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7 Tips to Protect Your Home While You’re on Vacation

Is there anyone on this planet who does not like to travel? We all impatiently wait for our vacation to start so that we can get out of town and enjoy our vacation destination. People usually go on at least one longer trip per year. These trips usually happen during the summer. For nine to fourteen days, we recharge our batteries, soak up some sun, maybe have a few drinks, eat some really yummy food, and hope that those days will pass slowly so we can enjoy our escape from the duties, stress, and pressure that we have at work.

However, if the entire family goes on a vacation, it means that our home remains empty for nearly two weeks. Bad things happen, and you never know if your house is going to be a target of thieves. Because of that, people should try to secure their homes as well as possible. How do you secure your home? There are various ways to do that, so we thought it would be a great idea to highlight those that are the most effective.

1. Install a Home Security System

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Let’s start with some basic pieces of advice. Having a home security system is one of the best ways to secure your home regardless of the reason why you won’t be there for any stretch of time. Technology has made a lot of progress in the past couple of years. Each home or business owner is now able to get a system with window and door sensors, a control panel, glass break sensors, and many other options. You can even find a security system that will give you the option to monitor your home by using your mobile device.

A great solution is to put the control panel in a visible place. Burglars will know that your home has this sort of security system. This fact alone could deter the prowler from even trying to do something because they know they’ve been caught.

There are two things that you need to know before installing a home security system. First of all, these systems are a bit more expensive. Know, going into it, that you will need to invest a larger amount of money. If you already have one, keep in mind to check the alarm systems battery. Even if you have the best system in the world, it won’t mean anything if the battery is dead.

2. Ask for Help

There is another “security system” that is helpful and completely free. It’s pretty unlikely that the entire neighborhood is going to go on vacation at the same time. Because of that, you should ask your neighbors to drop by your house, pick up any mail or packages that have been delivered, and check to see if everything is okay. If you do not have that sort of relationship with people that live around you, ask a reliable friend or family member instead.

People whom you trust can keep a key to your home while you are on vacation. If you accidentally lose the key, it is not the end of the world. If something like that happens, you can always check locksmithforyou.com to see which solutions you have.

3. Turn on the Lights

This is a tricky move that can be as effective as a home security system. The lights in your home are connected to timers. Use those timers and set them up for various parts of the days and in different rooms. That way, people will think that some of your friends or family members are in the house while you are on vacation. No one will even try to break in and steal something.

4. Make Sure You Cut Your Grass

Let’s imagine that you are going on a vacation for a couple of weeks during the summer. Your grass and hedges are going to grow, and that is one of the first things that burglars spot. This is especially easy to spot during the summer. If the grass has not been cut for a week or two, it is easy to realize you are not at home.

Because of that, you should make a deal with some of your neighbors or family members. Ask them kindly to cut the grass at least once a week and you will return the favor when they go out of town. The first impression of the burglar will be that you are still there.

5. Don’t Take Millions of Selfies during Vacation

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First of all, you should not talk too much about the plans that you have for the vacation. Tell only to people that you trust about your plan to get out of the town for a week or two. If you talk too much, this piece of information can make it to the wrong people.

It is not a secret that we live in a world of social media. Almost every person on this planet takes many pictures during their vacations and publishes those photos on his social media accounts. In case you are addicted to social media, you should at least publish those photos in the right way. If it’s not already, we suggest you put your profile on “private” during your vacation. Do you have a good reason why you shouldn’t go offline for those 15 days? The pictures that you take while you are on vacation can be published when you get back home. Isn’t this a much safer solution?

6. Blinds and Curtains

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Curtains and blinds are also things that could announce that you are on vacation. People usually close all the curtains when they go on vacation. However, this is a good sign for burglars to “check out” what hides behind those curtains. Whenever we get up in the morning, one of the first things we do is open our curtains. Many people said that it was a habit or part of their morning routine. If the curtains are closed continuously, that usually means that no one is there to open them.

The best solution would be to ask relatives or neighbors to open them during the day and close them during the night. That will leave the impression that someone usually is living in your house.

7. Bonus Tip: Keep Valuable Things Safe

We do not want to be negative, but let’s imagine the worst-case scenario. Let’s say that the methods we talked about somehow were not effective. When the burglar gets in your house, he will primarily check usual places to find valuable things such as bedroom and living room. Buying a safe to store your valuable objects is a bit expensive, but it is the most reliable weapon to prevent stealing the things we treasure. If you can’t afford one, put your valuable things in places such as the kitchen or bathroom. The majority of burglars will not check out those places at all.

About Marta Sebos