How do you leave the house when you go off on holiday?

7 years ago

Thinking about when you go off on holiday... are you the type who cleans and tidy up pre-departure so you come back to a shiny(-ish) home? Or is the opposite, you leave everything to the last minute and don't have time to organise?

We'd love to know: how do you leave the house before going off on holiday?

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I empty the fridge

I switch off the internet, gas and/or electricity

I deep clean the house

All of the above

I leave everything as is

Other - share below!

Featured Answer

Luciana

7 years ago

I may sound conceit, but we pay a cleaning agency to do a total spring clean when we are away; it's something we've done 3 times now and it works perfectly for us. We ask them to take care of everything, like moving furniture to hoover, scrubbing behind appliances, washing the sofa covers, cleaning the light fittings, windows and shutters, and so on. They even change the beds and water the plants. We just add the expense to the holiday budget...

It was hard the first time, not being there in control of what's going on, but then I realised that the results are clearly visible and it was great not to stress over every little detail and just trust the professionals to do their job. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to return home and find it all tidy and sparkling...

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Comments (11)

Barb Staines
7 years ago
I used to have a cleaner but found myself clearing up before she came!
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Debbie Byard
7 years ago
My mother comes and house/dog sits for me. Even though I tell her just to put her feet up and do nothing, she always has a thorough clean if the house so it's lovely and shiny clean when I get home.
gillianhodson
7 years ago
Whilst I don't do a deep clean I always leave everything tidy, dusted and vacuumed but, most importantly, put fresh bedding on the bed so we can come home to lovely, fresh sheets.
comet14
7 years ago
I only remove fresh items from fridge but leave jars etc
I tidy but don't clean
I usually put fresh linen on bed day before we leave so come back to a nice bed
I arrange all the blinds / curtains so open but not fully open
I set all the light timers
I leave a key with neighbours and let a SMALL number of neighbours know
As we are about to leave I put bleach in all the toilets
If it is a taxi firm we don't know ( try to use same one each time) as I leave I talk to and wave at imaginary children and then discuss imaginary children with husband when we set off "will they remember to ...hope they visit .....etc"
As we are about to leave I put bleach in all the toilets
maureencooksley
7 years ago
It seems I am not alone in wanting to leave a clean, fresh house behind! I hoover and dust and put bleach etc., I don't change beds because I don't want to leave dirty laundry behind and usually don't have time on the day to wash and dry bed linen as I like to iron it. We try and take the dog with us but our daughter and son in law feed the cat, chickens, rabbit and guinea pigs whilst we are away. I put fresh linen on the beds when I return.
User
7 years ago
I have always left a clean and tidy home before we go away, I could not stand arriving home with loads of washing and a house which looks a mess and needs cleaning. In the garden, my husband always cuts the grass and trims the hedge as near to departure as possible, so the place looks cared for and keeps the local standard up. Also, just imagine if the alarm goes off accidentally and all the neighbours call round to check everything is ok, only to find a mess, how would they tell if they should call the police or not?!
Jeanne Joss
7 years ago
I'm one of the few people who are not keen on going on holiday, so I make it as perfect as I can before I go away and can't wait to get back home.
Laraine Clarke
7 years ago
I too deep clean before we depart, but I remember one year when the children were young, it seemed like we returned with a suitcase full of sand that was shaken out of shoes and clothes and the house was a bomb site in no time.
insightt
7 years ago
My Mum comes to stay to look after the dogs and to be honest for a bit of peace and quiet, I try to give everywhere a good going over so Mum doesn't have anything to do but she always finds something I missed and has breakfast / dinner waiting for when we walk back in the door - we would be lost without her!!
Sue Skelton
7 years ago
I turn it around and think what do I want to come home to after my holiday? To achieve this I usually clean the house and leave it fairly tidy, make sure the fridge, bins, dishwasher are empty (to avoid smells!), clean the toilets, and put clean sheets on the beds the day before so I can wash the old ones before I leave. I make double sure the garage door is closed so that the birds don't nest in there while we're away!

How do you leave the house when you go off on holiday?

Luciana

Comments (11)

Barb Staines

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