Planning a vacation is always the fun part, but preparing your apartment to be left alone for a number of days isn’t always. There are certain things to do to prepare your apartment for a long absence, ensuring safety, ease of travel, and a stress-free return.
Get Rid of Old Food
Throw out milk and dairy products that will go bad, as well as eggs, any open jars or beverage containers, and fruit. The last thing you want to worry about when you come home is a moldy, sticky, smelly refrigerator.
Do Your Dishes
If you leave dirty dishes and food in your sink, you are asking to come home to bugs or maybe even mice. Plus, leaving knowing your place is clean will help reduce stress.
Take out Garbage and Recycling
Garbage can smell after one day, can you imagine leaving it for a week? Take both garbage and recycling out to reduce the chances of your apartment stinking upon your arrival home.
Do Your Laundry
It’s refreshing coming home from vacation, but what’s extremely frustrating is coming home and not having enough clean clothes. Once you’re home and start unpacking, you’ll have plenty of laundry, if you make sure your clothes are clean before you go, it will be less stressful once you’re home.
Figure out Your Parking Situation
If you are doing a road trip with your car, then no problem. But if your car is going to be sitting in a community lot for a period of time you need to make sure that it is secure. Take all valuables out of your car, roll up the windows and lock the doors. Then, move it to an out of the way spot since you won’t be there.
Arrange for Pet Care
If you aren’t taking your pets with you, it is important to have friends or family to look after them while they’re gone, or make arrangements with a boarding facility. If you have friends or family care for your pet, consider making a checklist for them to follow.
Unplug Appliances
Everything draws power when plugged in. Before you go, look around and unplug everything that doesn’t need to run while you’re gone. Most electronics don’t need to run while you’re gone, and every little bit helps keep your electric bill down.
Adjust the Thermostat
You don’t have to heat an empty apartment, so take advantage. If it’s summer, adjust your thermostat to the off position, and if the reverse, turn your thermostat down to 60 degrees F.. Since your thermostat likely draws both electric and gas, this tip can save you a lot of money on multiple utilities.
Pay Your Bills in Advance
If you take care of all your financial responsibilities before you leave, then there are no surprises when you come back. There is nothing better than reducing the amount of work you need to do once you return from your vacation.
How do you prepare for vacation? Let us know below!