Before you leave a second home empty, the one step that prevents catastrophe is shutting off the water at the main, because a supply line that fails while no one's there can run for weeks before anyone notices. After that it's clearing out what spoils or freezes and leaving the place dry, so you come back to a home, not a cleanup.
Quick closing-up checklist
- Shut off the main water supply.
- Test the smoke and CO alarms and replace weak batteries.
- Empty and defrost the fridge.
- Wipe the washer gasket and leave the door ajar.
- Empty and clean the dishwasher.
- Disconnect and drain the outdoor spigots.
- Check the fire extinguisher gauge.
Shut off the main water
The single most valuable step is killing the water at the main valve so a failed hose or fitting can't flood the house while you're away. If the home will freeze, also drain the lines, and in cold climates have the plumbing winterized so standing water can't burst a pipe.
Test the smoke and CO alarms
An empty house still needs working alarms, and you want fresh batteries that will last the season. Test each alarm with the button and replace any battery that's weak. If an alarm is past the date on the label, replace the whole unit.
Empty and defrost the fridge
Food left behind spoils and stinks, and a fridge sealed shut with no power grows mold. Empty it, defrost the freezer, wipe it dry, and prop the doors open so air can circulate while it sits.
Wipe the washer gasket and leave the door ajar
Water trapped in a front-loader's door gasket grows mold over a long vacancy. Wipe the gasket dry and leave the door and the detergent drawer open so the drum can air out.
Empty and clean the dishwasher
Standing water and food in the dishwasher filter turn sour and smell. Run it empty, clean the filter, and leave the door cracked.
Drain the outdoor spigots
A hose left attached traps water that can freeze and crack the valve or the pipe behind the wall. Disconnect every hose, drain the spigots, and close any interior shutoff for the outdoor lines.
Check the fire extinguisher
Glance at the pressure gauge to confirm the needle sits in the green before you leave. A discharged or out-of-date disposable extinguisher gets replaced, not refilled.
Set the water heater to vacation mode
Most water heaters have a vacation or pilot setting that saves energy without fully shutting down. Set it per the manual so you're not heating water for an empty house.
If the house may freeze
In cold climates, professional winterization (blowing the supply lines with compressed air, adding antifreeze to traps, draining the heater) is cheap insurance for a season-long vacancy. A burst pipe runs four to five figures; the winterization visit is a fraction of that, and the off-season is exactly when no one is there to notice.
Good maintenance rhythm
The checklist gets you through closing day once. Keep the house safe between visits by running this routine each time you close up.
- Before leaving: shut off the main water and, in cold climates, drain or winterize the lines.
- Before leaving: test the smoke and CO alarms and check the fire extinguisher.
- Before leaving: empty and defrost the fridge and prop the doors open.
- Before leaving: wipe the washer gasket and clean the dishwasher, leaving both doors ajar.
- In cold climates: disconnect hoses and drain the outdoor spigots.
- Ongoing: set the water heater to vacation mode while the home sits empty.