Covert Home Caches
Passports, jewelry, cash, and other important valuables are typically kept at home, maybe tucked into a bedside table drawer or in a small safe. While items may be protected in a locked safe, a safe can be easy to find and it’s often possible to break into a password-protected or key-operated safe. Knowing this, thieves may grab the entire safe and worry about opening it later. To help improve the security of your valuables, consider stashing them in one of these 9 secret storage spots around the home.
Suitcase Safe
Keeping important items and documents secure inside the water- and fire-resistant safe is a good idea, but small home safes can become a primary target for savvy thieves. They are often light enough to simply be picked up and carried off. To help protect valuables from thieves without sacrificing the fire resistance afforded by a home safe, consider storing valuables in the safe and keeping them safe inside empty luggage to conceal it.
Kitchen Cabinets
Certain valuables, like a physical will or a rainy day fund, may go untouched for weeks, months, or even years, so consider an out-of-the-way place to store these important possessions. One place is above the kitchen cabinets. It may be possible to spot ½-inch gaps between the ceiling and the tops of hanging cabinets that can be seen from a ladder.
Fill a manila folder with your valuables. Next, secure the envelope with a pair of broad binder clips to prevent it from sliding all the way into the gap or fasten a string to the envelope for easy retrieval when necessary. Finally, slide the envelope into the gap.
Drawers
Hiding valuables in a drawer isn’t likely going to protect them against a determined thief. Instead, take advantage of the gap behind a drawer to secure an envelope filled with important documents, cash, or other valuables to the back of the drawer with tape.
If the drawer pulls out too easily, threatening to expose the concealed envelope, attach the envelope to the underside of the counter, dresser, or bedside table, so that even with the drawers fully removed the envelope remains securely fastened to the furniture, and out of sight.
Wall Decorations
Picture frames, paintings, mirrors, and more than decorating the walls throughout a home offer another opportunity to hide valuables. With a bit of tape and an envelope, any wall hanging can be used to secretly store important valuables.
While almost any framed wall element can help conceal items, a deep wooden frame offers a more advanced bit of subterfuge. Neatly cut the paper backing and slide cash or prized items into the narrow gap between the painting and the frame backing. If the items are thin enough, they may even fit between a picture and the backing. Any would-be thieves would have to choose the right picture and remove the dust cover on the picture frame to find the stashed cash or other valuables.
False Books/Cans
Creating secret storage spots out of common household items is a strategy that has worked for generations. If you have a few shelves of books inside the home, consider hollowing out a book to make a small storage compartment inside the pages, so that it looks completely normal unless removed from the shelf and opened.
Another easy storage spot is a clean, empty can. Using a smooth edge can opener, open the top of the can so it fits back in place after opening. Fill the can with valuables and replace the top, so it can blend in with the other food cans in the pantry or cabinet.
Out-Of-Season Clothing
When someone breaks into a home looking for valuables, it isn’t likely that they will be tearing through coats, sweaters, and other clothing hanging in the closet. Consider keeping an envelope of valuables in the pocket of an old jacket. You may want to switch the hiding spot when the seasons change, storing items in winter clothing during the summer months and summer clothing in the winter months. Bonus points for any clothing with hidden pockets that can help conceal valuables.
Freezer
Frozen pizzas, leftovers, and frozen treats keep many freezers tightly packed and conveniently crowded. One more container in the freezer isn’t typically going to draw the attention of would-be thieves, making it a great place to keep cash and other valuables. Just make sure that the container and the contents are freezer-safe to prevent damaging your important items.
Tennis Ball or Soccer Ball
Similar to hollowing out a book or making use of an empty can, a tennis ball or soccer ball can be modified in order to create a secret storage spot. Tennis balls can retain their shape after being cut, so they don’t look out of the ordinary with a slit halfway through the ball. This opening is wide enough to store a roll of cash or small valuables like earrings or a ring.
However, for larger items, consider using a soccer ball. Just cut along one seam on the ball to create an opening that’s big enough to slide in your valuables. Cutting along the seam conceals the opening, so the average person isn’t likely to notice anything wrong with the ball at a glance.
Drop Ceiling
A drop ceiling is a feature that’s common in finished basements, laundry rooms, or utility rooms and it can also serve as a concealed storage location for important lightweight items. The dropped ceiling consists of panels that are supported by narrow metal frames. Simply lift a panel to access the hollow space above the drop ceiling where a lightweight package, like an envelope, bag, or even a small box can be kept out of sight.
This isn’t a spot to store heavy items because they may break the drop ceiling tile and fall through to the ground below. Also, note which panel is hiding the items, so you can retrieve them easily later.
