Vacations are supposed to be all sunscreen, piña coladas, and not checking your inbox, right? Basically, when you’re with the family and out of town, you’re supposed to be free of worries, especially when it comes to your home! But sometimes our ideal vacation turns sour when we’re not prepared. From water damage to bursting pipes (and everything in-between) here is a vacation-ready checklist for your home to help you avoid issues and head to your trip worry-free!
First: Be Mindful Of Water
Houses can be a lot of work, but when problems are left unaddressed, things can only get worse! For example, that slow drip under the sink? It’s been casually flooding your cabinet while you were island hopping. How about that minor leak in the roof you swore you’d deal with next weekend? Yeah, it turned into a full-blown ceiling bubble.
Even areas of your home you don’t realize have water involved, like the HVAC system, for example, can have build up from humidity, causing an overgrowth of mold!
The most important thing is to be mindful of water/water damage possibilities before you leave on vacation. If you head out with issues that are present or not fixed, you might set yourself up for investing in water damage restoration for your house (which can be pricey!).
Tie Up Loose Ends
As with anything you might need to get done before vacation (homework assignments, work projects, obligations, etc.) the same goes for your home and home repairs. If there’s something that needs to be fixed (anywhere from a clogged drain to a broken air vent, etc.), you’ll be better off just fixing those areas than waiting until you return. This will not only allow you to truly feel relaxed, but it’s one less issue that you’ll have to address when you return!
Remember Your Last-Minute Checks
Before heading out, take a few minutes to do a once-over of your home. In all honesty, the most critical part of a vacation-ready checklist for your home is actually taking those last few moments to run through it one more time.
From remembering to shut off the water in chillier months to completely renovating your roof, there are a lot of things to cross-check to put your mind at ease.
And finally, don’t forget that you can have someone (family member, friend, or neighbor) check-in on your home while you’re away. It might feel like overkill, but it’s way better than dealing with a swamp in your laundry room or another unexpected roadblock.