A long vacation can be exactly what you need to reset your body and mind after a stressful month or year. Going out of town for a prolonged period of time, even if you’re only a few hundred miles away from home, can create some interesting issues when it comes to your apartment though.
Before you leave on an extended trip to recharge your batteries, use this guide to make sure your home is safe and sound in your absence.
Check the Temperature
In the summer months you need air conditioning to stay cool, and in the winter you need heat to remain comfortable. Making sure your home isn’t wasting a ton of energy before you leave is particularly smart when going on a long trip.
In the summer, turn your thermostat up to 82 to 85 degrees. If you have a programmable thermostat, you even can set it to go back down to a comfortable temperature the day you arrive. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you’ll have to deal with a hot house for an hour or two, but it’s well worth the savings in energy bills.
In the winter, aim for 62 to 65 degrees. Make sure you don’t turn the thermostat off completely as this could lead to problems for your pipes and other hazards in the dead of winter.
Mail Call
Before you go out of town, one of the smartest things you can do is call ahead to stop your mail. If you don’t do this and you’re out of town for two weeks, you’ll come home to a pile of mail overflowing from your mailbox. Some may not even be delivered if your box becomes overstuffed.
Call the post office and put a hold on your mail. When you get back home, you can go to your post office and pick up everything that would have been delivered and remove the hold.
Clean Your Refrigerator
There’s nothing more disgusting than coming home after a peaceful extended vacation to find a rotting head of lettuce stinking up your refrigerator. Take 20 minutes to clean out foods that definitely won’t be good when you get back.
If there are items you want to keep, like that chicken breast you didn’t get around to cooking, put them in the freezer so they’ll still be good when you get back.
Tell a Neighbor
You don’t want to broadcast the fact that you’ll be out of town on social media or tell the whole neighborhood about your trip, but telling a trusted neighbor you’ll be gone can be very helpful. They can do things like water your plants if desired, but more importantly, they’ll be able to keep an eye on your place while you’re gone.
Contact Heers Management Company for more apartment living and safety tips for daily life and vacation. Heers Management Company also can help you find the perfect apartment to match your needs.