How to Winterize your Florida Home

April 25, 2022

Many of Florida seasonal resident return to their homes in other parts of our country for the summer months to escape our heat and stormy weather. If you are a seasonal resident, how do you prepare your home for the months you will be away? There are many things that you need to do before you lock up your home for the summer. You need to consider doing all these things to keep your home in good condition for your return.

Inside your home

It goes without saying that cleaning the interior of your home before you leave is important. You do not want to attract pests. It is always nice to return to a home that is clean. You also want to make sure that all doors and windows are locked. It is a good idea to set some lights on a timer to give the appearance that someone is home. If you have an alarm system, be sure to turn it on before you leave. But what else should you do? Here are some important things to do before leaving your Florida home for the summer.

• It is important that you keep your home air conditioner set at 78 to keep your air fresh and help prevents mold from developing.
  
• Turn off water valves to all sinks and toilets as well as Turn off the water at the main valve. The last thing you want to come home to is water damage from a leak that occurred while you were away.
  
• Turn off Water Heater tank by turning off the breaker.
  
• After cleaning toilets add a few drops of bleach and cover with plastic wrap to prevent water evaporation.
  
• Close blinds as this will prevent people from looking into your home while you are away
  
• Clean and turn off/unplug all appliances, electronics like TV's and Computers to prevent surges in power from damaging your appliances. Remember to leave refrigerator doors open.
  
• To prevent pests, remove dry good likes cereals, rice, crackers from your home. Make sure if your have items like flour and sugar that they are stored in well-sealed plastic containers.
  
• Leave room door and closet doors open so air can circulate.
  
• If you have outdoor furniture, grills, hoses, windchimes and other outdoor décor items, bring them inside. This includes any items on your Lanai. Should there be a storm this will prevent them from being damaged. They can also be stored in your garage.
  
• Make sure if you have an electric garage door that you disconnect it if possible. If you have hurricane locks, be sure you engage them. This is for security as well as protecting your garage door should there be a storm.
  

Outside your home

Preparing the outside of your home is just as important as preparing the inside of your home. You do not want your home to look abandoned or empty while you are away. Be sure to have your mail forwarded to your summer home. Make sure all your trash containers are empty and secured inside your garage. There are some other things you will want to be sure do before leaving for the summer.

• Clean out tall your gutters. As summer is our rainy season you will want to be sure they do not clog while you are away.
  
• If you do your own lawn mowing and landscaping, be sure all bushes and trees are trimmed back. You should consider hiring a professional lawn service to mow your lawn while you are away. Nothing say that your home is empty than an overgrown lawn.
  
• Make sure if you have electric storm shutters that they are in working order. It is not wise to leave your storm shutters on your windows while away as it lets people know that your home in vacant. It is best to hire a professional home watch company to install and take down your storm shutters should they be needed.
  
• Turn off sprinkler system. This is our rainy season so watering your lawn is not necessary. These systems can also leak while you are away.
  
• If you have a water softer system, well system, and septic system you will want to make sure all is in working order before your leave. These need to be routinely checked while you are away.
  

When you have a seasonal home here in Florida using a professional home watch service will give you peace of mind knowing that your investment is protected while you are away. No need to worry that when you arrive that you will have to deal with maintenance issues.

Cover Your Assets Home Watch Services – our home watch professionals have a combined 15 years' experience in the construction industry. Home Watch is defined as a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues. With this experience we provide an educated visual inspection of your home. We offer many concierge services and are open to assisting in meeting your particular needs. We give free consultations and quotes for our services and a discount program for HOA's or Condo associations. Call 941-888-4820 or email services@cyahomewatch.com for details.