The Florida Snowbird Home Checklist

Start with the air conditioning

This is the one people get wrong.

• Leave the A/C running. Set it to 78 or 80 degrees, or set the humidistat between 55 and 60 percent.
• Put a fresh filter in before you go.
• Pour vinegar down the condensate drain line to clear it out.

Humidity is what damages a closed house here. It shows up as mildew in the closets, cabinet doors that don’t sit right anymore, and a smell that takes weeks to get out. Running the A/C all summer costs a lot less than fixing any of that.

The drain line is the other one. It clogs, it backs up, and you come home to a stain on the ceiling.

Water

• Shut off the main water supply.
• Turn the water heater off, or put it on vacation mode.
• Turn off the ice maker.
• Run the dishwasher and the washing machine empty, then leave both doors open a crack.
• Pour a little water into the floor drains and any sink you don’t use, so the traps don’t dry out and let the smell back up.

Electric

• Unplug the TVs, computers and small appliances. We get more lightning here than anywhere else in the country.
• Leave the refrigerator running, or empty it completely, wipe it down and prop the door open with a box of baking soda inside. Half measures grow mold.

Bugs

• Take out all the food. That includes the pantry. Flour, sugar, cereal, pet food, all of it.
• Empty every trash can and wash it out.
• Book a pest treatment for the week you leave.
• Look for gaps around pipes, vents and under the doors.

Storm season, June through November

• Bring in the patio furniture, the planters, the grill, anything that can move in wind.
• Close the shutters, or leave the panels somewhere easy to reach.
• Cut back any branches touching the roof.
• Take photos of every room and of the outside of the house. If you ever have to make a claim, you’ll be glad you did.
• Make sure somebody local has a key, your number, and your permission to go in.

Security

• Timers on two or three lights.
• Test the alarm and make sure the call list is current.
• Tell a neighbor you trust when you’re leaving and when you’re back.

If you’re leaving a car

• Battery tender on it, tires up, fuel stabilizer in the tank, cover over it.

• Have someone turn the water back on and stay in the house while it runs. A slow leak that’s been going a week is a terrible way to start the season.
• Get the A/C down to where you like it a full day early, so the house is dry when you walk in.
• Run every faucet and flush every toilet to move the standing water out of the pipes.
• Look at the ceilings and around the windows for stains.
• Check for ant trails, wasp nests under the eaves, and anything in the cabinets.
• Test the smoke alarms and change the batteries.
• Wash the sheets and the towels. Linen that sat in a closet all summer smells like it.
• Wipe everything down. Even a shut house collects dust.
• Turn the water heater and the ice maker back on.
• Get milk, coffee, bread and toilet paper in the house before you land.