Traveling This Holiday Season? How To Prepare Your Home To Be Empty While You’re Out Of Town.

If you are getting ready to travel out of town, you need to make sure your home is safe and protected while you are gone. There are many individuals and families who spend time traveling during the holiday season, so what should you do to make sure you return to a happy, healthy, safe home after your trip? Take a look at a few important tips below.

1. Consider Leaving On a Light (Or Two)

Before you travel out of town, you should consider leaving on a light. Leaving on a light is important because you want to make it look like you are home. If you turn off all the lights, and if they stay off for a long time, people will figure out you are not home. It could make your home more attractive to a burglar, so consider leaving on a light or two when you are out of town. Better yet, consider using a device that will put some of your lights on a schedule like an automatic light timer. That way, they are not on all day, but they may come on periodically to give people the appearance that you are home. 

2. Turn Down the Thermostat, But Not Too Much

You should certainly turn down the thermostat before you leave. You don’t want to spend a lot of energy heating your house if you are not there. It could drive up your utility bills; however, you don’t want to turn your thermostat down too far. Otherwise, your pipes could freeze, leading to serious water damage. Consider turning down your thermostat to 55 degrees F. This is a great way to conserve energy without threatening your pipes. If you have a smart thermostat, you can also set it to help regulate the temperature in the most energy efficient manner as the weather and temperatures fluctuate. 

3. Unplug Most of Your Appliances

You should also unplug most of your appliances before you leave. You may not realize that your appliances still draw a small amount of energy even when you are not using them. For example, you should unplug your coffee maker and your toaster before you leave. You may also want to consider unplugging your TVs. On the other hand, you shouldn’t unplug your large appliances, such as your dishwasher, oven, or refrigerator. These are large appliances that you may have a difficult time reprogramming once you turn them on, and you certainly don’t want your refrigerator to defrost all over your floor while you’re away. This practice has the potential to save you some money while you are gone too since you won’t be drawing as much power. Win win!

4. Consider Turning Off the Water Entirely

Finally, you may want to consider turning off the water entirely if you are leaving for a long time. This is an extra security measure that can help you protect your home from water damage stemming from burst pipes or leaks. You do not want to return home to a house that has flooded, so consider turning off the water entirely before you head out on your vacation. If your water’s off, there is a much less chance that it will freeze and burst your pipes or that a leak will occur and flood the interior of the house. Better safe than sorry!

5. Take Care Of The Outside Of Your Home

It’s easy to get caught up in taking care of the inside of your home, but it’s also important to prepare the outside of your home before you leave for a significant amount of time. Consider closing up your foundation vents, especially if they are near an area of your yard that gets a lot of snow and moisture. You will also want to ensure that all fallen branches and leaves are picked up and away from the foundation and sides of your home so that they don’t rot and ruin the foundation or siding or invite pests near your home. A compost pile is an excellent place to place them. Also, if there is rain or snow in your forecast, you may want to make sure that your driveway and walkway are clear of debris so that it won’t get compounded while you are gone. You can also pre-salt your walkways so that the next snowfall will melt away and you can come home to a safer path to your front door. And finally, you will want to ask your neighbor to keep an eye on your house for strange activity and that they collect your mail and left packages. Piled up mail can be a huge welcome sign for thieves!

Get Your Home Ready Before You Head Out of Town

If you are planning on traveling this winter, make sure your house is ready before you go. Following this check-list of items will help leave your home in good shape and provide peace of mind during your travels. Cheers to a healthy and safe trip!