How to Protect both Yourself and Your Home

How to Protect both Yourself and Your Home By Ken Langenhahn - Owner of WatchDOG LLC

 

Through the past 25 years I have found some common mistakes people make when traveling or leaving their home vacant for a while. People frequently travel to visit friends and popular vacation spots. There are also people who spend part of the year in warmer climates. Therefore, almost everyone is likely to be away from their home several days or weeks at a time for business or pleasure. It's always good to return to your home without any unpleasant surprises. Yet occasionally we hear of people who return to their homes to find them burglarized, vandalized, or having had a system malfunction that resulted in damage to the home. There are many steps one can take to avoid these unpleasant surprises. Homes that are left unattended for extended periods of time invite trouble. While neighbors and friends sometimes agree to check on the properties, problems can arise that they do not know how to handle. More often than not, this puts the extra burden on them, extra burdens they just don't need. Neighbors and friends have enough to do after a full day of work with running the kids to school and activities, making dinner, running errands, and keeping up with the house work, balancing the check book, and paying the bills. With hectic schedules such as these, it is hard for them to find time to check on your property and do so thoroughly. With all good intentions they will walk into your home, feel the temperature, maybe open the basement door to check for water on the floor, decide everything checks out O.K., and lock the door on their way out. There are a host of potential problems that go unnoticed. For instance the operation of your refrigerator, plumbing failures, tripped circuit breakers, pest invasion, roof leaks, vandalism, etc. you may notice some of these items, however a friend or neighbor often doesn't. It's funny that people buy a boat, camper, RV, or a collector car, and when they put them away for the season automatically they think of protecting them by winterizing them properly. But when it comes to protecting their biggest investment they just lock the door behind them as they walk out, leaving it unmanaged and unprotected. I can't tell you all the horror stories I have heard of the grief people have experienced that could have been easily avoided, or at the very least minimized and cleaned up, before their return home. Through the years of owning homes and apartments, and taking care of properties for other people, I have experienced and learned a lot. Here are some common sense suggestions to prepare your home for your next trip away. First and foremost, hire a professional home watch company. A professional takes their time and uses a lengthy checklist to inspect homes on a regular basis. Some of these checklist items include inspection of walls, ceilings, floorboards, windows, doors, basements, plumbing, and appliances for possible malfunction, unwanted pests, electrical panels, and evidence of storm damage or vandalism. Your home is an expensive investment. Protect it! I own one of these service companies, and you might be thinking I'm just trying to drum up some business. Yes it's true. I would like to save you from the unpleasant experiences mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, most often it's not until something happens to you or someone that you know, that you become my client. However, more and more people today are thinking smart about their homes and recognizing "that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure". I'm trying to educate you and hopefully help you avoid costly repairs and hardships in the future.

 

Let's start with your kitchen. Clean each appliance thoroughly with sudsy water, rinse and dry. Leave appliances unplugged while you are gone to protect from electrical current surges. Give away or toss opened bottles and jars of salad dressings, condiments, etc., in the refrigerator. It will cost less to replace them if you are gone 2 or 3 months than to run your refrigerator. Clean the refrigerator interior with a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda to 1 quart of water. This will neutralize food soils and prevent odors. The refrigerator and freezer doors should be left ajar to prevent mold. Flour, sugars and salt should be stored in tightly sealed containers. Dispose of cereals, crackers and pastas to avoid unwanted pests. Fresh and perishable foods should be eaten or discarded. Clean the oven, broiler and drip trays under surface units of the range. Remove any food particles from the filter if one is present in the bottom of the dishwasher. Then run the dishwasher through a short cycle. A few minutes into the cycle, turn off the dishwasher, open the door and clean out around the door gasket and under the bottom of the door to remove any dirt that might create mold in these areas. Restart your dishwasher finishing the cycle. After the cycle is finished leave the door ajar, this will help with air flow and reduce the possibility for mold forming. It will also release the pressure on the door seal making it last longer. Clean the garbage disposal in your sink by running a batch of ice cubes from the freezer. This will loosen built up food particles. Also run a solution of baking soda and water through the disposal and leave the stopper in place to prevent water from the trap beneath the disposal from evaporating. Make sure all drain stoppers are closed. To remove spatters in a microwave, boil a cup of water or heat a wet wash rag in the microwave for two minutes on high and let it sit for a minute. Condensation on the walls will loosen spatters and clean up easily. Then wash with sudsy water, rinse and dry. If it is a portable model, leave it unplugged. Be sure to open the trap door under the toaster to remove crumbs and clean.

 

Let's move on to the bathrooms and laundry room. Clean all surfaces and fixtures. Cover toilet and tank top with a plastic wrap. Water from toilets can evaporate. If all water evaporates, sewer gas can back up into the home. Drain stoppers should be closed. Turn off the water supply to the clothing washer to eliminate pressure damage to the hoses. Clean the lint filter in the dryer. There are a few other important items you should consider. Turn the water heater off if you will be gone for a month or more. For shorter absences, turn the thermostat to its lowest setting. Vacuum upholstered furniture (even crevice areas) well. If there are spots and stains, remove or clean before closing the home. Use commercial upholstery cleaner, and follow directions carefully. Leave bedding and bath linens clean and dry. You may want to consider vacuuming mattresses thoroughly and covering lightly with a sheet to allow proper air flow. Leave only clean clothes in closets. Allow space between garments for circulation of air. Do not wrap garments or other items tightly in plastic. This may increase mildew and other problems. Metal hangers, even when covered with paper, can rust and stain clothing. Get rid of them! Plastic or wood hangers are a must. Leave closet doors and dresser drawers open to allow for air circulation. If you have a fireplace, be sure the damper is closed. Leave your house plants with a neighbor. Temperatures are usually set lower and most plants won't do as well, and could possibly die. Turn off water at the meter and back drain if possible. This will help prevent flooding if a pipe should break.

 

Now for one of the biggest mistakes people make is not leaving their furnace in good condition. To assure the continued effective operation of your furnace and air conditioner, and to prevent excessive energy use, follow these suggestions. You should change your filters or if you have washable filters, wash them. Before you leave is a very good time for a furnace/air conditioner check-up by a professional. A professional check-up will clean the blower wheel and coil, check the temperature drop, adjust tension on belts, check the thermostat, inspect wiring and connections, and check the operation of motors.

 

Another often over looked area is the exterior of your house. The grading of the ground should move rain water away from the house. Landscaping, around the foundation of a house should be placed far enough away from the home (two feet or more) to permit air to flow freely, and prevent vandals from a place to hide from sight. Exterior walls should be free of leaks that would let water from rains enter a house. Neglected and damaged roofs and gutters can result in leaks, seepage and decay problems. Check for damaged, curled, loose or missing shingles. Check flashing around chimneys and vents for damage. Remove leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Check gutters and downspouts for damage. Observe during a heavy rain or run a water hose down them to see if water is flowing freely. Remove accumulations of debris from the roof. Look for gaps between windows or doors and walls, using caulking to fill in were needed. Replace broken or cracked putty as well as weather-stripping that is loose or damaged.

 

Your pool and or hot tub should be thoroughly cleaned before you leave. It is important to maintain them regularly. They should be checked every 7 to 10 days to make sure the pH and chemical balance is correct. Untreated or under-treated pools and hot tubs will result in algae growth.

 

Whether you will be away from your home for a short or long period, it pays to plan for protection of your home and possessions from burglars or intruders. The best defense is prevention. Both amateur and professional burglars are likely to bypass homes that appear to have active residents. Your home should have a lived-in look. Mail, newspapers and other deliveries should be stopped or promptly picked up by a reliable service. A car parked in the drive or carport discourages burglars. Lights within a home should be placed on timers to simulate movement within the home suggesting normal activities. Outside lights left on during the day may signal that you are gone for an extended period. Don't announce your plans to be away or talk about it casually in public places. The least amount of people who know you are gone the better. Window treatments should not make the house look closed-up, but should not permit easy viewing of valuables within the home such as electronic equipment and cameras. If, in spite of your efforts to make your home look lived-in, a burglar decides to try to break in, don't make it easy. All doors should have secure locks. Glass panels in doors or next to doors should be shatter proof or double glazed. Locks in doors with glazed windows or side panels should include one panel that can be opened from the interior only. Sliding glass doors should have a bolt-type lock to prevent its being lifted out of its track, plus a jamming bar in the inside track. Electronic or mechanical door and window alarms can frighten a burglar away if your house is close enough to neighbors for the alarms to be heard. However they are not fool proof. Burglars are eager to take items that have a ready market value. The value of items drops when they have some kind of identification, and can be traced to the original owner. Valuables such as jewelry, watches and other items should not be left behind when you leave. Place them in a safety deposit box. Cameras, electronics, silver and appliances should have your social security number, car license number or name engraved on the bottom. Most homeowner insurance policies provide some protection against burglary. Don't take your insurance for granted. Check to see if theft protection is provided and if your valuables will be adequately covered. If a list of items is required, provide that list. Make sure you meet all requirements. Check the fine print to be sure of your protection. Whether or not it is required, it may be wise to have clear photographs of items that would be costly or difficult to replace. You may want to check with your insurance company to see if they offer discounts for booking with professional home watch company like WatchDOG. Several clients receive such a discount.

 

WatchDOG has 25 years of property management experience along with an American Management Certificate, and has completed the E-seed Entrepreneurship Training. We have a full understanding of what is needed to minimize or eliminate your troubles while you're away. If you would need help with any or all of these needs please feel free to contact us at WatchDOG LLC. You can visit us on line at www.watchdoghomewatch.com to see how we can further assist you. Above all, leave the worrying to us and enjoy a relaxing vacation knowing your home is well protected.

 

About the Author

Ken Langenhahn has 25 years of property management experiance and wants to share a few hints to a more plesant time away from your primary or second home.