How to prepare your home for vacation: 10 essential tips

Prepare your home for your vacation with these 10 important tips. Keep your home safe and secure while you’re away.

1. Mail Options: The US Post Office or a friend

An important item you must prepare your home for when you travel is to take care of the mail. We all receive mail at our home. Whichever option you pick, it must be done.

Post Office

Mail cannot accumulate in your mailbox. If it did, it would be overflowing. When it becomes too full, the mail person will take the mail out and bring it all to the Post Office. So you will have to go to the Post office to get your mail when you get back. The better option, since you have to go to the Post Office either way, is stop the mail while you are gone.

In order to stop your mail, you will need to go to the US Postal website. On this site you will need to follow these steps:

• Create or sign in to your USPS.com account.
• Go to USPS Hold Mail and follow the steps to verify your identity.
• Once your identity has been verified successfully, you won’t have to complete this step again for your current address.

More information from the USPS about holding mail:

USPS Hold Mail^® service can hold your mail safely at your local Post Office^™ facility until you return, for up to 30 days. To hold your mail longer or to reroute your mail, please sign up for a forwarding service.

You can make your request up to 30 days in advance or as early as the next scheduled delivery day. Request your Hold Mail service start date by 3 AM ET (2 AM CT or 12 AM PT) on your requested day, Monday–Saturday

Someone Picks it Up

The other option you might consider when preparing your home for travel is to ask someone to pick it up for you. This could be a neighbor you trust, a friend, or a family member. To help them keep your mail together is to offer them a basket to hold the mail. If the person you pick has a key to your house, that person can bring it in. A location where you would like the mail placed can be a table or a basket. A basket would be a great place to store the mail. Mail can stack pretty high while you are gone. A basket would hold it all together without falling over.

I usually have a family member watch my house. So they pick up the mail as one of the things they do. I ask them to throw away any junk mail. So, when I return, the pile of mail isn’t so daunting.

2. Trash: A neighbor, friend or family member

The trash has two parts to consider when preparing your home for a vacation.

Trash Day

The first part you need to plan for is the trash that goes out to the street. Will you be gone on trash day? If so, you will need to ask someone to put the trash cans out and bring them back in. If you miss getting the trash out, it might be too full the next time trash day comes. It might really smell too!

Minutes before leaving for vacation

The second part is done by you when you walk out the door on your way to your vacation. It is important to empty all of the house trash. If you don’t empty it, your house might smell a little funky. I usually empty all the trash in the house except the kitchen trash, which goes out right before we leave for vacation.

I always have a family member that is available do all the things for my house. So they are willing to take out my trash and bring the trash cans back into the garage the next day.

3. Deliveries

Before you make an online purchase, make sure it will arrive before you depart for your dream vacation. You don’t want packages sitting at your door step. Let the person watching your house know if you have any packages arriving while you are gone. That will insure your package doesn’t sit at the door.

Cancel all food deliveries as well. You don’t want to waste money or food when you are not there.

4. Pets

There are many options. It all depends on your comfortability and your budget.

Kennels for Pet Boarding

You will need to make reservations for your pet if you are leaving them in a kennel. Make sure your pet has all their shots up to date. You will have to bring their shot record. Ask if you need to bring their food, bowls and leashes.

Pet sitter that comes to the house during the day

You can hire a pet sitter. One that comes to the house daily to play, feed and walk, if necessary for your pet. They will need to be familiar with your pets routine. Also know where everything your pet will need is in the house. They will also need a key to your house.

Pet sitter that stays at your house

There are people you can hire to take car of your pets and your house all in one. Trusted House Sitters have excellent ratings. There are others. Be sure to read their reviews.

5. Mowing and other yard work

If you need someone to work in your yard because your yard would fall apart without any attention then you will need to get someone to take care of it.

The Lawn

Is your lawn growing? Then someone will need to mow it while you are gone. This person will need to know where your mower is. They might need a key to the house or shed. They will need a key to your lawnmower if it is a riding mower. If it an electric mower then they will need instructions on using it.

Let the person know how to mow your lawn. Especially if you like it mowed in a certain way. Also make sure your mower has enough gas and oil so the mower works well for the person mowing for you.

Other Yard Work

Do you have vegetation that needs watering almost daily like a vegetable garden? Or every 2 or 3 days for those hanging pot and flower pots you have that beautify your porch or deck? This is the ‘yard work’ I speak of.

Please don’t ask the person watering your plants to weed for you!

Make sure your hose can reach the places that need watering. If you have a vegetable garden do tell the person watering to take any vegetables that are ripe. You might have to tell them what they are looking for to know what they are picking is ripe.

5. Cleaning your house

I like to come back to a clean house. I clean my house a couple of days before I leave. If I have time, I will do some deep cleaning as well.

It’s also nice to have the house clean if someone is coming into your house for any reason while you are gone. Clean your house and you will be happy you did when you return!

6. Wash your clothes

Having all your laundry washed about 4 days ahead helps you pack easier. I can also see what I still need. If I still need things, there is time to get them.

I place all the clothes I am bringing into a suitcase about 4 days before a vacation. Knowing that I have four days, I can wear clothes that I won’t be packing.

7. Change your sheets and towels

I wait until the day before my vacation before washing everyone’s sheets and towels. This way the sheets and towels that are on the beds and hanging will be fresh and clean when we get back from vacation.

8. Clean out the Fridge

This is a process. Definitely stop buying produce and milk in time. You want all of it consumed before you leave.

The day before you leave, clean out your fridge. It should be pretty empty if you planned your meals out right. Leaving any milk, veggies or leftovers in the fridge will be rather smelly when you get back!

If you are leaving early, pack your cooler the night before. This is good idea whether you are leaving early or later in the day. Packing it the day before will save you from having to stop at the store the day you are leaving. Water bottles can filled as well.

9. Lock the doors and windows

Go around and check these the evening before you leave. Check that all windows are shut and locked. Make sure the sliders have both their locks on. Shed doors that are connected to the house should be locked.

10. Pack the car

It’s a great idea to pack the car the night before your trip. If you are leaving early, you can pack everything like blankets, the dvd player, videos, car bags for the kids, your car bag and other bag the night before.

Last minute things

• Make your bed. It is really nice to come home to a clean room. So make your bed!
• Finish packing by adding your toiletries bag. Added these to a packed suitcase. Make sure you leave room for this item.
• Pack the last items in the car.
• Take out the kitchen trash. All other trash should have been emptied.
• Do a house walk: Turn off lights, make sure all water is off, double check your doors, the appliances are off (the iron, the stove, the stereo, etc.), house alarm is on
• Grab your cooler and drinks. They are ready in the cleaned out fridge.

These 10 important tips will enable you to enjoy your vacation and return to a clean house. There is one more thing. It’s quite important!

Be sure to thank the person who watched your house!

Be sure to thank the person who takes care of your house with a gift. You can get them something from your trip, invite them over for dinner to share your photos, or get them a gift certificate to a place they like. Whatever it is, do something for them. They will really appreciate it and might be willing to help you again when you go on your next vacation.