The festive season which is also known as the holiday season is around the corner. Before you know it you will be packing sunscreen, bathing costume check, and your favorite playlist should be in place too.
Nothing is frustrating getting a call from your neighbour or home sitter informing you about a disaster at home.
Make sure your home stays safe while you’re away, says Alen Ribic, co-founder of SweepSouth Connect, an app that puts you in touch with a list of reliable professionals like handymen, electricians and plumbers in your area to help address house niggles. The app is especially useful if you need to locate a professional in a jiffy during the tricky holiday period, when it seems like every business has shut their doors.
Take a walk around the interior and exterior of your home and spot things that could be disasters waiting to happen, like exposed wiring that could cause a fire when you’re not there to put it out, advises Alen.
Safety is very important especially with the high crime volume around the country. A house that is noticeably standing empty is a tempting target for criminals on the lookout. Post that piles up, advertising flyers stuck all over your garage door and an un-mowed lawn are all tell-take signs you’re not there, so arrange for a neighbour or a friend to keep an eye on things while you’re gone. Promise to do the same for them if they go away.
Make sure all your windows close tightly and ensure basic door integrity, especially front and pedestrian gates and doors, checking that they can’t easily be smashed open.
Consider leaving a radio on low while you’re away, as even a slight noise could deter opportunistic thieves. There’s also a range of tech on the market to help boost your security and deter burglars.
If you have someone looking after your home while you’re away, book a gardener through the SweepSouth Connect app to come in and take care of the garden – there’s nothing worse than coming home to a shrivelled up, brown lawn and having to pull it up and start again. If you only have indoor houseplants, try this nifty watering trick to keep them alive while you’re gone. Place the plant next to the bathtub, a sink or a bucket filled with some water. Place one end of a piece of cotton rope in the water, making sure it reaches all the way to the bottom of the container, then push the other end of the cotton rope below the surface of the soil, close to the plant, taking care not to disturb the roots. The rope will act as a wick, pulling the water your plant needs into the soil.
Make sure that valuable items like laptops aren’t visible if a burglar peers through a window, and store jewellery and important documents in a safe or a locked cupboard. Unplug your television, computer, toaster, and other appliances to protect them from power surges that may occur during load shedding.
In the event that you haven’t booked your holiday yet, consider using Cheap-flights to find the best deals for flights, hotel accommodation, and car rentals. If you’re taking that exciting road trip you’ve been talking about for years, Cheap-flights also has a great road trip calculator to help you work out the cost of your trip so you can budget smartly and save money as you go.
A holiday is meant to relax and recharge you. Make sure your home is disaster-proof so that you can go away without a care in the world.
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