Preventing Home Disasters When You’re on Vacation

We all need to get away from it from time to time; to leave the world of work, chores and the same sights we see day after day behind for something new, exciting and best of all, relaxing. However, many of us simply aren’t able to cut loose and relax as we should be when we’re on vacation, because we’re too worried about what’s going on back home. That’s why I’ve put together this quick guide to preventing home disasters while you’re on vacation:

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[ctt template=”4″ link=”c_0d0″ via=”yes” ]Many of us simply aren’t as able to cut loose and relax as we should when we’re on vacation, because we’re too worried about what’s going on back home. That’s why I’ve put together this quick guide to preventing home disasters while you’re on vacation.[/ctt]

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Unplug Everything

Before you head off for vacation, you should take the time to go around your home checking every electrical socket to ensure that all of your appliances are unplugged and the sockets are switched off. Why do you need to do this? Because around 400,000 house fires are caused by electricity-related problems every year, and if your electronics were to catch fire while you were away, it might take longer for anyone to be alerted to the fact.

A side benefit of doing this is that you will not come back home to a big energy bill either!

Turn Your Water Off

It’s also a pretty good idea to turn off your water supply before you leave for that “break in the sun” because it is so easy for water lines to break or pipes to freeze when you’re away and if they aren’t dealt with immediately they can lead to flooding, mold growth and structural problems that could be pretty expensive to put right.  If you are gone for a longer time, you may need to add RV type antifreeze fluid to prevent freezing in your washing machine and toilets.

Postpone Deliveries

If you want to avoid burglary at home, one thing that you simply must do is postpone any deliveries of things like daily newspapers and mail. You can use ServiceMaster to keep your post on hold, and it makes sense to do so because a buildup of mail and newspapers is a clear indicator to any would-be thieves that you are away and the contents of your home are up for the taking.

Turn on the Burglar Alarm

If you don’t have a burglar alarm, it’s a pretty good idea to get one, not only so that you can protect your home when you’re on vacation, but so you can secure your property all of the time. If you do have one, make absolutely sure that you set it before you head off on vacation and then if anyone does try to get in, they will hopefully be scared off, or the neighbors alerted.

Tell A Trusted Person

Before you fly off to Aruba, tell someone you trust, and who ideally lives nearby that you are going away for a while. They can then keep an eye on the place for you and report to you if they notice anything unusual.  You may want to have them put out your garbage can with some of their household garbage in it so everything looks normal, if that is something you commonly do.

If you're really worried about the safety of your home while you’re away, you might even consider hiring a house sitter to take care of the place in your absence.

There is nothing worse than coming home from a relaxing vacation only to find that your home has been seriously damaged or your property has been stolen, so take precautions to protect the place and ensure that your trip doesn’t end on a downer.

This is a contributed post.

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