19 days. That’s how much time you have left until princesses and superheroes come knocking on your door in search of tricks or treats. If you want to avoid the tricks, however, here are some ways to prevent Halloween them.

Keep House Lights On

If you’re serious about protecting your home, discouraging the egg throwers and toilet paper artists, you’ll want to make sure trick-or-treaters know that you’re home. Turn on your porch, living/family room, and maybe a few street-facing bedroom lights. Lighting the pathway to your front door also ensures nobody trips.

Install a Motion Sensor

Many older pranksters – teenagers and adults alike – will wait until all the younger trick-or-treaters have left the neighborhood to pull off their shenanigans. Exterior lighting that turns on when motion is detected should be enough to scare off any potential trouble makers.

Bring in Your Pumpkins

Carving jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween is a time-honored tradition. Unfortunately, so is pumpkin smashing. Unless you want to spend the morning cleaning smashed pumpkin off your lawn and the street, it’s a good idea to bring in your pumpkins at the end of the night. You may also want to consider bringing in any Halloween lawn decorations.

Protect Your Vehicle

On Halloween, park your car in the garage, so people who prefer pranks over treats can’t egg it; damaging the paint. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has found that personal vehicles are twice as likely to be vandalized on October 31^st than on any other day.