Always Take a Picture of This Room Before Leaving the House (Hint: It’s Not the One You Probably Think!)
We tend to leave home in two modes: slightly rushed or slightly paranoid. Either way, the exit routine usually looks the same—quick checks, double checks and a lingering sense that you might be forgetting something important.
Most of us know to turn off the stove, close the windows and lock the doors. But there’s one simple habit that can make your routine even more reassuring. Not only that, but it can produce something genuinely useful if things go wrong while you’re away. And all it involves is taking a photo.
I spoke with Paul Grattan, a licensed home inspector and security expert who founded Graypoint Strategies, to learn more about the easy step you can take to bring you peace of mind when you leave your home. Read on for what to do and when.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more home tips, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
Which room should you take a picture of before leaving the house?
It turns out the most useful “before you leave” photo isn’t the kitchen, entryway or living room. It’s the bathroom. That might sound surprising at first, but according to Grattan, there’s a practical reason this often-overlooked space deserves attention before you walk out the door.
“People tend to focus on storms, break-ins or things happening from the outside,” Grattan says. “But a lot of the biggest problems start inside the home.” And few rooms concentrate more potential for internal problems than the bathroom.
What issues can you potentially prevent by doing this?
A quick photo will help remedy potential problems before you leave and capture a clear “before” state of the room in case something happens while you’re away. Here are things a simple photograph can help prevent and document:
Water damage
At its core, a bathroom is a network of pressurized water lines, drainage systems, seals and fixtures—all operating behind walls and under floors. When everything works, you barely notice it. When something fails, it can fail quickly.
“It’s wall-to-wall plumbing, and plumbing is where a lot of home disasters begin—especially water damage,” Grattan says.
Insurance hassles
Snapping a photo of your bathroom creates a timestamped record if you ever need to document damage for insurance purposes. By providing a clear reference point for the condition of the space before anything went wrong, your photo can help establish what changed and when.
“If you come home and there’s a leak or a stain that wasn’t there before, you’ve got proof of what the room looked like when you left,” Grattan explains.
Expensive replacements
Bathrooms also tend to hold more value than people realize, Grattan says. Beyond the fixtures themselves, there are often high-end items in constant rotation: electric toothbrushes, hair tools, skin-care devices, cosmetics and small appliances that can be easily overlooked in a rush … and would be expensive to replace if ruined.
Bad habits
Every time you snap a photo, you get a sense of your routine and what would work better next time. Maybe you never noticed that you leave your hair dryer plugged in all day until it’s time to do your nightly skin-care routine. Snapping a photo when you’re leaving could prompt you to develop better, safer habits—and unplug that dryer before you walk out the door.
Which areas of your bathroom should you photograph?
Grattan recommends starting with wide shots and then documenting anything of particular value. And there are a few nonnegotiables in terms of what you should do before snapping that ever-important bathroom photo. Here’s what to focus on:
- The entire bathroom: Snap a photo of the whole room first.
- The toilet and surrounding floor area: Toilets rely on internal mechanisms to regulate water flow. If a float or valve fails, the system can continue trying to refill indefinitely. “If something goes wrong, it may not shut off on its own,” Grattan says. “And that’s where continuous water flow becomes a real problem.”
- The vanity and sink area: Unplug everything on the vanity before you snap a photo. Flat irons, hair dryers and electric toothbrushes are fire hazards.
- Faucets, shower and bathtub: A single dripping faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If you’re leaving for an extended period, a drip can waste water and run up your bill—or worse, turn into an escalating and damaging leak while you’re away.
- Walls and ceilings: This is useful if you have cracks that develop or leaks that were lurking undetected before you left.
- Electronics and high-value personal items: Expensive gadgets, workout equipment, jewelry and clothing are expensive to replace, and photos can help for insurance claims.
- Cabinets and storage areas: If water or other damage strikes while you’re away, photos of your storage areas can help later.
Other areas of your home to monitor
Laundry rooms and nearby utility areas are other common sources of trouble.
Washing machine hoses remain pressurized even when the machine isn’t running, and over time, those hoses can weaken or fail. “If a hose bursts while you’re away, there’s nothing stopping that water,” Grattan says. “It just keeps going.” For longer trips, he recommends turning off the water supply valves to appliances entirely.
Water heaters are another overlooked risk. If a storage tank fails while a home is empty, the damage can escalate quickly. “You’re talking about 30 to 70 gallons of water released immediately,” Grattan notes. “And if it keeps trying to refill, it just keeps feeding the problem.”
In addition to flooding, hot water can create steam damage in enclosed spaces, leading to lingering moisture, odors and even mold conditions. For added protection, some homeowners install inexpensive water sensors that connect to smartphone apps and alert them to leaks in real time.
How often should you do this?
Taking photos doesn’t need to become part of your everyday exit routine. Instead, it’s most useful anytime you’re leaving for more than 24 hours or anytime you’ll be out of the house long enough that you wouldn’t immediately notice a developing problem.
“I always tell people to take photos or, even better, do a quick video walkthrough,” Grattan says. “A video catches things you might not think to photograph, like subtle leaks, sounds from appliances or the general condition of the space. It gives you a fuller picture if you ever need to compare later.”
Ideally, your photos or videos should live in a dedicated album on your phone—something like “Home Before Trips”—so they’re easy to find if needed, rather than buried in a camera roll. It takes less than a minute. If nothing goes wrong, it’s forgotten instantly. And if something does, it may be one of the most useful photos you’ve ever taken.
RELATED:
- Debate Settled! Find Out If It’s Better to Dry Your Hands with Paper Towels or Dryers
- Does the Viral “House Purse” Hack Actually Make Organizing Easier? I Put It to the Test
- Warning! If You Have a Dog, He Can Actually Start a Fire by Doing This
About the expert
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Paul Grattan, licensed home inspector and emergency preparedness consultant with Graypoint Strategies; email interview, June 2026
- EPA: “Fix a Leak Week”
The post Always Take a Picture of This Room Before Leaving the House (Hint: It’s Not the One You Probably Think!) appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest https://ift.tt/CcGhU5D
Comments
Post a Comment