14 Things To Do Before Leaving For Vacation
It’s summertime and many families are taking vacations. Instead of just packing your suitcases and leaving for vacation there are some things to do around your home before you go.
Vacations are wonderful. They give you time to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and have an adventure of some kind.
It’s always best to come home to a clean and tidy home. No one wants to come home to a sink filled with dirty dishes, a smelly garbage can, or laundry piled up and waiting to be done — you’ll probably be bringing some laundry home with you.
Here are 14 things to do before leaving for vacation
Start preparing for your vacation 3–4 days before you depart. This will give you time in which to get everything done without feeling overwhelmed.
A few of the things to do are precautionary tasks. You don’t want to advertise that you are out of town and make your home a target for vandals. Plus you can avoid some potential home problems when you do a few of these chores.
Mail: Either arrange with a friend or neighbor to pick up your mail every couple of days or arrange with the post office to stop delivering your mail. WHY? A full mailbox is a sure sign to a would-be vandal that you are out of town.
Lawn: Mow your lawn and water your plants. WHY? This also gives the impression that you are around and taking care of your home. Additionally, you can wait a day or two after you return before having to do this task.
Alert your neighbors: Let one or two of your neighbors know that you’re leaving for vacation. WHY? Even if you don’t ask them to collect your mail for you, they can keep a weather eye out for you. If they notice someone lurking around your home, they can call the police. Be sure to also let them know when you have returned home.
Buy a few timers for lamps: If you have a smart home with lights you can turn on and off electronically you can skip this task. Get a couple of timers and attach them to lamps that may be strategically placed near windows. Have one in an upstairs window and one in a downstairs window. Set the timers to turn the lamp on at dusk and off just after dawn. WHY? Lights going on and off give the illusion that someone is home.
Shades: Instead of closing shades or curtains, leave them open or as you do when you are home. WHY? It may make someone wonder if you are home and discourage them from targeting your house.
Turn off the water: Turn the water off where it enters your home. WHY? The obvious reason is that you don’t have water damage while you’re away. Think of it this way, if a pipe bursts and the water starts running it can cause significant damage since you are not there to notice it and to stop it before it has a chance to create a problem. Put an alert on your phone to turn it back on when you return home.
Check your smoke detectors: When was the last time you checked your smoke detectors? If you change the batteries when the time changes, then you’re good to go. Also, if your smoke detectors are hard wired, then there’s no need to check them. WHY? In case of a fire, you want those smoke detectors to work.
Adjust your thermostat: Prepare for vacation and take a couple of minutes to adjust the thermostats in your home. WHY? There’s no need to heat or cool a home to comfortable levels when you are out of town. Save some money and adjust the thermostat. You want the temperature to be tolerable — neither too hot nor too cold but it doesn’t need to remain at levels that are comfortable for you.
Wash the dishes: Run and empty the dishwasher. Put away any pots and pans. WHY? Dirty dishes can become odiferous when left to sit in a dishwasher. Avoid that problem. Run and empty your dishwasher the day or evening before you leave for vacation. Also, it’s nice to come home to a clean sink and counter.
Do the laundry: Get all the lingering laundry in your home done. Completely done. This means wash, dry, fold (or hang) and put away. WHY? You are going to come home with laundry. Don’t add to this task by having leftover dirty laundry to wash. Take care of the laundry before you leave town so you only have the laundry you bring home to do.
Empty the refrigerator: Remove all expired or almost expired food and leftovers from your refrigerator. WHY? When you come home from vacation, you want to keep your happy feeling. There’s nothing happy about opening a refrigerator and looking at or smelling spoiled food. Deal with it before you leave town.
Take out the trash: This follows the previous advice. After you empty the refrigerator, take out the trash. Get that expired food out of your kitchen all together. WHY? This lets you come home to a clean, tidy, and pleasant-smelling home.
Make the beds: You know the feeling at the hotel when you walk into the room and see the nicely made bed? Well, keep that feeling and make the beds before you leave for vacation. WHY? If you leave the beds unmade, you give yourself something to do as soon as you get home. Avoid that feeling. It only takes a few minutes to make the beds. Make it look like a room you want to return to.
Tidy the rooms: Take 10 minutes. Walk through your home and tidy each room. WHY? Just as making the bed tidies the bedroom, plumping pillows, tossing trash, and putting things away tidies other rooms in your home. Come home to a tidy home, not a messy one.
In conclusion:
This may look like a long list of things to do as you prepare for a vacation but, none of them take very long except maybe the laundry if you have let it pile up. Set yourself up for success and do a couple of these tasks each day beginning 3 or 4 days before leaving for vacation. You will feel good knowing that your mail is being taken care of, your home looked after, and that you will be returning to a clean and tidy home. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips like these.
Diane N. Quintana is an ICD Master Trainer, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, Certified Professional Organizer, owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC and co-owner of Release Repurpose Reorganize LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia. She specializes in residential and home-office organizing and in working with people challenged by ADHD, Hoarding and chronic disorganization.
