Your family vacation needn’t be a coming home party for burglars.

Remove telltale signs you’re gone. Stop daily delivery services so newspapers don’t pile up at the door or mail won’t overflow the postbox.

Ask a trusted neighbor to water potted plants and vegetable or flower gardens.

As long as you’re asking for neighborly help, give the neighbor your itinerary, cell phone number and e-mail address. Ask, too, to have circulars removed from doorknobs or check for package deliveries. (Don’t forget to thank them with a bottle of wine or other gift upon your return.)

Use variable timers to turn lamps on during evening hours. Plug the TV into a separate timer for late evening hours; the blue cast from the screen (bring the volume up a notch) is a sign of household normalcy. Usually, curtains are open but it’s OK to be closed in the TV room. Position boxes of cereal, nonperishable snack foods or tableware on kitchen tables in plain view.

Pluck spare keys from hiding places. Store jewelry and other valuables in a safe deposit box.

It won’t hurt to have a third set of watchful eyes to keep track of things. If your community is small enough, tell local police you’ll be gone, or, hire local security services to drive by your home on a short-term basis during evening rounds. Higher up on the protection scale are housesitters and electronic security services. You could pay $40-$75 per night for someone to stay at your home.

Additional tips

• For under $30 you can install motion detectors on outside floodlights at both the front and rear of the home.

• Etch your driver’s license number (not your Social Security number) on TVs, appliances and other goods. In the event of a break-in, this can make recovery somewhat easier.

• Trim bushes or plants that obscure doors and windows or offer safe hiding spots for criminals.

• Install deadbolt locks. Installation kits are inexpensive. Buy key-operated locks without inside knobs. Remove the key. Thugs who reach through broken door glass can’t turn the knob to open the door.

• Foil thieves who jimmy locks on sliding doors. Cut dowels to length and place behind the slider to stop the door from opening.

• Padlock outbuildings or storage sheds where ladders might be stored.

• Cover basement window wells. Consider covering basement windows with plywood. This provides a visual deterrent.

– AP Weekly Features