Attaining Needed Privacy

You need a place to store important documents, photos, jewelry, and maybe some extra cash all in one convenient location. Your safe does just that, and is fireproof as well. However, that safe is no good if it can be quickly located and carried away by the wrong people. In fact, putting all your precious things inside the safe makes it easier for burglars to round up and whisk away all those important and valuable items. Just where are you stashing your safe, and how can you hide it from prying eyes?

Don't Make it So Obvious

The term safe implies security, but you have to move beyond simply placing your items inside, locking it, and walking away. The safe is still vulnerable to anyone. Where and how you hide it goes a long way in keeping the safe truly safe.

Once burglars break into your home, they automatically search a few obvious locations for any existing safes. Some of these places include closets, home offices, cupboards, and anywhere in your master bedroom. Just don't. Resist the temptation to think a portable safe out of sight is out of mind. Instead, hide it somewhere more creatively, where thieves normally do not think to look:

• In your children's bedroom—Thieves rarely bother to sift among toys and stuffed animals.
• Behind a false air intake panel in a wall—Simply cut a hole in the drywall and bolt the right-sized panel over it.
• Fitted beneath a single stair tread or beneath a staircase
• Concealed in a wall behind a framed mirror or piece of art

Get a Grip

Large safes are weighty and difficult to move, negating the necessity to hide it somewhere; its sheer weight usually discourages thieves. What if your safe is portable and you do not have an ingenious hiding place, or you still feel skittish about hiding it? One way to ensure your safe stays put no matter where you place it is to get a good grip—on the safe.

Have your safe bolted to the floor of your closet. Or, you can keep it in a convenient place like right by your bed or desk as long as the safe is firmly anchored to a heavy piece of furniture or nearby wall studs. This way, would-be thieves are unable to physically carry away your safe along with its precious contents.

By choosing unexpected locations to hide your safe or bolting it to the floor or wall, your safe will definitely keep your contents safe. For more tips and suggestions, contact local experts such as A-Dave's Lock & Safe.