When going away on vacation, one of the many things that you need to think about is making arrangements for the care of your home while you are away. Below are some tips for making sure that your house is secure while you are away.
Mail and Newspapers
One of the most obvious signs that someone is away from home is mail and newspapers piling up. In order to avoid this, you have two options. You can stop the delivery of mail and newspaper, or you can have someone come by to pick them up.
Of course, it should go without saying that you will need someone who is very reliable. If the person neglects to come by for a few days then it will be clear that you are not at home.
If you do not have someone that you can count on to move your mail and newspaper inside every single day, then it is best to stop the delivery of both while you are away.
Grass
Another clue that you are away is when your normally neatly trimmed grass is suddenly a bit too tall. This is, obviously, going to be more of an issue should you be away for an extended time, but even if you will just be gone for a week or two, you might want to make arrangements to have someone come by and cut your grass.
Lights
If someone is watching your house to see if you are away, a dead giveaway that you are gone is the absence of lights in the evening. There are wonderful timers for your lights available that come on at random times throughout the day rather than always coming on and turning off at exactly the same time.
There are also devices that flicker to give the appearance that the television is on. Anything that you can do to give the appearance that someone is home is a step in the right direction.
Plants
If you have plants and cannot find someone to come and water them for you while you are away, consider purchasing water globes. These globes dispense water at a slow and steady rate over a period of a week or more.
While it is better to have someone who can check the soil before adding water, these water globes are a wonderful alternative that can certainly help to keep your plants alive and healthy.
Water
If you will be gone for a week or more, you may want to consider having the water service to your home turned off. In the event of any type of leak, you would not have to come home to water damage in your home. Having the water turned off is as simple as making a phone call to your water company. Just be sure to arrange to have it turned back on the day before you are scheduled to return so that you will not be without water when arriving home.
When you take the time to properly secure your home before leaving on a trip, you will have one less thing to worry about while you are away, and that added peace of mind will help to make your trip that much more enjoyable.
