Have you ever come home from a lovely vacation to find a rotting smell in your house or a nasty layer of dust and grime? Vacation time is approaching and while you’re putting so much focus on creating that special get-away experience, a few steps of preparation will make “coming home” equally inviting. Here are our 7 Tips for a making your home vacation-ready!
Trash the Trash!
Rotting food waste in particular makes for a stinky homecoming. Before you run out the door, remember to empty out all of your trash and recycling bins. This is probably the simplest (and most effective) thing you can do to ensure your home will be fresh and welcoming when you return from your trip.
Change the Sheets
After making it through a day of long flights or slow traffic, putting fresh sheets on your bed is probably the last thing on your exhausted mind once you get home. Changing the sheets before you leave ensures that climbing into bed will be that much sweeter after a long day of travel.
Schedule Your Cleaning
Cleaning up before you leave can be overwhelming when you’re trying to pack and tie up other loose ends, but who wants to come home to sticky counters, a grimy bathroom, and dusty furniture? Call ahead and schedule your cleaning service to come a few days before your vacation ends, so your house will be a fresh haven that you’re happy to return to. Carpe Diem will even change your sheets for you (so you can cross that one off your list)!
Change Your Filters
Take a moment and install a new air filter in your HVAC system before you leave. This will cut down on dust build-up while you’re gone, which is especially helpful if you’ll be gone for more than two weeks.
Leave the Lights On
Okay, don’t actually leave your lights on 24/7 while you’re gone! Instead put one or two of your lamps (which can be seen from outside) on timers. This will save energy and create the illusion that all is as usual at your home, which will deter break-ins. You can find affordable timers at any hardware store.
Stop the Presses
If you receive a newspaper, go ahead and put a hold on that (newspapers piled in a driveway signal that no one is at home). Also, put a hold on your mail (this can easily be done online), or arrange to have a neighbor or friend pick it up regularly.
Get Creative with Your Key
We’ve cleaned thousands of houses over the years, and it turns out that most people hide their house keys in the exact same places. Chances are we’re not the only folks who know where to look. If you have someone coming by to check on your home, the safest thing is to just give them a spare key to keep. If this isn’t an option for some reason, consider getting super creative with where you hide your key, or storing your key in a lock box secured in a discreet location.
