We might think we’ve chosen unique spots to hide our valuables, but an experienced thief can prove you wrong. The reality is, people tend to choose the same places to hide their most coveted items, and burglars will soon sniff them out. To keep your home safe when you head out of town, keep a note of these 26 places thieves check for valuables.
Next To Windows And Doors
Burglars will enter a home the only way they can, via windows or doors. They’ll try to save time by checking these entry points first, scanning for jewellery, watches, or keys that the owner has placed on the nearest table.
Dresser Drawers
Many people hide valuables amongst folded clothes in their dresser drawers. But however deep you hide a stack of money between your jumpers, burglars are very aware of this trick.
Closets
It’s easy for a thief to rifle between coat hangers looking for items of value. They’ll check pockets first, before scouting for any hidden boxes or drawers in your bedroom closet.
Blanket Cupboards
People assume that a burglar will see a closet filled with folded bedding and look the other way. As with dresser drawers and closets, piles of blankets are easy to manoeuvre and search for concealed items.
The Garage
Accessing a home via an attached garage is a common tactic among burglars. Even if this isn’t their entry point, you can be sure a thief will check your garage for anything stored there.
The Shed or Summerhouse
Garden sheds and summerhouses are fairly easy to break into. Often, a single padlock is the only thing preventing a thief from gaining access. Because homeowners think a burglar won’t bother to ransack the shed, they might hide valuables there instead of in the house, but this could prove disastrous.
Suitcases and Backpacks
Suitcases or backpacks that aren’t in use can make a convenient place to store valuables, and burglars are aware of this. Backpacks in particular are usually left lying around near the front door or in bedrooms, making them easy targets.
The Coat Rack
Jacket pockets are often the first place we stuff extra cash, keys, or small devices. If you’ve got a filled coat rack, the chances are a burglar will check each pocket fastidiously.
Pots and Vases
Because they’re decorative and sometimes unassuming items, people will hide valuables in pots and vases. But they’re also easily smashed open, and anything hidden inside will soon come tumbling out.
The Liquor Cabinet
Oftentimes, thieves will take whatever they can find that is of some value, including alcohol. While a bottle of whiskey is easy to replace, a selection of values stored in the liquor cabinet certainly isn’t.
The Oven
Before going out of town, some homeowners decide to hide prized possessions in the oven. As nobody will be using it while they’re away, it seems like a safe and unique place to hide things from would-be thieves. In reality, the oven is somewhere burglars often check as they’re quick to open.
Under the Mattress
The age-old habit of hiding cash underneath the mattress might’ve worked decades ago, but it certainly doesn’t now. It’s common knowledge among burglars that valuables are kept underneath mattresses, and this is one of the first places they look.
Kitchen Cupboards And Containers
An empty cereal packet might seem like a genius disguise for hidden valuables, but many people have the same thought process. This likely isn’t a burglar’s first rodeo, and they will have seen all manner of unlikely hiding places.
The Office
Your office is likely home to various important documents and high-value items stashed in its many drawers. As a hub for work, a home office will be among the first places a burglar will check.
The Freezer
This one might seem strange, but storing valuables in the freezer is by no means a new trick. Homeowners seek to bamboozle burglars by keeping cash in airtight bags and storing them behind frozen food items. But an experienced thief knows this tactic well.
Picture Frames
Hiding cash or jewellery behind a picture frame is another common practice that rarely fools thieves. Like vases, frames are easy to smash and expose whatever’s inside.
The Medicine Cabinet
Prescription drugs can be sold easily, placing your medicine cabinet firmly on a burglar’s radar. While medication can be replaced easily, make sure not to store anything of value in the same cabinet.
Electrical Boxes
Electric boxes can seem like an unassuming place to hide smaller items of value, especially if located out of sight. But unless it’s locked and you’ve taken the key with you, this is another spot a burglar will check.
Shoe Boxes
Those with an over-filled jewellery box might choose shoe boxes to house extra items. More commonly, these boxes contain expensive shoes that a burglar could easily sell. After all, they’ll be scanning for anything of value.
Shopping Bags
When they break into a closet, thieves will scan for shopping bags, especially if they feature designer brand logos. It’s important to remember that burglars aren’t just looking for cash or small electronics. They’ll happily take expensive gifts you’re trying to hide from your partner.
An Unhidden Safe
Storing important documents and items in a safe is by no means a bad idea. But burglars are tempted to take the whole thing with them if it’s easily visible and mobile. Try planting a portable diversion safe, or concealing it out of plain sight.
Pots and Pans
Pots and pans are often stored away in the kitchen cupboard and may be piled atop each other. You might think a burglar won’t bother checking your heaviest casserole dishes, but you’d be wrong.
Bedside Tables
For easy access, most people keep important items on their nightstands, from keys and rings to backup cash. If you’ve left a tablet or Kindle at home before heading out of town, they’ll likely be placed on your bedside table.
Underwear Drawers
It’s never nice to picture someone rifling through a stranger’s underwear drawer. But from a burglar’s perspective, this is where many people hide envelopes of cash or item or their most coveted jewellery items.
Toilet Tanks
It might seem a little odd, but hiding items in toilet tanks is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Provided valuables are stored in a water-tight bag or container, toilet tanks aren’t exactly eye-catching. Over the years, however, burglars have cottoned on to this trick.
Under The Bed
If a burglar is rifling through the master bedroom, they’ll know to check under the bed. It’s down there that we keep valuables in boxes and family heirlooms squirrelled away.
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