A Guide to Sealing Up Your Vacation Home for Fall

Congratulations on achieving your dream of owning a home away from home. As NJ Vacation Home Insurance specialists with second homeowners among us, we understand your place to escape to where the family gets together is special. And we must emphasize the importance of safeguarding it just as you do your primary residence.

To help you protect your investment, we created this handy guide to sealing up your vacation home for the fall and winter seasons. The chores to seal up your home are tedious. But they must be done to keep your vacation home in good shape while you are gone.

An Orderly Approach Is the Best Way to Get Everything Done

To return to a welcoming, clean, odor-free, organized environment, follow these tips.

Work each room and area of concern in order.

In the kitchen, remove everything from the fridge and freezer. Either take home or discard perishable foods from your cabinets and pantry. Clean the inside with a mild disinfectant. Leave the door slightly ajar to prevent odors. Run your disposal to clear all debris from it. Use open baking soda boxes to combat smells in both the freezer and refrigerator. Unplug all appliances.

In your living or family room, store board games, books, and sundry items where you want to find them on your return. Check that your chimney flue is closed and remove ashes from the fireplace. Unplug electrical devices and lamps. Allow maximum air to flow by opening doors and drawers and standing up loose furniture cushions.

In the bedrooms, strip the sheets and blankets from the beds. Get them laundered and ready for your return. Crack open dresser and nightstand drawers to avoid musty smells building up in them

Prioritize the laundry room to prevent water damage and mold. Check and remove standing water in the washing machine. Unplug both the washer and dryer. Disconnect the water lines to the washer and make sure the water spigots are closed tightly.

Bathrooms are a potential source of awful smells should sewage back into your toilets. Either winterize your pipes or have a licensed plumber prepare them for you. Drain water from and clean your shower. You can add a non-toxic antifreeze to the toilet bowl, or flush then turn off the water to the tank. It will help drain the tank and avoid flooding from broken pipes or toilet leaks. Use chlorine bleach (a half-cup is sufficient) to disinfect the toilet bowl.

Whole house tips include vacuum and sweep all the floors. Dust the flat surfaces and use dust covers for your furniture. Make sure no trash is lying around on surfaces or in waste cans. In damp climates, it’s advisable to leave cat litter or baking soda open in each room to absorb water and odors. Clean or change your furnace and air filters.

Do a whole house walkthrough to make sure you turn off non-essential services, which include your gas, electricity, lights, water, and water heater.

Important: First, shut off the main water valve. Then open all your faucets and showers so they can drain out. In areas with freezing temperatures, this is a crucial step. A simple step on your walkthrough is to turn off all the lights and turn your security devices on to their “away” settings. Do the same and set your thermostat to minimal away settings such as 50 degrees for heating and 80 for cooling.

Cancel or pause services such as garbage removal, cable and phone services, and forward mail to your primary home. Continue with pest control services if appropriate. Store your outdoor furniture and grill inside your home, garage, or shed to keep safe from storms, dust, and rust.

With violent storms on the rise, it’s essential to prepare your home for them. You can find excellent advice on preparing your vacation home against brutal storms and hurricanes on this blog post.

Finally, review your NJ Vacation Home Insurance coverage to ensure you are fully covered should disaster strike. As your local homeowner insurance specialists, the experienced team at Dickstein Agency Associates is ready and capable of meeting your unique needs. We’ll give you a thorough, professional appraisal of your coverage to eliminate uninsured exposures you may have. And we’ll check all of your coverages to make sure your property is not over-insured.

About Dickstein Associates Agency

Dickstein Associates Agency has distinguished itself as a leading provider of personal and business insurance in the tri-state area since 1965. We pride ourselves on being advocates for our clients and providing them with quality and affordable coverages. As Trusted Choice™ independent insurance agency, we partner with various national and regional carriers, allowing for flexible coverage for each client’s unique circumstances. For more information on how you can leverage all your insurance to work best for you, and how we can secure the best insurance in the marketplace suited to your specific needs and business objectives, contact us today at (800) 862-6662 or www.dicksteininsurance.com.