7 Important Things to Do Before Leaving for Vacation

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7 Important Things to do Before Leaving for Vacation

These are some great tips! My husband and I just returned from a vacation and we didn’t do some of the things listed below (we will from now on). Thanks to Ron at Michigan Houses Online for pointing out these important safety tips!   

By the way…I can’t stress enough how important it is to turn off your water at the main before you leave on any trip. My neighbor left for a weekend and his toilet had an issue which caused it to overflow the whole weekend. He had major flood damage from the upstairs to the first floor to the basement. It was a disaster that took months to repair. Please, if you do only one thing below, TURN OFF YOUR WATER at the main! 

7 Important Things to Do Before Leaving for Vacation

Holiday season is here! You’ve already booked a trip, researched about the place you’re going to visit and now you’re ready to take off for your big holiday break with friends and family. Sounds really exciting, right?

But before you leave your home, make sure that everything is sound and safe.  Make sure that no untoward incident will happen in your property while you are away.

Here are some tips and advice that you can follow to keep your house safe while you are enjoying your out-of-town holidays.

Turn off main water supply

To avoid leaks, make sure that there’s no running water at your pipes while you are away. Turn off the main water source especially if you will be gone for a week or so.  Even if your pipes are in good condition, leaks happen so avoid it by shutting down the main water source.

Unplug electric items, gadgets and appliances

Turning off your TV and other appliances is not enough if you are going to be out for a week. Unplug them all to make sure they don’t create electrical problems.  Aside from keeping your home safe, doing this can also help lower your electricity bill.

Use timer for your lights

Deter would-be burglars by keeping your lights on at night and off during the day. Use a good reliable timer.

Stop mail service

You don’t want your mail to burst out at your mailbox while you are gone. If this happens, people will know that there’s no one around. Stop this from happening by asking the USPS to hold it. They will keep your mail on hold until the day you arrive home. This service is totally free so check it out before you leave home.

Pour baking soda down your drains and toilet

Baking soda is an amazing cleaning product. Combine it with vinegar and you’ll get an effective cleaning solution. Pour baking soda dissolved in vinegar onto your drain and toilet to clear up clogs while you are away. The solution can also freshen it up so you won’t get any kind of stinky smell when you come back from vacation.

Seal open boxes and dried goods in a dry container

Put your dried goods (rice, pasta, etc) in a tightly sealed container while you are away. This will make sure that no insects or even mice will be able to play with it.

Clean and organize your home

Clean your house days before you leave. You don’t want to come home from vacation with a dirty kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

If you follow all of the above given tips and advice, you can fully enjoy your vacation knowing that your property is safe and sound.  

About the Author

Ron is the webmaster of Apartments For Rent In Michigan website. He often writes tips and advice for homeowners, tenants, and landlords. You can visit this blog for more information.

9 comments

  • Ann

    I love these tips. I know that we can call the police in our small town to let them know we are leaving and they will do drive-by’s on the days that we are gone.It’s just added security in case something should happen.

  • Interesting re: the water, I never would have thought of that. I may do that next time I go out of town. As for mail, I actually have a mail slot in my door, which is convenient … I’ve never had to turn off mail since I moved to my condo. I also get that USPS Informed Delivery Digest email which is nice, it lets you know what mail is coming that day.

  • Coming home to a clean house is so great! I almost always forget to plan ahead for my fish. Feeding them every day is easy, but when we’re going way, I’m usually scrambling because I forget to get the long term feeder from the pet store in advance. LOL

  • These are great tips for my cottage. I haven’t been up there in two weeks so I don’t know what I will walk into.

  • emma

    Great tips! We are actually leaving for vacation next week so I was really happy to come across this! These are all important, and I had never thought about turning off the water before but now I will do that! My favorite idea (that my husband thought of) is to have the carpets cleaners over the morning before we leave (our flight is in the late afternoon so we have plenty of time). That way, the carpets can dry while we’re gone and we’ll come home to a fresh clean home!

  • detroitduchess

    Shutting off the water is a great tip! We usually have someone house/dog sit when we go away, but after the sewage flood of 2014 I take no chances in our new house.

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