Once a year Americans all over the country lock their apartment doors behind them and begin their travels to a friend or family members’ home across the country. This is a joyous time, as you will soon be reunited with your loved ones, but it can be rather hard to shake the eerie feeling that something could possibly go wrong while you are gone. What if the power goes out? What if there is a heavy storm? What if someone breaks into your apartment? What if you… forgot to lock the door?

As a provider of apartments in West Chester, we saw it fit to capitalize on the opportunity of Thanksgiving travels to provide you with a couple of tips that could benefit you any time you leave your apartment for an extended period of time. Join us here at the Lakes at West Chester Village as we talk apartment preparation in today’s blog!

Tell Someone In Your Complex

If you are planning on being gone for an extended period of time, it doesn’t hurt to let someone know. Even if Tom next door is a little to loud past 10 pm on weeknights, it doesn’t mean he won’t be willing to keep an eye on your place for you. Why would you tell someone in your complex? For emergencies, of course. What if someone breaks in? Tom might hear a rumble and remember that you are supposed to be gone for another week. What if you desperately need that account number that you wrote on the sticky note on your refrigerator? Well, if you trust Tom enough you can leave an emergency key with him. All we are saying is that it couldn’t hurt to have someone keeping an eye on your West Chester apartment while you are gone.

Unplug Your Electronics

Electronics are incredibly easy to unplug, but before a trip, it is usually the last thing that you think about. Additionally, when most people hear the argument “Unplugging your electronics when you aren’t using them saves you money”, they think that there is no way that an electronic in sleep mode can be that damaging to their wallet. Well, you might be surprised that it can be. The Natural Resources Defence Council recently found in a California study that 23 percent of residential energy consumption came from electronics that were plugged in while not being used. While West Chester does not have steep electricity costs like they do out in California, we think we could all stand to save a little money by unplugging a couple electronics before vacation.

Adjust The Thermostat

Arguably one of the most important things for you to do before setting out on your thousand-mile journey for one delicious meal is to adjust your thermostat. We get it, it might be nice to have the heater on when you get back, but to heat an empty apartment is to lose money. Additionally, it does not take that long for an apartment to heat once you have returned home from your travels — so save some money and turn the heat down.

Lay A Towel Down In Front Of The Refrigerator

At this point, you are probably thinking “These tips all seemed pretty normal until now!”.Laying down a towel in the front of a refrigerator might seem a little peculiar, but we promise you that as weird as it sounds it can be a lifesaver in the right situation. If the power is out for any amount of time in your West Chester apartment, then the refrigerator and freezer are off as well. While it might be a bummer to have all the food in your fridge go bad, you probably won’t be too worried about it — especially with your soaking wet kitchen floor. When a refrigerator is off for a long period of time, the freezer stops… freezing —resulting in a large pool of nasty water on the floor in front of your fridge. Laying a towel down before you leave can ensure that if the freezer begins to melt that your floor doesn’t get wet.

Water Your Plants

One of the saddest things that you could ever come home to is a bunch of dead plants — so be sure to water them before you leave on your trip. Think about watering your plants about a week or two before your trip. Why? Well, if you have a succulent that does best when watered every 14 days, you want to time the last watering so that it is the day before you leave to ensure that the plant won’t need to be watered again until well after you get back. If you have plants that need to be watered every other day, consider giving Tom (your neighbor, remember?) a key and some watering instructions. When you leave you West Chester apartment for your trip you will feel much better knowing that your plants are safe.

Don’t Forget To Lock The Door!

Now that you have done so many things to prepare for your trip, it really would be ashamed of you if you forgot to lock the door. Because if you did, someone could walk in and steal your perfectly watered plants, your unplugged appliances, your towel from the kitchen floor — heck, they might even crank up the heat just to spite you.

We hope the tips provided by our apartments for rent in West Chester, Ohio have helped you prepare for your upcoming Thanksgiving trip. Are you currently looking for a new apartment? Maybe one in a nice community where even if you left the door unlocked that you would be okay? Come to visit us or contact us at the Lakes at West Chester Village today!