Heading somewhere to spend a few days or a few weeks away from home? You have probably packed all your bags and have your tickets ready. Of course, you will double-check all the things you need to bring, a map, passport, travel kit, clothes, shoes, etc. but have you checked your home? Are you sure it is burglar-proof or is it safe and secured from thieves, fire, and other bad things that could happen to it while you are away?
Though we don’t want to scare you by thinking that something bad might happen to your home while you are on vacation, we only want to help you in keeping it safe that will definitely give you some peace of mind while enjoying a fun vacation.
Make Your Home Active
One of the most practical ideas for your home not to be targeted by burglars is to make it appear that there are still people in the home and you have to show signs of activities. Making it look like there are people at home will make your home less likely to be robbed and one thing you can do is probably ask a neighbor to take the bills and the newspaper or any other subscriptions from your front door and not let it pile up. Also, ask your neighbor’s teenage kid to mow the lawn for you while you are away. Having tall grasses and untrimmed bushes and hedges are indicators of not having someone at home.
Ask Your Neighbor or Friend
Requesting your good neighbor, trusted friend, or a family member to look after your house while you’re on vacation is a cheap and low tech security measure but really works. You can even ask them to take out the trash, feed your pet, and probably even turn on the stereo every now and then to show signs of activity in the home. You can invite them to lunch or dinner when you get home to repay them for helping keep your home safe.
Install Light Sensors
Installing light sensors could also help. Light sensors will automatically turn on your lights at night time and turn it off automatically in the daytime. Leaving the lights on the whole time while you are away is a dead giveaway. There are available battery-operated lights with sensors at home improvement shops that you can install by your windows.
Sensors are more encouraged rather than installing electronic timers. If someone has really the intent of robbing your home and would start observing, then having the light turned at exactly the same time every day would probably give him the idea that nobody’s home and the lights are turned on with a timer.
Inform the Police
You can also tap the help of the local police department. Informing them that you will be leaving for a few days or weeks and requesting them to do a random check on your home will greatly beef up your home security.
Install a Security System
Installing a security system is better than a home alarm system to secure the house while on vacation. It works on the concept of securing all entry points of the home with built-in sensors that transmits a signal to the control panel located somewhere in the home. Most home security systems have window sensors, glass break sensors, motions sensors, and these features can oftentimes be monitored in your smartphone. It is also advised that you inform your home security provider that you will be out of town so they can monitor your system.
Unplug all Appliances
Another thing you need to protect your home from is the damage of electronic appliances due to power surges. What you need to do is to unplug all appliances before leaving your home; your computer, television set and other appliances. If you still have plenty of food in your fridge that will go spoiled if you unplug it, use a surge protector that can withstand a large load of power.
Don’t forget to protect your pipes and turn up or down your thermostat. If you live in a place where it is often cold, make sure your pipes are protected. And if you do not want to turn off your thermostat completely during winter, do set your thermostat at 55 degrees and 80 degrees during summer.
Avoid Posting on Social Media
Never post in your social media like on Facebook or Instagram that you will be going on a vacation. You can never be sure who will be seeing your posts. So it would be best that you post your photos when you get home after the vacation just to be safe.
Don’t Leave Spare Keys
Lastly, do not leave spare keys outside your home; instead, leave it with your trusted friend or the good neighbor or better yet with a family member who will be doing a regular check on your home.
