10 Secret Hiding Places to Store Your Valuables at Home
These sneaky hiding spots will keep burglars guessing
Protecting against home burglaries is an unfortunate part of homeownership. Whether you have a stash of expensive jewelry, valuable family heirlooms, or a wad of emergency cash, keep it in a safe space to prevent theft. Putting your valuables in a secret hiding spot will discourage burglars from peering through your windows, looking for something to steal. And if a thief does break into your house, they won’t be able to find what they’re looking for.
1. Hide Valuables in Your Kids’ Rooms
Burglars who make their way into your house search for prized possessions to sell. It makes sense that burglars won’t think to ransack your kids’ bedrooms, especially ones filled with toys and clutter. Go ahead and hide a valuable item here, but make sure to keep it high up on a shelf where your kid won’t be able to get to it either.
2. Make a DIY Mason Jar Hiding Spot
You can hide small items, like pieces of jewelry or cash, inside a DIY mason jar hiding spot. Place the valuables you need to hide in a toilet paper roll, then place the toilet paper roll in a mason jar. Stand it up and situate it in the center of the jar, then fill it with pieces of candy, potpourri, or even dog treats. But don’t fill it with a liquid, or you run the risk of ruining your valuable item.
Now, your belongings are hidden from plain sight—and only you will know there’s something secret inside the jar. You can hide the jar itself or put it out in plain sight, like on the kitchen counter.
3. Create a Book Safe
Although book safes have been around for years, they’re still effective ways to hide flat items like cash or important documents. You can make your own book safe by hollowing out a thick novel with a sharp craft knife. Then, leave it out on your coffee table or place it among other books on your bookshelf.
4. Store Documents in the Freezer
You read that right. Your freezer is a genius place to hide things because most thieves won’t ever think to look there. The cold temperature in the freezer won’t damage paper, but know that it could damage jewelry or antiques.
Wash and empty an old container like a mayo jar, and fill it with important documents and cash you want to keep hidden. Pop it in the freezer, preferably in the back, and keep your lips sealed.
5. Hide Valuables in the Toilet Tank
Toilet tanks are great for hiding larger treasures. Most people don’t want to touch the lid of a toilet tank anyway, so they won’t think to find a secret item inside it.
Place your belongings in a waterproof plastic bag, and tape it to the lid of the toilet tank. Check on it at least once a month to make sure the inside of the bag isn’t getting wet.
6. Open Up a Wall Clock
Intruders won’t expect to find anything valuable in a wall clock. As long as the clock itself isn’t worth stealing, it makes a perfect secret hiding spot. Hide your valuables in plain sight by opening up the back of your clock and placing them inside.
7. Stash Your Belongings in the Doghouse
If you have kids or are constantly locking yourself out of the house, it might be wise to have a spare key hidden somewhere outside. But hiding it under the mat or a potted plant on your porch is overdone, meaning a burglar trying to get into your house will look in those spots first.
For a more secretive locale, consider the doghouse. Tuck the key somewhere inside or outside the doghouse, like underneath the roof shingles. But make sure it’s somewhere Fido won’t find and swallow the key, or you could be left with an expensive vet bill and a sick pet.
8. Install a Secret Room
If you have a lot of valuables to hide (or expensive trinkets), install a hidden door to a secret room in your house. You can turn an existing spare room or closet into a secret room or build one from the ground up. Typically, these rooms have reinforced walls and doors with hidden doorways that can withstand force and a security system that alerts police.
According to HomeAdvisor, building a secret room costs $800 to $50,000, depending on the size of the room and what safety features you choose.
9. Hide Items in Plain Sight in the Garage
When looking for valuables, thieves are less likely to ransack your garage than, say, your office or family room, where you’re more likely to store expensive electronics, documents, cash, and valuable heirlooms. That makes your garage an ideal place to keep things hidden. Keep your valuables safe by tucking them inside boxes, marking them with unassuming labels like “holiday decorations” or “camping gear.”
You can also hide things in a bag and place them in an empty paint can or at the bottom of a toolbox.
10. Stash Goods in a Fake Outlet
Before targeting a house, burglars can look up how to crack open a home safe. Keep them on their toes and away from your things by hiding your valuables somewhere they’ll never think to look. Hide possessions in fake versions of home fixtures, like outlet covers. It’s like having a safe in your wall.
Avoid using an existing outlet that’s wired to your electrical system. Sticking flammable objects like cash or paper documents near an active electrical outlet is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, use a utility knife to cut a hole in your wall just big enough to hold a container but small enough to hide behind an outlet cover. Hide small items, like a treasured jewelry piece or a small wad of emergency cash, in the container and cover it with the outlet cover for an easy DIY fake outlet. When you need to access your valuables, just unscrew and remove the outlet.