Your summer vacation can be even more relaxing when you know that everything is well at home. Yesterday, I wrote about how to prepare your home for vacation, and now I’d like to continue that list of things that you need to do before you leave.
Take a good look at everything in your home that is plugged in. Unplug small appliances, decorative lamps and fountains and anything that does not need electricity while you are gone. This will cut down on the risk of an electrical fire and save you money on electricity costs while you are gone.
In the summer, you can even turn off your heat and hot water furnace. There is no need for it to run while you are gone.
Eliminate anything from the house that might cause odor. Make sure that the garbage can is cleaned out and fresh smelling, ashtrays are emptied and cleaned, damp towels are washed or at least hung to dry, etc. There is nothing worse than coming back to a closed up house that reeks of odor!
I also like to have fresh bedding on all of the beds for an extra welcome home.
Don’t forget about the mail and the plants. Have a neighbor or friend come over, or try one of these other tricks. Suspend the mail at the post office (put it on vacation hold). As for plants, you don’t have to invest on those self-watering plant devices. Simply sit all of your plants in the bathtub in about an inch of water. The plants can last for a couple of weeks this way.
If you are worried about your plants not getting enough sun and want to keep them where they are, then simply fill a glass of water for each plant and sit it next to the plant. Take a piece of coarse string and insert one end in the glass while burying the other end in the soil. This on-the-fly water wick will keep all but the thirstiest plants happy.