As we approach the summer holiday season, many of us will be spending time out of town for a well-deserved break. But for burglars, this is their busiest time of the year, and they’ll be staying local to take advantage of unprotected houses. Wondering where to hide your valuables and fool a potential thief? Here are 21 expert hiding spots to fool even the most adept burglar.
Behind a Power Outlet
Fake power outlets can be easily purchased online and make a sneaky place to store small valuables. While some burglars know of this trick, they’re unlikely to check every single outlet in the house. Choose somewhere inconspicuous for your fake outlet, such as behind a plant pot or large furniture.
Hollowed-Out Books
You can either buy pre-hollowed books or create a fun DIY project for yourself. Hollowing out books you no longer read provides an inconspicuous place for valuables and has the added benefit of repurposing unwanted items.
Hidden Sofa Storage
Every burglar knows to rip apart sofa cushions for hidden valuables, but they rarely bother to check the underside of a sofa. Furniture stores such as Ikea sell various hidden compartments that you can add to your sofa. You can also create your own zipper-fastened compartment in the underside of any sofa or chair.
Floating Shelf Storage
The average floating shelf can hold a lot of weight if installed correctly, allowing you to stash away numerous important items. Wall fixings are hidden within the shelf board, creating a sneaky drawer that can look surprisingly seamless.
Behind a Loose Brick
You may have a wall in your house or garden where a brick has come loose. Ordinarily, this would be annoying, but a wobbly brick can provide a great hiding spot for valuables while you’re out of town. Simply stuff the hole with anything you want to hide and place the brick back in a natural position.
Fake Plumbing Pipes
To fool burglars, many homeowners are investing in fake plumbing that acts as storage, from a single fake pipe to an entire system. It’s unlikely a thief will go to the trouble of dismantling your bathroom, especially as they are under time constraints.
Behind Ceiling Panels
Unless they’re expert climbers, a burglar will rarely look in out-of-reach places for valuables, preferring to scan at eye level. What could be harder to get to than a ceiling panel?
Lettuce Storage
Perhaps the quirkiest hiding place to date, someone had the idea to design a safe disguised as lettuce. These lifelike safes can store a surprising number of valuables and look inconspicuous surrounded by other kitchen vegetables.
Secret Rocks
While it’s time-consuming and tricky to hollow out a real rock, you can buy the next best thing: a fake rock that doubles as storage. These secret rocks are designed to blend in among your plant pots or in your garden, fooling the most observant burglar.
Fake VHS Tapes
If you already have a collection of vintage VHS tapes, why not add a couple of fake additions to use as storage? Fake tapes are inexpensive ways to hide valuables and make a natural addition to any retro living room.
Clock Safes
Put your bedside timekeeper or ancient grandfather clock to good use by using it as a hidden safe. Simply open the clock and find a small space to store a few items. Just remember to put it back exactly as it was, so it doesn’t look tampered with.
Inside Paint Cans
If you’ve recently decorated, you likely have a few empty paint cans lying about the house or in the garden shed. These can make for excellent hiding places, especially when stacked behind full paint cans in the back of your garage.
Inside Pet Products
Another great diversion safe is empty, cleaned pet products stashed away in a kitchen cupboard. Few burglars will think you’ve chosen a bag of cat litter or a can of dog food to store your most precious belongings. Just be sure to thoroughly clean these containers before using them as hiding places.
Vacuum Cleaner Bags
If you’re out of town for a while, it’s unlikely your beloved vacuum will see any action. Why not put it to use as a sneaky hiding place and store valuables in the cleaner bags? Just remember not to throw them away when you return from vacation.
Winter Jacket Pockets
While thieves might raid the closet in search of items, they rarely bother to rifle through coat pockets, especially during summer. They’ll assume that anything worth having is stored in your season-appropriate clothing.
False Drawer Bottoms
Frawers might be a popular spot for burglars, but they won’t think to look for a false bottom or hidden compartment. Rather than buying a new set with hidden compartments, you could tape cash or other valuables to the underside of the drawer.
Behind Artwork
Thieves often won’t check behind staple art pieces, scanning instead for wall safes or shelves. This trick might involve creating a hole in the wall behind the artwork, but it’ll be worth it to protect your valuables.
Behind Bathroom Tiles
The bathroom may be a common place to hide valuables, but many homeowners remove a few bathroom tiles and place items behind them. A burglar won’t have time to pull apart the bathroom wall and check behind each tile.
Computer Keyboard Storage
Jewellery and any extra cash will fit perfectly inside a hollowed-out computer keyboard, which is an inexpensive purchase. While this won’t help if someone decides to steal your computer, this is a great option for anyone with an old desktop that’s less tempting to thieves.
Fake Food Cans
Experienced burglars are known to check kitchen cupboards, but they won’t assume that you’ve stored valuables in perfectly good cans of food. Buy some fake food cans online to really confuse a would-be thief.
Ironing Board Storage
Whether your ironing board is propped safely in the laundry closet or out in the open, it’s rare for a burglar to bother ripping it apart. To make your ironing board into a safe place for valuables, you could create a compartment in the underneath, or tape cash to the underside.
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