A lot of hotels like to advertise that they are your “home away from home.” That is a nice sentiment but a bit misplaced. You’re going on vacation so you can take a break from your home. Not many homes have cleaning services that come in while you’re gone and clean the place from top to bottom leaving a mint on your pillow. And try as you might, it’s hard to order up a snack in your home and have it delivered in bed. Vacations are all about the escape and that’s a good thing. Before you go on your next great escape, you’ll want to take some precautions to keep your home safe. Even if you’re just going for a long weekend, you’ll want to consider some of these safety measures:

Tell Your Closet Neighbor

Hopefully you live on a block where the neighbors look out for each other. This means you should let your closet neighbor know you’re headed out of town. Make sure they have your cell phone in case something goes awry. And if you’re having a housesitting staying over or stopping by, then be sure to introduce them to your neighbor as well so there is no confusion.

Stop Mail and Newspapers

You should put a hold on your mail and newspapers for the duration of your trip. Even if the mail slides directly into the house, it should still be stopped otherwise packages and magazines can pile up on the porch indicating that no one is home.

Put Lights on Timers

You don’t want a dark house for a week. It will help to put a few lights on timers. Just practice with them before you go so you know they’re working properly.

Get Rid of Rubbish

It will also help to get rid of your rubbish. This isn’t so much about making your home safe as it is to make it nice for your return. If you’ve put off getting rid of big things like old furniture or appliances, then you’ll appreciate coming back from your vacation and having them gone for good. Junk King Detroit can help with that. It will only take one junk removal session with Junk King Detroit to give you a junk free home. That will be nice to come back to from your vacation.