How to secure items in your house when you are away on vacation

So, it’s finally time to get away from it all for a week or two and hit the beach… or the mountains… or maybe the casino… or, really, any vacation destination of your choice.

But there’s one problem. Although you don’t want to worry about what might be nothing, there’s that nagging fear in the back of your mind that while you’re gone, your home might be targeted by thieves.

While there’s no surefire way to make sure an opportunistic burglar doesn’t enter your home in your absence, there are a variety of ways to secure your house, and the items within, while you are away on your vacation getaway.

Here are just a few ideas on how to keep your property safe and protected while you’re enjoying a well-earned break elsewhere.

• Start with the simple one: lock all the doors and windows. Doors might seem obvious, but all it takes is one unlocked side entrance to leave a wide-open path for burglars to pick your place clean. Close and latch all windows, even the ones on upper floors, just in case. Lock the garage, as well; even if it doesn’t access the main house, there’s no reason to leave any items in the carport open to sticky-fingered bandits.
• Temporarily stop your mail and newspaper deliveries. Nothing telegraphs your absence like a mailbox stuffed full of envelopes, or a pile of newspapers growing in the driveway. If you can’t have the carriers stop delivering, ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and papers for you. Make sure you’re not expecting any packages while you’re gone, either, for the same reasons.
• Lighting. If you have programmable lighting or timers, have your interior and exterior lights come up on a fixed schedule. A dark home is more appealing to burglars, whereas light suggests someone is inside and will discourage most thieves looking for easier pickings.
• Don’t post about your vacation on social media until after you get back. While you might have your Facebook page set to private, it only takes one wrong person discovering you’re gone to make your home an appealing target for a break-in. Save those great beach shots for when you get home.
• Consider moving jewelry and other high-value and easily transportable items to a safe-deposit box. If your home is targeted, that irreplaceable necklace will be safe at the bank even if your house gets burgled.
• If you’re going to be gone for some time, schedule an appointment to have the lawn mowed. Lawn care will prevent your grass, bushes and trees from growing wild enough to suggest no one is at home.
• Add a home alarm to your defenses.If you don’t have a home security system already, consider getting one of the DIY home security kits from BlueAccess to give greater coverage and security to your home. Adding an alarm and additional security measures to your home will not only add another layer of defense around your home, it will add greatly to your peace of mind, as well.

At all times, do nothing to suggest the house is empty and unattended, to prevent burglars from putting a target on your property in your absence.

With careful forethought, and assistance from the home security products of BlueAccess, you can hopefully come back from your vacation well-rested and energized to a safe, secure home.