Home Prep Before Vacation
What to do at home before a trip so you come back to a home, not a flood and fines: water, gas, sockets, trash, keys. Tell us if plants or pets are staying behind.
Download a text file for your notes, or open the list in your installed Unload app and confirm the import.
The list adapts to you
Answer the questions and only the items you need stay on the list. Your answers carry over to the app and the file.
- What's staying home?
Items on the list: 19 of 19 ·
Your checklist
Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
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Shut off the water
Main valves plus the washer and dishwasher taps. A burst hose over two weeks renovates your place and the neighbors' below.
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Shut off the gas
The valve on the pipe by the stove. Ten seconds now, one less anxious thought on the beach.
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Unplug everything except the fridge
TV, router, kettle, chargers. Protects against power surges and quietly dripping kilowatts.
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Turn off the water heater
Heating water for an empty home is an expensive hobby. Switch it off and unplug it.
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Eat or give away perishables
Audit the fridge a couple of days out: dairy, veggies, open jars. Coming home to a biology experiment is overrated.
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Take out all the trash — bathroom bins included
The little bathroom bins are the ones everyone forgets. Give them two weeks and they'll remind you themselves.
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Don't leave wet laundry in the machine
Finish the load, hang it up, and leave the machine door ajar — or it will greet you with a smell.
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Wash the dishes
A sink of dishes turns into a fruit-fly resort in two weeks.
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Lock windows and the balcony
Every window, vent pane and the balcony door — against both rain and uninvited guests.
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Pay the bills in advance
Utilities, internet, phone. Autopay is a traveler's best friend.
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Leave keys with someone you trust
Family or a neighbor with keys can check the place, water plants and let a plumber in if something goes wrong.
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Have someone clear flyers from the door and mailbox
A door stuffed with flyers announces 'nobody's home' to the whole building. Ask a neighbor to clear it.
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Don't post your trip on social media until you're back
That airport photo captioned 'gone for two weeks' has readers beyond your friends. Post the album — afterwards.
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Set a smart light on a schedule
A lamp that switches on in the evenings says 'somebody's home'. A smart plug and a floor lamp do it for pennies.
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Water plants well and move them off the sun Plants
Water the day before you leave and move pots away from direct sun — the moisture lasts noticeably longer.
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Arrange watering: self-watering gear or a person Plants
For trips over a week: watering globes, wick watering, or a deal with whoever holds your keys.
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Book boarding or a pet sitter early Pets
In holiday season good boarders and sitters fill up weeks ahead. Introduce your pet to the sitter before you go.
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Leave food and litter with a buffer Pets
More food than the trip needs — flights get delayed. Plus bowls, litter and the favorite treats.
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Leave the sitter vet records and clinic contacts Pets
Vaccination records, your clinic's number and a 24/7 one, quirks in writing. In an emergency this saves hours.
A list you can come back to
Add this checklist to Unload to turn each item into a task. Mark things done, set dates and make the list your own. Remember another errand or have an idea? Capture it by voice or text and return to it in the app.
- 1Open the checklist in the app
- 2Choose options for your situation
- 3Tap Add — done