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Ideas to save you time
and help protect your lake / second home
Below are several ideas
that may help cut your maintenance time and help protect your
lake /
second home.
-
Before you leave for several days add one teaspoon
of bleach to the water in each toilet bowl.
This will help reduce the chance
of mildew growth. Use only one
teaspoon if your house has a septic tank. Too much
bleach will kill the bacteria the tank needs to work
properly.
- If you
have a
septic tank, add a commercially prepared septic treatment every two months
and a root prevention treatment every six months.
These items can be purchased from a discount, or
building supply store. This is an inexpensive
safeguard to keep you tank working properly.
- If the supply
lines to your plumbing fixtures are made of PVC,
consider replacing them with the braided stainless steel
variety. A water leak at a part-time home can
be disastrous, costly and time consuming. It
is a good idea
to turn off the water supply at the meter before you leave.
- Spray the outside
of your home with an insecticide twice a year paying
special attention to windows, doors, and eaves.
This will help keep bugs away and deter flying
insects like bees and wasps.
- If you have
any unattached buildings or structures, put a few moth balls in the roof and
corners of the flooring to keep mice, snakes, and
other animals
away. Mothballs have a very pungent smell, so
only a few are needed to repel small animals.
- If you do not
have a security system, purchase and install one. The piece of
mind is well worth the cost and you may receive a
discount on your homeowners insurance for monitored
systems.
- Store dry food
items like cereal, crackers, sugar, etc. in hard plastic storage
containers with tight fitting lids. This will
reduce or eliminate food smells that can entice
squirrels and mice while you are away. The
"twist on" lids are preferable as some small animals
can open "snap on" lids.
- Put a few lights on
timers and add outdoor motion sensing lights,
particularly around doors and driveways. This
will assist you when arriving after dark to light
your path into your home.
-
Equip your home with deadbolt locks with a "key
entry" on both sides of the lock to make the home
more difficult to enter and thus less attractive to
burglars.
-
Consider replacing standard thermostats with
programmable ones to conserve energy while the home
is not being used and to have your special retreat
either warm and cozy when you arrive in the winter,
or cool and inviting upon your arrival on hot days.
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