Practical Tips for Home Preparation Before a Vacation
A vacation gives you the opportunity to escape from the stresses of everyday life and forget your troubles for a while, and there's nothing quite like the feeling of getting ready to leave on a holiday.
But in all the excitement of packing and getting yourself ready for the trip, it’s also important to take some time to prepare your house as well.
There are a number of basic home maintenance measures you should perform before any vacation, and these will ensure that you come home to a clean, safe, and intact house.
These steps will also save on your energy bills, which means you'll have more money to spend on your holiday.
1. Shut Off Your Water Valve
Turning off the main water supply in your house only takes a few moments, but it could save you thousands of dollars, thousands of liters of water, and a house full of water damage.
Even just a small leak while you're away can cause havoc if there's nobody around to notice, but worse yet, there could be a major pipe burst, and you could return from your lovely holiday to find your house flooded.
Right before you leave, turn off the main water valve. Then, run all the faucets in the house to remove the excess water from the pipes. This will protect your house from leaks, drips, frozen pipes, and major bursts.
2. Clean the Garbage Disposal
Coming home to a stinky or insect infested home is not something anyone wants to do after a vacation, and you can prevent this from happening by running and cleaning out the garbage disposal before you leave. Run the disposal, pour in some baking soda and white vinegar, and let the disposal run for a couple of minutes to remove all traces of food and scraps.
3. Disconnect All Appliances
There are a number of reasons to disconnect your appliances before leaving for a holiday. For one, it will protect the appliances and delicate electronic devices from power surges that could destroy them, cause malfunctions, or perhaps even start a fire.
Moreover, it will save you money on your energy bills, because appliances consume trace amounts of energy anytime they're plugged in, even if they aren't in use.
Eat up all the food in your refrigerator and freezer before your holiday too, and that way you can unplug those energy-hungry appliances as well—just make sure you leave the doors open so they dry out and mildew doesn’t grow.
4. Put the Water Heater in Vacation Mode
Most newer water heaters have a vacation mode that will turn down the temperature of the water so that you can save money and energy while you're away. Look for a VAC setting. If your heater doesn’t have this, turn it to the lowest setting before you leave, or turn down the temperature. This way, your water heater won’t be wasting energy to keep a tankful of water hot when nobody’s using it.
Proper home maintenance is always important to keep things running smoothly, prevent damage, and conserve energy, and the same is true when you're on vacation. These simple pre-vacation steps will prevent infestations, floods, fires, and other disasters, so not only will your house be safe, but you'll also have peace of mind while you're away, allowing you to fully enjoy your holiday.
For more in-depth preventative maintenance tips, call Lodder Brothers Limited in Cambridge, ON at (226) 780-4479.
