So, you’ve recently invested in a security safe for your home.
Whether it be to keep important documents, petty cash, delicate pieces of jewellery or expensive electronics under lock and key, you need to think carefully about where you’ll install your safe.
Leaving it in plain sight of would-be criminals is never a good idea. Instead, you need to make sure that your home safe is kept in an inconspicuous spot in the house – ideally somewhere burglars won’t think to look.
Here are just a few clever ideas to help thwart thieves and protect your belongings.
1. Under the floorboards
Depending on their size, valuables can often be hidden at the back of your wardrobe or in your sock drawer. However, these are well-known hiding places, and burglars are likely to try these first.
To make it harder for intruders to get their hands on your possessions, it’s worth installing an underfloor safe. Exactly as their name implies, these are installed under the floorboards and encased in concrete to make it virtually impossible for thieves to remove the safe and its contents.
Unlike other home safes, floor safes have a door at the top, making it easy for you (the key holder) to add or remove items from the steel box.
2. Beneath the mattress
Under the bedframe or inside pull-out drawer boxes are some of the more obvious places to conceal precious items. However, if you have an Ottoman bed (one that allows you to lift the platform of the bed and store items underneath), this can be a sneaky spot to hide your safe.
Thanks to their gas-lift mechanism, these space-saving storage beds allow you to raise the mattress and put something in or take it out of the safe. Just remember to lower the mattress back down once you’ve secured the safe door.
3. In the wall
A safe that’s mounted to the wall isn’t going anywhere in a hurry, meaning criminals won’t be able to grab it and run.
You can install a wall safe in almost any room in the house – be it behind the wardrobe in your bedroom or a high traffic spot, such as the hallway.
The great thing about these home safes is that they can be easily obscured with a wall hanging mirror, framed artwork or photo frame.
4. Inside stair risers
One of the last places burglars will think to look is your staircase.
Depending on the type of staircase you have, you could remove an existing stair tread (the vertical uprights) and slide your safe into the step. Then reattach the tread with a hinge, so you can easily access the safe whenever you need to.
An alternative place to hide your safe at home is under the stairs. If you’re lucky enough to have additional storage space beneath your staircase, you could fit some drawers or doors to help keep the safe out of sight.
5. Behind a door
Though frequently overlooked, one of the best places to install a safe is in an unused nook or behind a hidden door.
In doing so, you can relax knowing that your safe and its contents are kept out of…
