Tips For Prepping Your Home When Traveling

Having a second home is a great way to feel like a local in another city or state. But when it’s time to head back home or travel, prepping your space for departure may feel overwhelming. You want to make sure you keep your second home safe and secure while you’re away.  Check out these helpful tips so you can learn how to lock and leave your Lennar home without worries.

• Clean out the fridge – to keep your fridge sparkling clean, give friends any of your fresh, edible produce and throw away all perishables. Once clean, you can even add an open box of baking soda in the fridge to deodorize it while you’re away.
• Do laundry – before you leave check to see that all your dirty laundry has been washed and that your clean laundry has been folded. Double-check your hampers, washer and dryer to ensure that everything has been tucked away.
• Prep plants – if you have indoor plants that you care for, help them thrive by asking friends to water them or by inserting watering stakes in pots. If you want to hire a professional, a plant service company is your best bet.
• Lock the garage – keep your garage secure by ensuring your overhead garage door is completely closed. If your garage door has a lockable latch, you can add an extra layer of security by fastening a heavy-duty padlock above the rollers. Once everything is closed and secure, you can then lock the entry door to your attached garage.
• Lock all windows – most people close their windows without locking them, so before you leave survey all the windows in your home to make sure all latches are locked.
• Install a motion-activated outdoor light – to deter trespassers and animals, you can affix motion-activated lights at points of entry throughout your home. This will give you peace of mind knowing that trusted neighbors have visibility of your home.
• Take out the trash – ensure all trash cans in bedrooms, bathrooms, the office, and the kitchen are emptied, so rooms are fresh and odor-free.
• Run the garbage disposal – to keep your kitchen deodorized, toss a few lemon slices in the garbage disposal to add a sweet citrus scent to the room while cleaning out the plumbing.
• Notify home security company – notifying your security company that your home is unoccupied is key. Doing so will help them take proper precautions should any issues arise.
• Set the thermostat – leaving your air conditioner running while you’re away is an expensive mistake, so make sure that it’s set around four degrees warmer than your usual temperature.
• Call post office – notify your post office that you will be away so that they can hold or forward your mail.
• Turn off the water – while it’s not the most necessary step, turning the water off to your house can give you peace of mind by guaranteeing that no faucets or showers will be running while you’re away.
• Turn off all lights and unplug electronics – lower your electricity bill by turning off all your lights and unplugging all unnecessary electronics and appliances.
• Leave emergency contact information– if you have trusted friends and neighbors, let them know you will be out of town and leave your emergency contact information with them should anything happen to your home while you’re away.

When you live in multiple places, knowing that your home is safe and sound while you’re away is very important. We hope these tips helped you create your perfect checklist for when you are ready to travel. If you want to learn more helpful tips and tricks or get design inspiration, make sure to like us on Facebook.