Having a home safe for storing cash, jewelry, family photos, and other valuables can give you peace of mind. However, you need more than just a safe — professional burglars know how to find safes and crack into them. That's why you need to be creative when hiding your safe instead of simply storing it underneath a bed. Here are seven ways to conceal a safe in your home, including our favorite: a hidden door.
1. In Your Basement or Attic
Do you have a basement or attic that isn't easy to access? Attics, especially, are ideal hiding places — most burglars would rather search the rooms in your house and not worry about getting up into an attic or down into a basement. If you use your attic or basement, consider hiding your safe in a large cardboard box with a false label, such as "old clothes to donate." Both physical security and misdirection are good ways to conceal a safe.
2. Inside Old Electronics or Household Equipment
Another way you can hide your safe is by using an object with a cavity that's large enough to contain it. For example, you could use an old computer tower, printer, or vacuum cleaner. This way, your valuables are hidden in items that are visible, yet unassuming, to burglars.
3. Inside a Wall
If you have a small safe, you could hide it inside a wall. After cutting out a section of a wall (between the wall studs), place the safe into the opening and put a decoy air vent cover over it. Another option is using a fake electricity outlet for your cover.
If you use a picture frame to camouflage a safe that's concealed in the wall, hang more than one photo or painting. Why is this a key step? Because using only one photo looks too obvious.
4. Under the Floor
Having a safe that's mounted underneath the floor provides room for hiding several valuables. This also makes it nearly impossible for thieves to remove your stored items. To hide your underground, floor-mounted safe, use a rug or put furniture over the area. A hidden safe door in an unlikely location adds an extra level of protection.
5. In a Closet
Some homeowners use a closet to install their home wall safe. Just be sure to hang a lot of trousers, shirts and other garments in front of the safe. Although most burglars look in bedrooms first, it can still be a safe space. Once a safe is sealed in a closet wall, it can be too difficult to break into or get out.
6. On a Garage Shelf
If you have a garage with shelves containing a lot of tools, boxes, and other items, consider hiding your safe there. The messier the shelves, the safer your safe. It's a good idea to conceal your safe in a box marked as "tools" to fool burglars.
7. Within a Murphy Door (A Hidden Door)
One of the best ways to conceal a safe is inside a Murphy door. Even if you haven't heard of a Murphy door, you've most likely heard about the concept behind it. Put simply, a Murphy door is a hidden door or bookcase door that looks like a regular bookshelf. In other words, it's a secret door that serves more than one purpose. Besides functioning as a door, a Murphy door saves space and is an excellent way to hide a home safe.
Considerations and Warnings
When you're browsing for the best ways to conceal a safe at home, keep these factors in mind:
- Home safes come in several sizes and styles. Basic small safes, which are the most common home safes, can weigh from five to 25 pounds. There are even some that are small enough to fit into a drawer.
- Larger home safes can weigh from 80 to 250 pounds and are usually constructed of steel.
- The three primary kinds of home safes include safes for theft protection, safes for fire protection, and those designed for both theft and fire protection.
- There are various lock options for safes. Besides a standard key lock, safes can be locked using a remote control, a biometric finger scan, or other options.
To find out more about the many benefits of a Murphy door, contact us. We carry a variety of Murphy doors with locking drawers and hidden spaces to conceal valuables.
