6 Things to Do Before Leaving Your Apartment For the Winter Break

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Winter break may have already arrived for you or is quickly approaching, and as you plan your mini-vacation, don’t forget to think ahead and take care of matters in your apartment first. Between the risk of having your pipes freeze, your valuables stolen, or a pest infestation, leaving your apartment behind for a few weeks can be a risk, but with these six tips, you can rest assured that your place and your valuables will be safe until your return.

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1. Leave Your Heat On: During the winter months, pipes are incredibly vulnerable to frigid temperatures and have the potential to freeze and burst if neglected. While you may be tempted to turn off the heat in your apartment and save money while you’re away, keeping the heat on can help keep your pipes warm and prevent a catastrophe from occurring. You don’t have to run the heat at the temperature you normally do while you’re in your apartment, and instead of cranking it up, turn the thermostat down to somewhere between 60 and 65 degrees. Furthermore, open the bottom kitchen and bathroom cabinets so heat can travel easily to them. In the end, you can return to a flood-free, cozy apartment with zero damage or stress.

2. Unplug Appliances: Living in an apartment, you undoubtedly will have plenty of appliances running and plugged in. Coffee makers, air fryers, mini-fridges, televisions, phone chargers, etc. are all common appliances that you probably will use up until you leave for the winter, but they’re not something you want to have plugged in after you leave. Not only can unnecessary plugged-in appliances use up energy (which can cost you in the long run), but they are also a fire hazard if left unattended. Before you head home for winter break, do a walk-through of your apartment and unplug everything that can survive without power while you’re gone.

3. Clean Out the Refrigerator: Throughout the fall semester, your refrigerator fills up with plenty of foods to help nourish you and keep you going. Meal preps, take out, potlucks and Friendsgivings, food experiments, etc. probably take up space on your fridge shelves, but as you prepare to leave your apartment, don’t neglect these various foods in your fridge. Take some time to sort through the contents of your fridge and get rid of anything that you know won’t last until you get back, i.e., pasta, salads, fruits and vegetables, milk, juices, etc. The last thing you want to deal with is spoiled food, bugs, and rotten smells in your fridge when you return.

4. Lock Doors and Windows: Though it is an obvious tip, locking your doors and windows is another important and necessary step to take when leaving your apartment for an extended period of time. You may live with your windows or doors unlocked while in your apartment, but having both unlocked while you’re away leaves your goods vulnerable to being stolen or damaged if the wrong person is close by. Secure the window locks and, “set all the window treatments up so that the interior of the unit isn’t visible from the outside,” for extra protection, according to MHM Properties.

5. Don’t Forget About Mail: As you are taking care of everything inside your apartment, it can be easy to forget to remember about matters outside, such as your mail. Getting mail is something that many of us don’t even think about, as it is a normal part of our daily routine. When you go away for winter break, however, your mail can easily pile up and not only get lost among other mail, but it can also signal the wrong person that you aren’t home, and potentially motivate them to enter your home and steal from it. To avoid this, notify the post office that you will be on vacation and put in a formal request for a mail hold. Through this, USPS will hold your mail for up to 30 days!

6. Bring All Valuables With You: As you prepare to go on a winter break, it is obvious to bring your important valuables with you. Phones, laptops, tablets, gaming systems, jewelry, etc., are all things that you should take back home with you, if possible. As these items are expensive, they run the risk of being stolen if your apartment is broken into. Keep valuables like TVs, gaming systems, desktop computers, etc., away from windows and areas that are visible from the outside.

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As you prepare to go back home or to a special vacation destination for winter break, take the proper steps in your apartment to ensure that it is both safe and damage-free upon your return. Leaving the heat on, doing a proper cleaning of the fridge and the entire place, locking windows and doors, and taking valuables with you are just some of the ways you can leave your place in the best shape for when you come back!

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