As we all know, May will be here on Friday, marking the unofficial start to the summer season. The cold weather is finally gone, pool covers will soon be taken off, and the barbecues will begin to fire up. While there are plenty of summer activities to do at home between May and August, there is still the strong desire to go on vacation. Whether you’re going to another country or just a few hours away, you should always make sure your home is properly protected from any dangers. Here are some tips on how to prepare your home against safety hazards while you’re away.
The very first thing you should do to protect your home is to have a security system installed to hinder any possible intruders. It’s only the end of April, so odds are you’re not going on vacation just yet, meaning if you still don’t have an alarm system, now might be a good time to purchase one before we get further into the summer. You don’t want to be without a security system while on vacation, and then receive a call to find out that your home has been broken into. Also, make sure that all of the doors and windows of your home are firmly shut and locked. With all of this in place, you won’t have to worry about constructing any traps styled after those of Kevin McCallister’s in “Home Alone.”
Always make sure to check that everything is turned off, be they lighting fixtures or faucets, and also unplug or turn off any appliances that shouldn’t be left on while you’re away. You don’t want to be one of those people who are on vacation and constantly ponder over whether or not they remembered to turn off the oven. With that being said, it won’t hurt to double check to make sure everything is turned off, or maybe even triple check. Although that can be a bit of a pain, it beats worrying during your time away from home.
If you have any pets that require a lot of care, you can’t have them running loose throughout your home while you’re away, and you can’t just keep them in a cage the whole time without anyone at home to watch them. So, ask a trustworthy friend or relative to take care of your pet while you’re away. You can supply this individual with an extra key to your home so they can go inside to feed your pet, take care of it, and let it get some exercise; or, if this person is really good with animals, they might even volunteer to take your pet into their own home to watch over it.
I know whenever you’re about to go on vacation, you feel overjoyed about getting away, and odds are you’ll end up telling a few of your friends where you’ll be going. That’s okay to do, but prevent yourself and the rest of your family from revealing too much information and broadcasting it all over social media for hundreds of other people to see. If you want to give a few details to some close friends and family, that’s okay, but it isn’t everyone else’s business as to where you are going and for how long you will be gone for. Instead, wait until you return home, and then you can share stories and photos with however many people you want.
While you’re away, it will also help if you stop the delivery of your newspaper and have the post office hold your mail; or, you can have a neighbor collect it all from day to day if you decide to still have it delivered. If the wrong person sees that your newspapers and mail have been piling up, they’ll know that’s a sign that you’re not home and might consider breaking in. If you have a mail slot, the pileup of mail won’t be seen, and you can just ask your neighbor to take your newspapers from the front door and put them through the slot. If you have a mailbox, the mail and newspapers will be seen if it all keeps accumulating within, so in this case, you’ll want to ask a neighbor to take in whatever comes. When you get rid of the pileup of mail, this will all help in keeping up appearances that someone is at home.
You’ll surely enjoy your getaway a lot more if you know your home is safe from any harm. Once you have an idea of when you’ll be going away, use that time to make sure that your home is thoroughly protected from any risks. When you’re done with these precautionary measures, it will be time to pack your bags because your summer travels await!
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