Besides emptying trash in the house, throwing out or sealing certain foods in airtight containers, and thoroughly cleaning any spills or crumbs in an effort to prevent pest problems, there is more cleaning that should be done before you leave your home vacant, whether you are going on a long vacation for a few weeks or leaving your home for an entire season. This page will fill you in on some important cleaning tips that should not be ignored. Be sure to communicate these things with a cleaning service if you are lucky enough to be hiring one. Otherwise, keep these things in mind when you are cleaning yourself.
The refrigerator should be cleaned out. If you see that something is going to expire before you or anyone else is likely to return, it is best to throw it out before you leave. Fruit or vegetables that go bad in your absence will be a muddy mess to clean later on, and rotten meat or dairy products will smell awful. Some people try hanging on to as much food as they can, and they decide it will be okay to put it in the freezer. This might be dangerous. If the power goes out for an extended period of time, this food could thaw and refreeze without you knowing. If you must save that food and insist on putting it in the freezer, just take other precautions. If you do not have someone checking your freezer and being alerted to power outages at your home, put a container of cubed ice in the freezer. If it is still cubed upon your arrival, you are safe to eat all the goodies you left behind. On the other hand, if the ice has become one solid mass, that means it has melted and refroze. Accept the loss, and throw out the hazardous food. Depending on how long you will be gone, you may choose to completely empty the fridge and freezer, unplug it, and leave the door propped open.
To make cleaning easier for you when you return, give the house a good cleaning before you leave. Do it all. Clean the stains that you let go during your stay, dust everything from floor to ceiling, sweep, mop, and vacuum. If you have any stains on the carpet, now is the time to get them out. Especially organic stains from kids or pets that tend to smell, like urine from puppy accidents that were never completely cleaned properly. When it comes to carpet cleaning, use a natural enzyme cleaner for dog urine or cat urine. This will remove the smell from the carpet and prevent the pet from returning to that spot. It is bound to need another cleaning when you return, especially a good dusting, but it will not be as bad if you clean before you leave. Covering your furniture with sheets to protect it from sunlight and dust is also a good idea.
If you are lucky enough to have a housekeeper that you can trust, have that person come in and clean regularly, even when the house is not being used. This is a good idea if you are keeping the heat and water on when you are gone, as more and more people do these days. This way, you will not have to worry about dusting before relaxing upon your next arrival. Not only that, but the cleaning person may catch a potential or small problem and be able to alert you to it before it develops or escalates. If your vacation home is located in a seasonal “tourist town,” as most are, there is no doubt your housekeeper will appreciate the year-round work. For this, you may be able to get a discount. At the least, you will most certainly be one of the housekeeper’s favorite clients. This is a good thing, especially if she is very busy during the high season. You will probably be able to get some preferential treatment when others are struggling to find someone to get their house cleaned.
If you have a private septic system, you will want to use septic-safe cleaning products. Products that are septic-safe usually display that on their labels. You could just avoid "cleaning products" altogether if you are unsure about which products will be safe or not. For the most part, simply cleaning with water and non-scratch scrubbies are usually all you should need. Green cleaning is not just better for your septic system, but it is also better for you and your family, as well as the environment. We have found that most green cleansers work better than harsh chemical cleaners anyhow. Cleaning with vinegar is a great affordable green cleaning option. You can mix vinegar with some water and clean just about anything. Be careful though. Vinegar is a bit acidic, so do not use it on granite counter tops. Stick to using strong chemicals only when needed, on tough stains that do not respond to water or vinegar. Essential oils have some natural cleaning properties, and they smell fantastic, so you may want to use these as well if you are trying to keep things green when you clean.
If you have hard water or well water at your home, chances are your appliances in the kitchen and bathrooms are going to need a good cleaning at least once in the spring and fall with a strong cleanser like Iron Out or CLR. These cleansers remove the residue left behind by hard water. The Iron Out will work best if your tubs and sinks have a orange or rusty color, and the CLR will work best for other grime that builds up in the kitchen sinks and throughout the bathrooms.
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