I Hate Cleaning

As most of you know, Stephen and I have planned this amazing trip to London for the holidays. We will be in the United Kingdom between the 26th of December and the 6th of January. Because we have never been abroad, and have never left the house unattended for so long, I started worrying that something may happen. I may have watched too much “Home Alone” when I was little, but I do believe a lot of things can go wrong during the holidays, so here is my collection of useful tips, for you to keep in mind, before leaving your place unattended.

As one of the Murphy’s laws states: “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong while you are on a vacation!“. That being said, vacations are the worst moment for bad things to happen! Aren’t they? I mean, you are away, there is nothing you can do. So here is what I have found as useful, thanks to Victoria Police’s Official Website.

1. Switch off all electrical appliances that are a fire hazard. 

2. If you have a leaking pipe, or feel that one of your pipes is not behaving like it should, fix it beforehand. Those things love to leak when you are gone. You don’t want to come home to a flooded house – trust me!

3. Leave those you will need for deterring burglars. Set a timer for your lights to go off at different times, so it is not so obvious that you are not home. I mean it will be suspicious if your lights go off everyday at the same time. It’s somehow not natural.

4. Ask a friend to come and check on your house, while you are away. There is a possibility that my sister will come and visit mom and dad for New Year’s and I hope she stays at the house, and won’t just check on it. This is the best option you could hope for!

5. According to Victoria Police, you should make it look like someone’s at home and thus leave the radio on.

6. Cancel all deliveries for this period. If you have newspapers or other things delivered to your house on a weekly basis, and you are going abroad for a longer period of time, cancel those. It will be suspicious that you never picked up your newspaper.

7. Hang some clothes to dry and some old shoes in front of your door. “I think, these guys just did their laundry.. Lets find another house to rob”

8. Don’t announce your holiday, like I just did. No Facebook statuses, Tweets, etc. No notes on the front door, on whiteboards at home, or on the fridge. You going on a holiday is something only your friends and relatives should know, not the whole world.

9. Have your calls diverted. Some burglars would dial your number and will wait for an answer. If there isn’t such in one, two or three days, then they will assume the house is empty and will go in.

10. Relax and don’t give in to the nasty thoughts. Enjoy your time abroad. If you have done all that, everything will be absolutely fine!

… I almost forgot – clean it thoroughly before you go, because you would want to come back to a clean house!

Featured Image Credit: Wikipedia

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Lana Jane Fox

Lana Jane Fox is a young, aspiring housewife, currently living in North Melbourne. At present her primary job is to be a good wife and a helpmeet to her husband and only after that she describes herself as a marketing executive and a blogger. When she is not knitting, cleaning, cooking, or experimenting with DIY projects, Lana is planning her next road trip, or spends precious time with her husband. She dreams of having a baby boy, a Welsh Corgi dog and a house with a fireplace and a garden where she can grow organic food.

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safety at home, safety tips, travel