Columns
Green Thumb: Things to consider while you’re gone
By Bettye Jo Preis , Master Gardener
It’s not easy to remember what in the house to shut off, turn on, turn down, lock up, and reset before you go away.
Even if you can’t hire a house sitter (or looker-inner), you can make sure your home looks lived in and uninviting to burglars. Here is a pre-go away checklist, which will also help you avoid returning to a blown-out television or a dried-up fern.
Suspend mail and newspaper delivery: Contact the post office to hold or forward your mail. Do the same for your newspaper delivery, or ask the newspaper to donate your remaining subscription to the Newspapers In Education drive. Or have a trusted neighbor collect mail, packages and newspapers while you’re away so they don’t accumulate in front of the door, a sure sign you’re not home.
Set timers: To keep your house from sitting dark each evening, install plug-in timers on lamps in several rooms. Set them to turn on and off at different times. Consider putting a radio and a television on timers, too.
Discard perishables: Don’t return to a smelly refrigerator. Toss dairy products, cold cuts and produce. Donate canned food to the Green Valley Community Food Bank.
Adjust the refrigerator temperature: A closed-up house can raise the kitchen temperature, thereby increasing a refrigerator’s energy use by up to 50 percent in summer.
Adjust shades and blinds: Leave them partially open so your house looks lived-in. You also want to be sure passers-by can see that the lights are on at night.
Leave a car in the driveway or carport: If you are taking your car with you, ask a neighbor to park their car there occasionally.
Set the air-conditioner: Set the thermostat about 10 degrees below the average outside temperature. (In Green Valley, we set ours at 80 degrees). But don’t turn it off.
Unplug appliances: Your toaster, coffeemaker, dryer, radios, computers, televisions and phones not connected to an answering machine can be unplugged. You’ll save electricity and also eliminate the risk of a power surge blowing out a machine.
Turn off water and gas: If you use gas, turn off the pilot light and shut down the water heater. Shut off the water to the entire house; pressure surges while you are gone could otherwise burst a hose.
Empty trash cans: Don’t leave a feast for the ants while you are away.
One item not recommended is stopping up your drains. A friend closed her bath tub, shower and sink drains - a pipe broke and the bath tub filled and then spilled a foot of water throughout. All the dry wall had to be replaced. Also, of course, lock all the windows and doors.
As far as plants are concerned, if you will be gone for weeks, a drip system maintained by a neighbor or friend is the only answer.
To learn even more, attend our 9:30 a.m. Thursday seminar at the East Center, where Donna Thiel of “Donna’s Property Management” will give us more tips.
Green Thumb is written by Green Valley Gardeners with assistance from Seminar speakers. It is runs Wednesdays in the Green Valley News.
Even if you can’t hire a house sitter (or looker-inner), you can make sure your home looks lived in and uninviting to burglars. Here is a pre-go away checklist, which will also help you avoid returning to a blown-out television or a dried-up fern.
One item not recommended is stopping up your drains. A friend closed her bath tub, shower and sink drains - a pipe broke and the bath tub filled and then spilled a foot of water throughout. All the dry wall had to be replaced. Also, of course, lock all the windows and doors.
As far as plants are concerned, if you will be gone for weeks, a drip system maintained by a neighbor or friend is the only answer.
To learn even more, attend our 9:30 a.m. Thursday seminar at the East Center, where Donna Thiel of “Donna’s Property Management” will give us more tips.
Green Thumb is written by Green Valley Gardeners with assistance from Seminar speakers. It is runs Wednesdays in the Green Valley News.
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