Some people take spontaneous trips and vacations, giving little or no thought as to what may greet them upon their return: rotting food, dead houseplants and a pile of laundry that quickly turns into a mountain of unwashed clothes and linen. Others like to take a few simple steps to ensure that their vacation isn’t spoiled by having to return to a dirty house; it’s hard enough accepting that the vacation is over, without having to get straight back into housework as if you’d never been away!
Here are some easy ways to prepare your home for a stress free return from vacation:
- Get your laundry finished before you leave: There is nothing worse than bringing back a pile of dirty laundry, only to find that you’ve already got a pile sitting there waiting to be done and before you know it, you’ve forgotten you even had a vacation!
- Clean your fridge out: Try to consume all food items that are likely to perish while you’re away (to avoid unnecessary food wastage), failing that, throw away all food that you know will expire in your absence. Give your entire fridge a quick clean with a damp sponge or disposable wipe to help it keep fresh while you’re away.
- Take the garbage out: Even one food item left in a garbage bin in your home can quickly begin to turn rancid, especially if it is summer, and not only will the smell hit you as soon as you enter your home, but it will probably linger too!
- Clean your bathroom(s): You may well have had to do a lot of travelling to get back from your vacation destination and you’ll be sure to want to take a long, hot shower in a clean bathroom when you return.
- Ask a friend or neighbour to water your plants: They might not be family members, but that doesn’t mean that you want them to die of neglect while you’re away!
- Leave lights on or use a timer: If you’re going away for a longer vacation you may want to buy an automatic timer for your lights, meaning that you can set them to come on periodically, giving others the impression that you are home and deterring potential intruders.
- Cancel newspapers/magazines: Mail that has built up in your mail box or that can perhaps be seen through a glass door or window, is a sure indicator to others that you are not home. Prevent this by cancelling as much mail as you can until your return, or ask a friend or neighbour to pop in and collect every other day.
- Ensure you have supplies for your immediate return: You may be tired after a long journey and the last thing you feel like doing is going grocery shopping, and you can bet that if you’re not hungry the minute you get back, your kids will be! A few non-perishable items in the store cupboard should see you through at least one meal.