Giving your Home a Holiday

Giving your Home a Holiday

March Break is almost here, and if you’re heading out of town, here are some tips to ensure a stress-free vacation. Most of these ideas won’t take long to do, and you’ll rest easy knowing your home is secure while you enjoy the sun and sand.

1. Keep things clean – There’s a lot to do to prepare for a vacation, and cleaning isn’t as much fun as picking out your favourite Hawiian shirt or beach hat. By giving your home a clean just before you head away, you’ll get a chance to give everything a once over AND you’ll come back to a clean place.

• Clean floors and windows, and get into all those tricky corners. Aside from cleaning, look for anything that seems out of place or needs to be fixed. Even if you don’t have time to do it all, you’ll be able to tackle the most pressing stuff.
• Clean your kitchen and put the dishes away. You’ll be able to check on your appliances to make sure they’re in good shape, and be sure your faucet doesn’t leak. Same goes for the bathrooms too.
• For bonus points from your future selves, put fresh bedding on just before you leave and you’ll be able to slip right into a clean, comfy bed when you come back from your trip.

2. Unplug before you unplug – Before you take that vacation, give all of your devices a bear too. Unplugging your stereo, home theatre, devices, and appliances will minimize power bills while you’re away. In addition, there’s no risk to your stuff in the event there’s a power surge.
3. Cool off – Odds are good that it’s still furnace weather in March, so give your bills a break by turning down your thermostat to 14-15 degrees Celsius. There’s no point in heating an empty home. If you’ve got a smart thermostat, you can warm things up when your flight home lands, and your space will be cozy by the time you make it from the airport to home.
4. Call on a friend – Find a friend who is sticking around for the holidays and who would be willing to check in on your home. Be sure to give them a bit of a tour and let them know where all of the basics are located, including fire extinguishers, water shut-off, and fuse panel. Have them bring in your mail, and consider leaving some of their favourite snack foods out on the kitchen counter as a thank you. If they plan to spend any time at your place beyond a check in, be sure that they’ve got their creature comforts lined up. Don’t skip having a friend by – some insurance policies require someone checks on the property every few days. Read your fine print to know for sure.
5. Keeping up with it all – Hopefully you’ve been doing your home maintenance. Heading away on holidays will be far more fun if you’re not worried about that missing shingle, dripping faucet, or whining furnace. If any of these things do need to be checked, there’s still a few weeks to get an expert to take a look.

Getting away for March Break is a tradition for many. Make sure to have the best time away by making sure your home is getting by fine without you.