Yay for summer! We all love the opportunity for travel at this time of year, but when you go, will your home be ready? Use your favorite packing list to get yourself ready to go, and read on to be sure you know how to make your home safe from disaster while you are gone.
1. Unplug all appliances and electronics not necessary during your vacation. It saves you money as well as reducing risk of fire from power surges or electrical sparks. Leave key items plugged in though. The refrigerator is a great example of a necessary electronic.
2. Cut off water to everything you can. At least, cut off the dishwasher and clothes washer. All faucets and toilets would also be ideal. The safest option is to cut off water to the entire house to avoid having water from a burst pipe, water heater or whatever flood your home while no one is there to stop it.
3. Try to set the thermostat to a temperature that will be close to outdoors while you are gone. This lets you leave it on without running constantly. Doing this will help avoid HVAC condensation that can lead to mold growth in that area.
4. Don't let mold grow in your home while you are gone. Clean out your refrigerator before you leave. Throw out anything that will expire before you return. You do not want to return to find mold growing on everything in there, and the smell will ruin your day! Clean your laundry and make sure it is dry to avoid mildew from damp, dirty clothing. Run a little dish soap through your garbage disposal to be sure it is empty and smells okay. Clean all your dishes to make sure there is no rotting food anywhere. Open up the interior to maximize air flow and use a dehumidifier if you live in a really humid environment (like Georgia in the summer!). On the other hand, be sure your doors, windows and any other openings are tightly closed and sealed to help keep humid summer air outside. Don't forget to take out the trash!
5. Be sure someone that can get inside your house if needed is checking it every day you are gone. Disasters tend to do so much more damage when you are on vacation because it takes longer for someone to find and stop the problem. Ideally have someone that can house sit or lives where they can see your home from their home so they see problems and can act quickly.
We hope you have a great vacation without incident. If for any reason, you do experience a loss from fire or water, call ServiceMaster of Gwinnett and ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens right away to help mitigate the damage as soon as possible. Fast response to the loss will help you save some of your summer vacation for you by minimizing the damage to your home.
Call (770) 962-0110
