Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Vacation

3/21/2018 (Permalink)

Our SERVPRO team had to remove the drywall and ceiling after a pipe break when a family was on vacation in Minerva, Ohio.

Spring vacation time is near, and we have tips to make sure you don’t return home to devastation. It is essential that every traveler take certain steps to keep his or her home safe while traveling. Here are some tips that will help you keep your home safe from power surges, broken pipes, home invasions, and more while you’re away.

1. Ask a neighbor or friend to check in on your house while you are away. Make sure they pick up your newspaper and mail and check your home after a severe rain storm for basement flooding.
2. Don’t post your vacation on Social Media. Letting people know that you will be going or are out of town with vacation pictures on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will tip off criminals that no one is home.
3. Let your local Police department know that you are going on vacation. It is possible the police may go out of their way to drive by your house while on patrol, especially if you live in a small town. If you have a security alarm, leave a house key and the code with someone you trust, and provide the police and alarm company with their name and phone number.
4. Should you leave your Curtains OPEN or CLOSED? Before you leave for vacation, you may decide to close your curtains to prevent people from peering inside your home to see whether you’re there. However, closed curtains also stop those who aim to help—the police, your neighbors or friends—from seeing inside your house. So, what’s your best bet? Leave your curtains exactly as you usually keep them when your home, since noticeable changes could hint that you’re not around anymore—especially if your curtains are uncharacteristically left closed for two weeks. Move expensive items, like jewelry or computers, out of plain sight if they’re visible from the window
5. Lights ON or OFF? Don’t leave your lights on throughout your entire house instead purchase a programmable timer that will turn on and off certain lamps in the house to make it appear that someone is home.
6. Stop Your Mail or have your neighbor get it daily.
7. Turn off Your Water. If a pipe breaks while you are away, you won’t come home to a water damage. Leave the kitchen faucet open to let air escape.
8. Keep Your Heat ON. Do not turn off your heat in your home, so that you don’t come home to any frozen pipes.
9. Unplug your television, computer, toaster oven and other appliance to protect them from power surges. This way you save on your electric bill or to make sure you don’t have a home fire.

SERVPRO of S&E Stark County can help you clean up and restore your home if you return from vacation to a water or fire damage. We are here to help you 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. 330-823-4088.