How to Keep Your Home SimpliSafe

What could be better than those glorious two weeks when you finally get to take your long awaited vacation? Making sure your home is safe, too, of course! If you follow me on social media, you may have seen that I was recently in Florida (Home Security Tip #1: Be careful about posting the dates that you will be away on social media). The days leading up to the trip were consumed with packing…packing…and more packing. But what about the house? Did I turn the stove off after making breakfast, unplug my flat iron, hold the mail, and close the garage door? These are all thoughts that flood my mind before I finally depart for my destination.

SimpliSafe is the modern day answer to home security. Long gone are the days of needing someone to install an alarm system in your home and paying high monthly fees for security. With SimpliSafe, your home’s system is wireless, easy to install, and affordable. You can also monitor your home from the convenience of a smartphone app.

If you worry about how to get your home ready before you leave, SimpliSafe is here to help with a handy checklist. I was pleased to read through it and notice that they suggested a lot of the things that are usually on my to-do list before a vacation, like mow the lawn, set some lights to a timer, and clean out the fridge. If only they could make food magically appear upon my return they’d truly be amazing!

I travel better knowing that my home is secured when I leave, although that doesn’t always stop me from questioning whether or not I unplugged everything (something I do even if I am only leaving my house for an hour!).

So how do I get my home travel ready? Here are my tips:

Make sure your central air or heat is set at an appropriate temperature: Nothing is worse than returning to your house in the dead of winter to find that a pipe burst. Remember to lower your thermostat before you leave, but keep it high enough to avoid the aforementioned pipe-bursting scenario (60 degrees is about where I leave mine).

Do laundry: You know when you get to a hotel and the sheets are nice and crisp? Well, that’s how I like them to be when I get home from a long trip. That first night with fresh sheets is the best. I always put clean sheets on the bed (and make sure any other laundry that’s laying around gets washed) before I set off for my vacation. Coming home to piles of laundry that need washing is not my ideal way to be welcomed home.

Arrange for a pet-sitter or boarding: If you have pets, this is probably one of the first things you think about when you start planning your vacation. Making arrangements for your four-legged family members is just as important as securing your home while you are away. If you will have a pet-sitter coming in to check on your critters, ensure that they are familiar with the house and comfortable with your pets well in advance of your travels. Also, make sure they know how to operate your alarm so it doesn’t go off accidentally.

Put sprinklers on a timer: Just like you check the weather in your local destination before you travel, keep an eye on the weather back at home. If there is rain every day in the forecast, perhaps those sprinklers don’t need to work so hard. Conversely, if it’s going to be 105 degrees, you might want to have them go on at set intervals to avoid coming home to a brown lawn. While this tip only applies to the summer months, if you are going away in winter and live somewhere that gets snow, you should arrange for someone to plow your driveway to make the house look lived-in.

Set your DVR to record your favorite shows: Okay, I know this tip doesn’t actually make your home more secure, but for me this is a biggie! Heaven forbid I miss an episode of my favorite show and I just might not be able to pick up the plot again. Kidding, of course. But I do like to come home and catch up with the shows that I missed so I can easily get back on track.

I worry about my house while I am away, so having a company like SimpliSafe to help give me peace of mind is most welcomed. If home security is as important to you as it is to me (and I believe that it is), check out SimpliSafe for all of your wireless home security needs.

What are some of your tips when it comes to securing your home while you’re away?

This post was in collaboration with SimpliSafe.