Need to Prepare Your Home Before a Long Trip? Here’s What to Check Before a Road Trip

Need to Prepare Your Home Before a Long Trip? Here’s What to Check Before a Road Trip

Going on a road trip is one of the most exciting things you can do, whether alone or with family and friends. If you’re lucky enough to be hitting the road for some extended traveling, it’s good to prepare your home so you don’t worry when you are supposed to be enjoying your road adventure. It’s essential to know what to check before a road trip, as this lowers the risk of property damage. The last thing you want is to come back from an enjoyable trip to discover that your roof had developed a leak, and now you have to pay for water damage repairs. In this article, we give you some important pointers on what to check before a road trip.

Keep Your Vehicles Protected

If you’re going to leave some of your vehicles behind when going on a road trip, then you need to think about keeping them protected. Remember, criminals prefer to work when people are on vacation. Vehicles are a common target for thieves, especially if you leave them parked in the garage and your garage door is the weakest point of entry. In that case, consider hiring a garage door repair company to fix any issues you may be having with your garage door. Your vehicle’s safety depends on how well you prepare. The longer you will be away, the more heightened your security needs to be.

Some people think that all they have to do is take their car keys with them, but there’s more you can do to protect your vehicle. For instance, you can add a steering lock and an interior GPS tracker. You can also benefit from adding a home security alarm system and CCTV, because having more security measures can effectively deter criminals. When you are confident that your vehicles are safe and sound, the greatest advantage is that you can save money since you don’t have to store your vehicles somewhere else. You also eliminate the hassle of retrieving the vehicle after your trip. If you have CCTV cameras at home, you can even monitor the garage and other areas of your home from a distance.

Solve Your Tree Problems

Do you have a dead or dying tree in your yard? Chances are the tree will topple over sooner or later, and this can happen while you’re away. Therefore, when it comes to what to check before a road trip, be sure to inspect the tree in your yard. It’s best to look for cheap tree removal if there are problematic trees. This offers several benefits in the short and long term. Dead trees attract a lot of pests that can damage your property while you’re away. Your home and your yard could become infested with termites, carpenter ants, rats, and other bugs and pests that are seeking shelter and food. It’s an issue you don’t want to come back to after a relaxing holiday.

Perhaps the biggest reason for hiring a tree removal service is because you want to eliminate the possibility that it will topple over. Dead trees are extremely vulnerable, and they weaken over time. If a tree is located near your house, power lines, or other breakables, it can cause a lot of damage that you may be liable for. Even when a tree appears strong enough, a violent storm or inclement weather can cause things to go wrong. Since dead trees are bound to fall over at some point, you might as well get rid of a problematic tree before you leave. Besides that extra peace of mind, removing a dead tree before it falls is less costly because it minimizes damage to other areas of your home. It also restores your home’s curb appeal.

Pest-Proof Your Home

You may be excited to leave your home, but keep in mind that pests are always looking for an opportunity to infest it. If you’re wondering what to check before a road trip, there are several things you can do to prevent pests from invading your home while you’re away. First, you have to check if there are any drafts in your home, especially around your windows and doorways and in the basement or attic. The presence of drafts means there are gaps and holes in your home that are letting outside air in. Pests can also use these gaps to make their way into your home. They can easily identify these gaps because of the hot air leaking from your home, so they will invade your home looking for warm shelter. Therefore, these drafts need to be sealed in.

Sealing drafts is also beneficial because it improves the energy efficiency of your home. Another thing you can do is make sure you store food properly. While at it, you should also seal all entryways like doors and windows with weatherstripping. Make sure that the food is stored in sealed containers, so you don’t provide pests with easy access to your cereals, grains, and other goodies in your pantry or cupboards. This is necessary for pest control because food is one of the biggest attractors of pests. You’ll probably have to throw away all your stored food if you come back to discover the rats have been gnawing on it and other bugs have been laying eggs in it. If you have any perishable food, make sure you dispose of it and empty the dumpster or trash can. An outdoor trash can with rotting food inside will still attract unwanted guests to your home.

Get Your Septic System Serviced

Your septic system works hard to safely treat and dispose of your household wastewater. Septic maintenance is crucial to ensure that this system does its job properly. If you haven’t been maintaining your septic tank, your system could be at risk of failure, which can be expensive to fix. Thus, it’s necessary to hire a septic tank cleaning company because these professionals know what to check before a road trip. For starters, your septic tank needs to be pumped every three to five years, according to Bob Vila. This is because solids that settle at the bottom of the tank form a sludge that eventually overfills. Your septic tank needs to be pumped to continue functioning successfully.

Otherwise, you may start noticing issues like water pooling in your yard, foul smells, and sewage backup. It’s especially crucial to get your septic tank pumped before going on vacation for a long time because the enzyme and bacteria ecosystem in the tank loses its balance when you stop feeding it new bacteria from your household wastewater. Septic pumping and cleaning ensure that your tank is still in good condition by the time you get back.

Get Your Roof Checked

A top-to-bottom list of what to check before a road trip should include your roof. When you’re at home, it’s easy to appreciate the importance of having a solid roof over your head. Even when you’re away, you should count on your roof to keep your home and your valuables protected from the elements. The best way to know if your roof is in good condition is to schedule a professional inspection. One of the most important things to watch out for is roofing leaks. If your roof has developed a minor leak, this issue can get worse while you’re away, resulting in severe water damage that can interfere with the proper functioning of your home.

An experienced roofing contractor can inspect your roof with trained eyes. This ensures that you can identify and prevent serious issues from developing before moisture damage occurs. Your roofer will know the best repairs to make to keep your roof protected from extreme weather conditions. They can also inspect your gutters and suggest gutter replacement where necessary. Overall, the benefits of a roof inspection include easy identification of hidden problems, preventing problems by addressing smaller issues now, and planning ahead to avoid unanticipated costs. It’s also necessary if you want to enjoy your road trip with a sense of peace.

Attend to Chores

If you’re planning to go on a road trip, you want to do so with a clear mind. This is why it’s important to consider what to check before a road trip. Imagine if you left your house a mess and you postponed many errands until you got back. This is something that will always be hovering at the back of your mind. It can affect your enjoyment of the road trip because instead of living in the moment, you’ll be thinking about what needs to be done when you get back. Besides, there’s nothing worse than walking into a messy and disorganized home after a road trip.

Going on a road trip means you can enjoy a break away from life’s daily stressors. Even after you return, you need a short time to get back into the swing of things. That’s why you should create a checklist for areas of your home that need to be cleaned and errands that you need to take care of. When cleaning your home, make sure your checklist includes things like washing and putting away all the dishes, wiping down counters and kitchen surfaces, cleaning the floors, plus general tidying of key areas of your home. You should also handle tasks like arranging for residential fuel delivery, so you have enough oil to keep your home warm when you get back. This gives you less work to do and more time to relax after you return from your road trip.

Check for Plumbing Leaks

If you want to know what to check before a road trip, another thing you shouldn’t overlook is the plumping. More specifically, are there leaks in your home? These need to be fixed for three main reasons. For starters, leaks can lead to a lot of water getting wasted, meaning your utility bill will be unnecessarily high. According to the Department of Energy, the average household’s leaks can add up to 10,000 gallons of water wasted annually, while 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons of water or more per day. Even the smallest leak or drip-drip of a faucet can end up being expensive if you’re going on an extended road trip. Fortunately, hiring a plumber to fix leaks and potential issues is more affordable than waiting until the problem gets worse.

Another reason to check for plumbing leaks is that leaks create moisture problems in your home. Moisture can damage property, and this water damage is often expensive to repair. This is especially so if the moisture occurs in a warm environment, which encourages the growth of mold. Mold can spread so quickly that by the time you get back, you might receive an eye-watering bill from the mold remediation service you’re forced to hire. Still, another reason for looking for affordable plumbing is that it can prevent pest infestations. Moisture and humidity not only create the perfect breeding ground for mold but also attract pests. It’s never safe to assume there are no plumbing leaks in your home, because leaks can be invisible. A professional plumber will know where to inspect to figure out if your home has a leak.

When it comes to what to check before a road trip, there’s so much you can do, but these actions cover the essentials. Other things you can do before hitting the road include setting the thermostat to a lower temperature so the HVAC won’t run unnecessarily and emptying trash cans. Additionally, you should empty the dishwasher, clean out the refrigerator, place the water heater on vacation mode, place the lights on timers, so it looks like someone is home, and turn off the water to the interior of the home. If you are leaving a house sitter behind, be sure to write down all the instructions you need to follow, such as watering the plants and feeding your pets. Overall, knowing what to check before a road trip gives you the confidence to walk out the door. Even while on your road trip, you’ll have more peace of mind from knowing your house is well prepared for your absence.

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