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You’re going out of town for a vacation (lucky you!) for a much-needed break from your busy life. If you plan accordingly, the realities of coming back home – like doing chores around the house – don’t have to hit you immediately upon your return. Before heading out of town, you can tackle a few tasks to ensure you come home to an organized house. Whether you’ll be gone for a week or more, or you’re simply taking a long weekend, here are three home-organization tips to help clear your mind of clutter during and after your getaway.

1. Clean and put away dirty dishes.

Old, caked-on food shouldn’t be the first thing you deal with when you get home. Prevent this from happening by running the dishwasher before you leave. Take a walk through your entire home so you don’t leave any dirty dishes out, and then collect them and put them in the dishwasher. Once you put them away, they’ll be out of sight and out of mind.

2. Check out the fridge.

If you’ll be gone for a week or more, it’s a good rule of thumb to get rid of anything perishable in your fridge. For shorter trips, use your judgment. If something looks like it’s going to turn to mush while you’re gone, take it out now so you don’t have to deal with it upon your return.

3. Tidy up.

You don’t need to do a deep clean of your entire house before heading out, but a few minutes spent organizing each room couldn’t hurt. By taking 5–10 minutes in each room, you’ll be able to tidy things up so you don’t feel overwhelmed when you get home.

By following these simple home-organization steps before you leave, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy yourself a little bit more while you’re vacationing.