatic opener. Lock all doors and windows. Turn on the alarms when you leave.
- MAKE A LIST! Because the last thing you want to do when you come back is to forget to turn something on, make a list of everything you shut off.
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