HOME SAFE HOME – Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe When on Vacation

Take these simple precautions to keep your home safe while you’re away.

• Don’t put out the “we’re not home” sign – install timers on lights and a radio or television so your home looks and sounds lived in. I never leave on vacation without setting my timers.

• Let trusted neighbors know how long you’ll be gone and how to reach you in an emergency. Ask them to keep a watchful eye on your place. Have them collect your mail and newspapers, or suspend deliver until you return. Perhaps they could park their cards in your driveway occasionally. In snowy climate, ask them to shovel your walk and driveway

• Remove home address and phone numbers from your luggage tags and add your cell-phone number instead, in case an unscrupulous baggage handler gets any shady ideas.

• Lock up and hide your valuables. Keep some shades partially closed to keep expensive items (such as big-screen TV) out of view. (But don’t completely close all window covering, or it will be obvious that no one is home)

• Set the thermostat to an energy-saving level. Unplug most appliances to save electricity.

• Remove all perishable items from your refrigerator, and take out the trash so you don’t return to unpleasant odors.

• To avoid a musty smell from having your home closed up, before leaving on your trip, place small bowls of distilled white vinegar in each room. The vinegar will keep the air fresh, so you’ll breathe easier when you get home.

• If you’ll be gone long enough for mildew to form, place the top of a cardboard storage box in each bathtub and pour some clay kitty litter into it. It will absorb moisture and prevent mildew while you’re away.

• It may seem obvious, but don’t to forget to lock all doors and windows. If you leave a vehicle in the driveway, be sure to remove any garage door openers.

• Lastly, hire a housesitter to bring in your mail, remove newspapers or flyers at the front door, alter the lights inside and out, and water plants.

Here’s a great service to check out to find a reputable housesitter, babysitter, petsitter, caregiver, or nanny:  SitterCity

Originally posted 2009-06-22 09:30:39. Republished by Old Post Promoter