Unplug electronics and appliances.
This reduces the risk of fire and saves you money. Should the power surge, you risk damaging any electronics plugged in at the time. Save yourself the worry and simply unplug TVs, game systems, computers, microwaves, and other devices no one will be using while you're gone. Remember to unplug any charging cables as well. They still pull electricity, even when there's not a device hooked up to them. Don't unplug your fridge unless you want to come home to a nasty odor!
Turn off the water supply to your appliances.
A leak while you're away can spell disaster for your home. At a minimum, turn off the water to your clothes washer and your dishwasher—those are more prone to leaks. In the summer, you might also turn off the water to your sinks, toilets, or even your whole house. If you're leaving during the winter when it's expected to get below freezing, just pour a little antifreeze in the toilet bowl—it'll keep the tank from bursting if your heat goes out. Use marine antifreeze, which is nontoxic. And make sure you drip your faucets to keep the pipes from freezing while you're gone.
Set the thermostat close to the outside temperature.
Turn your thermostat up in summer and down in winter. Adjusting your thermostat this way, even by a few degrees, will save a lot of money on your heating or cooling bill while you're away. Just don't turn your air conditioner or furnace off completely. In summer, you risk a buildup of condensation and mold growth. In winter, on the other hand, your pipes could freeze. Check what the average outside temps will be so you know how to set your thermostat. For example, if the average temp while you're gone is going to be 85 °F (29 °C), you might set your thermostat somewhere between 75 and 80 °F (24 and 27 °C). When you're leaving in the winter, don't set your thermostat below 55 °F (13 °C) to keep your pipes from freezing. If you've got a programmable thermostat, you're in luck! They usually have a built-in "vacation mode" you can use. Some even let you set the dates so your house will be back at a comfortable temperature the moment you return.
Stop your mail and newspapers.
Nothing says "nobody's home" like an overflowing mailbox. Thieves often look for signs that homeowners are likely out of town—it gives them plenty of time to ransack the property. Contact your postal service before you leave and tell them you need to have your mail held while you're on vacation. It's a free service and it'll ensure that you don't have mail piling up while you're away. If you have a newspaper subscription, go ahead and put delivery of that on hold too. If the newspaper doesn't offer a pause on delivery, just cancel and then re-subscribe when you get back. A pile of newspapers in the driveway or in front of your door is a dead giveaway that you've been gone for a while.
Clean out your fridge.
Throw out or give away anything that will go bad while you're gone. There's nothing worse than coming home to a fridge full of moldy and rotten food—and it'll take some effort to get rid of the smell. Check your expiration dates and get rid of any fresh produce or leftovers—they won't make it. Want to make sure you have plenty to eat when you get back? Try scheduling a grocery delivery for the day or morning after your return. Then you won't have to worry about it.
Give your house a thorough cleaning before you leave.
It'll be so nice to come home to a clean house after your trip. When you drag yourself back in, you'll appreciate the little things you did, like sweeping or vacuuming the floor and picking up clutter. Now you can get unpacked and start transitioning back into normal life without having a lot of chores to do. You also don't want to come home asking, "What's that smell?" If you clean up before you leave, you don't give anything a chance to go bad on you while you're gone. Squirt a drop or two of dish soap down the drain, run some water, then turn on your garbage disposal. That way nothing's left sitting there. Make sure you do the laundry as well. A hamper full of damp, sweaty clothes will turn into a mildewy mess by the time you return.
Leave interior doors open so air will circulate.
Closets and closed-off rooms can get musty after a week or so. You're freshening the air in the rest of the house, but what about the air behind those closed doors? Your closets can get especially bad since all the fabric absorbs the smell of the surrounding air. If you're vacationing in the winter months, open the cabinets under the sink to allow the air to circulate around the pipes to help keep them from freezing. Keep a dehumidifier on so that there is no moisture for the growth of mold. Circulation of air will also prevent mold formation.
Set some lights on timers so it looks like you're home.
Use interior lights to mimic normal household activity. You can buy timers fairly cheaply online or at hardware or discount stores. Generally, lights in a couple of areas of the house should be fine. You can also program a TV or radio to come on at specific times and provide some noise. For example, you might have the light in the living room come on at 6 p.m. and go off at midnight. You might also have a bedroom light come on at 8 p.m. and go off a couple of hours later. If you have a TV in the living room, you might also set it to come on from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each evening. There's not much point leaving lights on all the time if you don't have timers. People will notice that your lights are on constantly and likely assume that you're not home, since no one leaves their lights on all the time. You might get some exterior lights as well (put them on timers or get some with motion sensors). Although if you live way out in the country and don't have any neighbors, they won't really do you much good. Shining a spotlight on a would-be burglar is only a deterrent if there are people around to see them.
Leave some blinds and curtains open.
Your house will look unoccupied if everything is closed. When you're going to be away for a few weeks, you don't want to advertise that fact to would-be thieves. Closing all the blinds and curtains tight is a tell-tale sign that there's nobody home, and there isn't going to be anybody home for a while. If you normally keep blinds and curtains closed, it won't make any difference if you leave them that way. But otherwise, leave them the way you would if you were at home.
Close and lock all the doors and windows.
An unlocked window is often the easiest way to enter a house. Many people don't make a habit of keeping their windows locked. But before you go on vacation, take a walk around your house and check them all—even the ones you think aren't easily accessed. If you have deadbolt locks, throw them on all of the doors except the one you leave from. Use a bar on sliding glass doors to make sure the door can't be forced open. If you normally leave a spare key hidden somewhere outside, bring it in before you leave. It won't do you any good to lock everything up if there's a key under the welcome mat!
Secure any valuables or firearms.
Use a safe to lock up important papers and valuable items. If someone does happen to break into your house while you're away, you want to make sure that they won't get anything of real value. If you don't have a strong safe at home, consider getting a safe deposit box at the post office. Thieves will always take firearms if they see them, so make sure those are stored carefully and out of sight. You might consider taking them to a local gun range for safekeeping while you're away. In a pinch, you could always give your valuables to a trusted friend or family member to hold for you until your return.
Plug in air fresheners or set out a bowl of potpourri.
Help the air smell fresh when you return home. If your house is going to be closed up for a week or more, it can smell a bit musty when you come back. Never fear! A few well-placed air fresheners or a bowl of potpourri in a central location can help things smell a bit nicer. Make sure you clean or get rid of anything that might start to smell if left for a few days. Wet towels, dirty laundry, and food waste are some of your biggest culprits. Don't forget to take out the trash as you leave—even if it's not full! It might seem fine now, but it'll smell pretty rotten if you leave it for a week or more.
Tell trusted friends and neighbors you're leaving.
They can look out while you're gone and make sure everything's okay. If you know your neighbors and get along well with them, they can be a tremendous resource while you're gone. And you can offer to do the same for them during their next trip away. All of your precautions will only do so much without people there to see when something's amiss. You'll be much more secure if you know folks in the neighborhood have your back. If your area has a community watch program, you might let them know you're going out of town as well.
Contact your local police to request a courtesy check.
Many local police departments will drive by your house if you ask. This can be especially valuable if you're going to be gone for 2 weeks or longer. These courtesy checks are more likely in small towns than in large cities, but it still never hurts to ask if the service is available. If you have a home security system, call and let them know you're going to be out of town as well. Make sure they have your cell number, as well as the number of a trusted friend or neighbor in case something happens and they can't get in touch with you.
Make arrangements for your pets.
Find someone to watch your pet or hire a service. If you can't take your pets out of the home (or traveling with you), take some time to choose an honest and compassionate person who loves animals and will take good care of yours. Then, make sure you have all the food, medications, and supplies your pets will need while you're gone. Ask your vet to recommend someone if you don't have anyone in mind. They're typically great sources and can point you to someone reliable and trustworthy. If you decide to hire a petsitter, do your homework! Check references and make sure you hire someone reliable who has experience handling animals like yours. Same thing for kennels—if you're going to board your pets while you're away, check the kennel's references and certifications.
Ask someone to take care of your yard and plants.
An unkempt yard is a sign that you're not at home. If you've got indoor plants or a garden, you certainly don't want all of your plants to die while you're on vacation. But beyond that, if your yard goes un-mowed for a couple of weeks, it can make you more vulnerable to break-ins—especially if you usually keep things neat and tidy—because it signals to burglars that you're gone. If you have a neighbor with a teenager, you might pay them to mow your yard while you're gone. You could also hire a lawn care service to come and take care of it. This isn't just important in the summer! If you're vacationing in the winter, have someone on tap to shovel your driveway if it snows.
Hire a house sitter if you can and want to.
You don't have to worry about security as much if someone's living there. A lot of the things you might do to prepare your house before you head out on vacation are based on the assumption that the house is going to be empty. If you can hire someone to stay in your house while you're gone, you don't have to worry about it. Just make sure you choose someone that you trust. Having a house sitter also means you don't have to worry as much about doing a lot of cleaning before you leave, adjust the thermostat, or turn off the water. There are house-sitting services you can hire if you don't know anyone personally. If you're going to use a service, though, check reviews carefully and make sure they're reputable and trustworthy. You might even talk to some people who've used them before.
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