Keeping your stuff safe from potential burglars is important.
Whether you have a security system installed in your home or not, there is nothing wrong with a bit of extra protection. Instead of heading out and buying the most expensive safe on the market, you can actually hide your things strategically around the house and burglars will never find them.
If you have jewelry, cash or any other valuable that you want to keep extra safe, there are many DIY ways to hide those things from burglars.
Jump to:
- Stash Cash in the Door?
- Make Your Own Hide-A-Key
- Oversized Art Storage
- Floating Shelf with Secret Storage
- Picture Frame Hidden Storage
- Hidden Jewelry Box
- Lettuce Storage?
- Hidden Bookcase Storage
- Secret Storage Sofa
- DIY Hollow Book
- Bathtub Hidden Storage
- Hidden Stairway Storage
- Computer Keyboard Storage
- Hidden Outlet Safe
- Bathroom Tile Storage
Incidentally, you can use some of these ideas to hide Christmas gifts from the kids as well. If you want to keep certain things out of sight, take a look at our collection of easy DIY hiding places for your stash.
Some of the ideas are products that you can purchase from most hardware stores or Wal-Mart. Others are things that you can do yourself to create a secret storage area in your home.
Stash Cash in the Door?
You can actually create a great hiding place for cash in the top of any interior door.
You just have to drill a hole and insert a metal tube that will keep cash and smaller items out of view. This is a great place to hide jewelry and anything relatively small and you can stash away some extra cash to save for a rainy day.
Via: Makezine
Make Your Own Hide-A-Key
You can buy those little hollowed out rocks for hiding your spare key but you don’t necessarily have to spend money to keep that key secure. You can just glue a real rock to the top of a small plastic bottle, like an old prescription bottle and then bury the bottle so that just the rock is showing.
Plastic rocks look so fake but this one will fool even the most intelligent criminal because it is actually a real rock.
Via: Zakkalife
Oversized Art Storage
You can create great looking art on your walls and hide your electronics at the same time.
You just have to cut the hole to make the storage area and then drill holes for the cords. This is a great way to keep those wires and cords hidden and gives you the opportunity to add new art to your walls as well.
Via: Apartmenttherapy
Floating Shelf with Secret Storage
This shelf looks great because it seems to float on the wall. That will impress people enough but when you add the secret drawer for storage, you get something that is impressive and a great place to hide your stash. The bottom of the drawer drops open to give you room to store just about anything you want.
Via: Instructables
Picture Frame Hidden Storage
Whether you want a picture of your child, a celebrity or anyone else hanging on your wall, you can use that large picture to hide a hidden medicine cabinet. Just install the medicine cabinet in the wall and then cover it with the picture.
No one will ever believe that you have storage behind the print and you can use this anywhere in the home.
Via: Apartmenttherapy
Hidden Jewelry Box
Make your own hidden jewelry box to keep those valuable gems safe.
You just have to have or build a small jewelry holder and then hide it behind a relatively large picture. You can build up the frame on the picture so that no one knows there is actually jewelry hidden behind it.
Via: Designsponge
Lettuce Storage?
You read that right. You can actually buy a small safe that looks for all the world like a head of lettuce. You just keep it in the fridge and hide your most prized possessions in it. Even if a burglar looks inside your fridge, he is not likely to think about looking inside the lettuce. The bottom of the lettuce snaps off to give you a hiding place for valuables.
Via: Bimbambanana
Hidden Bookcase Storage
No one would ever guess that behind that built-in bookcase is a storage area where you can keep your valuables safe. You can easily create a storage space that you hide with a bookcase.
When you need into the space, you just pull the bookcase out and then push it back when you are finished.
Via: Reddit
Secret Storage Sofa
You can build your own sofa and put some extra secret storage in it at the same time. Whether you need a new sofa for the living room or you want something for a sitting room, this is a great sofa and the fact that it has secret storage is just icing on the cake.
Via: Ana-white
DIY Hollow Book
You’ve seen those old hollowed out books in movies that people use for storage. Well, you can make your own and it is really easy to do. You can pick up an old book (if you don’t have one to use already) at most bookstores really cheap and then you just have to hollow out the inside for keeping your valuables safe.
Via: Vividplease
Bathtub Hidden Storage
If you have a tub that is encased, you can use the encasement to create hidden storage. No burglar would ever think to look under or around your bathtub for valuables and this is a great way to keep things organized as well. You just create little storage areas in the wooden base of the tub.
Via: Bornrich
Hidden Stairway Storage
Whether you have a small landing on your staircase or not, you can use a step or the landing to create a hidden storage compartment that is perfect for storing safes or just about anything you need to hide. Depending on where you choose to build your storage, you may have room to hide larger items in this one.
Via: Imgfave
Computer Keyboard Storage
There is a great hollow keyboard that allows you to store things underneath. Of course, this won’t help during burglaries if your burglar takes your computer but it is a good place to hide certain items from the family and a good way keep your desk a bit more organized. Jewelry and extra cash will fit perfectly inside.
Via: Geekologie
Hidden Outlet Safe
Okay, we have all seen these cute little fake outlets that act as safes so you just know that a burglar has seen them, too. Of course, no burglar is going to go around and check every single wall outlet so they do offer a bit of protection.
You can keep smaller items like jewelry and cash in them and they install very easily into the wall.
Via: Misdefenseproducts
Bathroom Tile Storage
You can create hidden storage in your bathroom by simply remove a tile or two and making a hole.
You then replace the tile and you have the perfect place to hide valuables that no burglar would ever think about looking in. You just have to remember which tile is the secret hiding place.
Via: Dornob
Annie
Cool for our home key
Stephie smith
This is awesome, I love the hollow picture frame idea. That's good for valuables, but I'm looking for a place to hide my keys if I'm locked out. I had to call a locksmith the other day, and I'm not going to let it happen again. I could find a container to bury it in a flower pot.
Rebecca
Buy some cheap flagstones or path stones and make a path to your door, under one of them (that only you will know) dig a hole and put a glass mason jar (they can be as cheap as a dollar) in it with the key. You may have to dig a little but its well worth it to have a key when you need it and it wont look so obvious like those fake rocks. Another idea is to have a hook under the steps to your house and hang an extra key there. Then only the people brave enough to stick their hand under is gonna know 🙂
JJ
Uh, yeah. Who knows what's lurking under there? A black widow, a scorpion, a snake? Yikes! Wise idea, Rebecca. My commendations! ??
Tor
Buy a combination lockbox and put your keys in that.
FeNiX
Too easy for a thief to smash in or pry open with a serious tool like a sledge hammer or pry bar. If it's hidden under a rock they wouldn't even know to look...
twoMuch
How about using an old pill bottle- doesn't cost you any $$, just time to be creative.
Gloria
They are some great ideas. May have to try some
Sadiyya
The tile used for safes should hv something to only be identified by the one who installed or planned 2 use it. All
Beth Bishop
I recall seeing a show on HGTV about an old house. An elderly man came through the house, reached up atop a door to an upstairs bedroom and proclaimed, "It's still there!" "It" was a space he had hollowed out of the solid door to hide his wallet each night! A wallet sized hiding space! What a great idea!
TlalocW
I look forward to putting to good use what I learned here... next time I'm robbing someone's house.
Wesley Lawson
Funny, Crackheads don't read much and a serious crook doesn't hit houses, unless they know you have the Hope Diamond.
artcat 742
I certainly didn’t have the Hope Diamond, yet my house was hit.
qwerty
i like all the ideas thanks a lot
by
qwerty
Wesley Lawson
I intalled an electical breaker box in the garage with no breaker in it and use it as a valubles storage area.
FeNiX
...unless, like in the movies, the would-be thieves have bigger or more nefarious plans than just a quick "in-and-out" robbery and decide to strike while you're still at home by heading straight for your breaker box (with night vision goggles on) to cut your power and leave you with limited visibility and no phone line to call out! ... haha... I'm totally kidding though... just being silly with far-fetched movie-type scenarios!!
Chris Phillips
I don't see anything "far-fetched" about crooks going for the breaker box when they know that the house has peoplele asleep in it. They know that their victims are much more dangerous than the police..
john deprai
here in italy we have smarter thieves,they use metal detector
Mustafa
Cover ur items with aluminum 😀
Helga
Lol
Anthony
smart in Italy?? Metal detectors for paper money??? Really Smart.
ism
perhaps it detects jewelry and some coins
Marie leclair
Metsl detector?! In Canada we build houses with nails in the wood, and rebar in cement. Metal junction boxes etc...beep...beep, beep...beep
FeNiX
...obviously the OP means the thieves there use metal detectors to find keys hidden near doors!
Mohammad
What if the thief he want to eat lettuce...???
Haha
What use a lettuce eater have for money?
Debra L Cole
You just made me laugh, Mohammed. It is snowing, cold, and 0 degrees. Bored and nothing to do. Good Joke. Ha! Ha! Ha! I have a friend who buries his money in the yard in Mason Jars. Sometimes he forgets where he buried them! LOL
DeeBella
Did it ever occur to you that you now just shared these "secrets" with the world?! Great job! Give people more ideas & you'll have to come up with some more "DIY SECRET HIDING PLACES"! Unbelievable!
Floria
DeeBella and TlalocW, I agree with your mocking sense of humour 🙂 🙂 🙂
Please do bite my eye if I ever share publicly my home security tricks with anybody. Or my computer's password. Or the PINcode of my credit card. Or...
Denise
Really you two are that uptight....just suggestions ! How many thieves are really on this site reading??? Why be negative mr/mrs. Debbie or Dick Downer!!!!!! Jeez
FeNiX
Agreed Denise!! Not only that, but out of ALL the people a burglar would choose to rob, how many of those victims would've *actually* seen this article and put these ideas to use? Geez DeeBella, get a life! Ever occur to you to not be a grumpy, cynical, stick-in-the-mud on other people's blog pages when they're taking the time to share info and tips in the spirit of HELPING others, regardless of whether *you* think they help or not?? Keep giving people more grief and maybe you'll start feeling like you're actually doing something worthwhile with your time browsing online! Unbelievable!!
darlene
all of these idea's are great, and I have learned a lot from all of you. just because you have put to paper(so to speak) does not mean that any of us will use any of these idea's. I have already thought of a really good place for mine and I will keep it myself, but I did appreciate all of the idea's put forth. Thank you
Reba
Hide up valuables in a zip lock bag in the bottom of a canister of flour.
msjbhall
Lots of great ideas, I need to try some. As it is now, unfortunately, I often forget my hiding places unless I have to use the item occasionally.
Mary Anne
I used to come home with a lot of money every day I worked. There were teenagers in and out of the house visiting and I would hide my money "in plain site" under a place mat in kitchen I mean right close . never hid it in my room. That woulda been first place to look. They never found it ever.
Beth
Very smart!
When I worked as a waitress, I would put my tips in a decorative box on my dresser in my bedroom. Nobody knew it was there. Once a week, I would go to the bank and deposit my money. Like Mary Anne said, it was in plain sight. I didn't have teens in and out of my home so I wasn't worried about that.
FRan
Yes, Sherlock Holmes always said always hide your most valuable things in plain sight.
Anonymous
the first "detective story" is generally credited to Edgar Allan Poe's "the purloined letter", in the stolen item was hidden in plain sight on a desk. fun fact!
gabe itches
But The point is that Sherlock Holmes is more known for... I-
Beth
If you have valuables that you don't want to risk having stolen and don't need often, you can get a safe box at your bank.
For things that you want to have around (extra cash, jewelry, etc) there are lots of places to hide things in your home. In the bottom of a plastic baby wipe container, put your belongings in a plastic bag and puts wipes on top of them.
My parents hid an extra key to their house under a table on their porch; you couldn't see it but we knew where to find it.
My husband and I kept an extra key to the house in an outside storage building after our very young children locked me out of the house one day and couldn't unlock the door.
There are a lot of great ideas on this site. With a little thinking, everyone has a few places to hide valuables. In the back of your freezer under a bunch of bagged vegetables.
ism
don't put them in a safe in the master bedroom. our safe left through a smashed sliding glass door. it was a damn heavy safe too. only sad about the sentimentals.
Stephen
Need to bolt the safe securely to the floor so it cannot be moved, even though it is heavy.
D. Brissette
Put your valuables in a safe deposit box and your money in a savings account...
don't leave valuables in the house......
Liz
Absolutely right! - except in my house, I must have some emergency cash that sometimes I cannot even find. 🙂
Gina Cox
But we all have valuables that can never be replaced with money, like jewellery gifts, or precious mementos, insurance docs etc. I wouldn't pay out for a box at the bank for those - not sure if I can even get one at a surburban bank in Australia, and I just love the idea of secret compartments - they are so cool! Especially if you can make them yourself, like adding a secret drawer to a desk to put wills in, that is so cool, I plan to do that on the desk I am renovating. Great article ??
Andrew
A professional burglar will quickly find places where people usually hide valuables. Hidden place in the picture, wall clocks or books, it’s common thieves know about the most popular places. And in support of my words an interview with a professional burglar here http://simplisafe.com/blog/burglar-reveals-15-trade-secrets-look-mind-burglar
However, if you have a small apartment, then you have almost no places to hide the values, and in this case you can use the ready-made things, and I found a couple of ideas here https://secretstorages.com/17-best-concealed-gun-storage/
I do not know, it seems to me that a good shelter should be designed during the construction phase of the house. And it should look really unnoticeable, the thief should not have any suspicions. And, for example, you can open this shelter with a pin. I like how these guys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nv21kNrY3c&feature=youtu.be do it. It really looks invisible, the only problem is that not only the owner knows about these hidden places, but other people who built these shelters also know about them. Therefore, there are no ideal hidden places.
Sadie
If possible make your home look bad on the outside or at least the cheapest house on the block. Drive an older car..the inside can look very nice but keep curtains closed if not home..
most importantly can you grab the money and run if you have to evacuate? I can thick of lots of places to hide things but they may not be accessible if you have to leave in 10 minutes. Think: bad weather hurricane, tornado, mudslides, fires.
Bree
Sadie, your comment is the most intelligent one posted here. Grab & run in an emergency is the #1 consideration for valuables, second consideration is what would happen in the case of death - most of these hiding places would hide the valuables like FOREVER (if no one else knew about the hiding place)! I wouldn't want my hard saved cash to be lost forever until the day the house gets torn down, if it could benefit my loved ones. A bank safe deposit box is about the most secure place (a tornado blew away our local credit union except for the vault & safe dep boxes which stood strong & secure) but keeping $ in them is illegal, if you die then it all goes to probate court, it isn't easily accesssible (my vintage family Bible is my most prized possession but i'm not going to lock it away where i can't read it frequently!)
I guess a lot of this depends on just what is valuable and what is replaceable.; what we want/need to keep with us and what we want stored away.
FeNiX
Both of your comments are true Sadie and Bree, which is why I think it's good to have somewhere to hide valuables in one's home, since having to make a quick run for it in an emergency situation doesn't give one time to get to the bank first.
As for not wanting hidden items to be lost forever in the event of death, I'm sure those details could be added to a will... or if one doesn't trust their lawyer I'd imagine a note can be sealed in a tamper-proof envelope and kept together with the will. If that will is left in the trust of a lawyer or whoever is guardian of it then (if checking up on it every now and then) it'd be apparent if the envelope's been messed with (mind you, I have no idea where/how or with whom people typically leave their wills for safe-keeping, other than perhaps in a safety deposit box).
Bob the Burglar
Being a professional burglar I thank you for this valuable information. It pays to browse :p
Julia
Bob the Burglar, will you come to my house and help me find the good stuff I hid and now can't find. It was a good idea at the time I thought.
Anonymous
haha Bob the burglar
secretstorages.com
Hidden stash in the door is a very smart idea.
Bree
mattresses?? seriously?? thats like the LEAST secure place to hide valuables! ... a lady went into the hospital and while she was there her daughter lovingly threw out her old mattresses and bought her new ones. the woman was devastated because she had hidden like $30,000 in her mattress, that the daughter didn't know about!
Bree
... and the first place theives look is in between mattresses!
Lily
I have a can of foot spray that has a removable bottom. Even my passport fits inside. I just keep it in the bathroom cabinet. I've also heard of keeping cash etc in a Tampax box. Ha!
QWERTY
Don't forget to hide your Passwords too!
TroppoBellaonEtsy
Obviously burglary have access to the internet, so none of these ideas are truly safe. Come up with your own. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to think of a clever hiding spot.
k8fearsnoart
This list isn't even a newer (less than ten years old) one. It's been traded and published on many, many sites...hell, even the same pictures are used! Still, it's a good springboard for one to become inspired and make their own spots for hiding things.
k8fearsnoart
Something people always forget with stuff like this is to always keep things even. By that, I mean either evenly dusty/dirty, or evenly clean and shiny with the space around the hiding spot.
My husband does estate clean-outs, and I've found hidden things simply because everything else around the spot was dusty or grimy, except for the oddly clean bit where there was access...or, oddly grimy from being used so often over the years! Not just there, but also check the flooring around the spot; most people don't have worn carpeting right up against a bookcase or a seemingly flat wall!
One time, while helping some friends move their mother's belongings from one home to another, my husband discovered $14,000 that was hidden! It was wonderful seeing our friends' eyes when presented with it a few moments later. My husband gave the cash to their pre-teen son to give to them, and it was just really awesome! (So was the lunch we were treated to following that discovery!)
One last tip: try going around your house on your knees, or scooting around on your butt as you are trying to think of good hiding spots. Seeing things from three feet up is a LOT different from standing at 5-6' up. The majority of burglars are going to be taller than 3 feet high, so won't be thinking to look inside of baseboard registers or under the very back of a sink; they will presume valuables to be hidden in a spot they can see while standing, not behind the toeboards of your kitchen counters or taped underneath your dining room table. That's all for now, I need to sleep! Take care, and I hope that none of you will ever need to be grateful for hiding your valuables cleverly! Take care.
craftygirl32
these are great but did you ever think about the fridge? you should try some string art it is so fun and cute thanks!!
Bing
My password is the last six numbers of Pi.
Bing
Put cash in a plastic bag and place in the bottom of a dirty cat litter box. Yuck!
Instigr
That’s the best one I ever heard! I’ll have to use that!
Icecream53
I’m a kid and I need a place to hide my money from my broether got any suggestions?
rJ
What does your brother dislike? Maybe try to hide your money in a particular food box, or game box that he wouldln't be interested in?
Icecream53
Thanks!
burgled
My house was burgled, and my valuables weren't found
I have an alarm and the burglars knew that, and still came in with the alarm screaming and did a "fast grab" before my security people arrived.
This method is 1. Main bedroom, tip out all drawers contents onto the floor, flip over the bed, take off pillowcases, check pockets of all clothing, picture frames kicked through, carpet torn away from walls, all furniture pushed over, and the backs kicked in. 2. bathroom= toilet cistern top removed, bathroom cabinet tipped out, wall mirror smashed 3 hall cupboards emptied 4. Kitchen, all cupboards emptied, ALL FOOD CONTAINERS emptied onto the floor, fridge emptied (luckily all "liquid" containers emptied into the sink...), fridge moved away from wall 5 loungeroom=cushions CUT, back of lounges CUT, picture frames off walls, backs kicked in, bookshelf tipped over, tv cabinet tipped over 6 laundry= kitty litter tipped out, all storage areas rifled
and the list goes on.
We assume there was more than one person because they were in and out before security arrived in just over 10 minutes.
My spare key= there are 3. One at my mothers house, 1 each brother/sister. If I had to leave my key outside I would bury it in a public park. That way if it were found they wouldnt know which house in what street. Im guessing you could ask a neighbor to hide your key on their property and theirs on yours.
My hiding place? there isnt one really but...
EMERGENCY cash can be glued inside 2 sheets of paper, and that paper can be used "decoratively" in plain sight.
Cash that you have at home is best inside walls. False walls/hidden walls, inside door frames.
Or inside something of absolutely NO value to a theif, like an old answering machine or digital alarm clock. empty it out and put things inside that, making sure NOTHING rattles. Theives arent likely to take anything they cant resell.
Honestly the BEST option is to install wifi cameras. These cost around $200 and dont need monitoring (no further costs). The images are sent to your phone so you can see exactly whats happening, and its recorded.
Burglars tend to stay away from homes with wifi cameras. They never know if your neighbors are on hand...
you can even install a speaker so you can "talk" to them before they break in, so they think you're home.
I think the biggest issue is hiding things when you're staying in a motel, or sharing accomodation.
oh, and what was stolen was a plastic storage tub full of vhs tapes, cds & dvds. We think because the theives thought we may have stashed things in these covers.
Cleaning the house and fixing everything cost more than the loss would have been IF they'd found my hidden cash.
My next suggestion is to put a jewellry box full of FAKE jewels in plain sight in your bedroom, and a small amount of cash in plain site in the kitchen.
If they find that, they'll assume there's nothing hidden and leave without ransacking and destroying your house.
PS you CAN buy "movie prop" cash to put in your plain site cash area.
James
Thanks for your input... Sorry for your loss (destroying your home)
E
Never Hide anything or build stash spaces behind pictures or in pictures. It is one of the first places thieves look! It is the worst advice to give someone for securing or hiding possessions. That section should be removed.
Michlle
Almost every “heist” movie used to show thieves heading straight to the picture on the wall and the safe behind it.
Just be sure you remember where you hid it, a friend accidentally gave her jewelry away when she donated it, another never found it….