If you want to keep your valuables hidden from burglars, it’s important to learn the worst places to hide valuables. A common hiding spot can make you an easy target for thieves looking to steal the things most precious to you.
The best way to keep your items safe is by not placing them in the hiding spots on this list. Once you learn the worst hiding spots, you can find a location that is better for your valuables.
If you choose any of the hiding spots on this list for your valuables, you may be putting your things at risk. Keep reading further to learn more about what hiding spots you should avoid in your home.
1. Medicine Cabinet
Intruders will likely check the medicine cabinet for prescription drugs when they enter a home. Drugs like prescription painkillers are highly sought after by criminals, as they can sell them for a big profit on the black market.
If you keep valuables like cash and jewelry in a medicine cabinet, an intruder will accidentally stumble into a treasure chest. For targeted prescriptions, it’s best to keep them in a better hiding spot or a lockbox as well.
2. Drawers
A drawer in your bedroom is an easy target that most thieves will open to check for items. Unfortunately, a drawer for underwear and socks is a common location someone will hide their valuables inside.
Many believe they will never be a home invasion victim, so they leave important documents and money in a drawer. It’s best to avoid putting anything of value in the drawers unless they have a lock on them.
3. Garage
When not secured properly, a garage is an easy access point for thieves who will take advantage of it. A thief can activate the emergency pull cord and lift the garage to access your belongings.
If you have valuable items in your garage, the best option is to move them to a secure shed that you can lock with a weatherproof padlock. You should keep items with a lower value in your garage if someone enters the space.
4. Closets
Keeping valuables out of your closets should be a no-brainer, but it is a common hiding place for many things. People attempt to hide their belongings amongst a mess of clothes and hope a burglar won’t search a little deeper.
You should keep the following items outside of your closets:
- Jewelry
- Cash
- Documents
- Firearms
A solution to keeping your items hidden is creating a hidden spot behind a mirror or picture frame. You can outsmart thieves with a bit of creativity and planning for the possibility of a burglary.
5. Purses
Nothing catches the eye of a criminal more than a purse. Whether you keep your credit cards or diamond earrings in a purse, you must keep them out of view. After coming home, you should place your purses in a location that can’t be spotted easily.
You can guard your valuables if someone invades your home by taking precautions. While criminals search around your home for valuables, they will waste precious time searching for your purse.
6. Under Mattress
A classic hiding spot for money is under a mattress, making it an obvious target for a group of intruders. While it’s a convenient location to store money, you are setting yourself up to be an easy victim for criminals.
If you want to keep money near your mattress, you can improve the hiding spot by placing the money inside the mattress. However, this is still a concerning location to hide your valuables like cash.
7. Low-Quality Safe
One of the things you should never cheap out on is your security safe. If you try to protect your valuables with a low-quality product, you may be surprised that it offers no security. Some security safes don’t have proper locking mechanisms.
If you invest in a safe, you must understand it will be a target for criminals. An intruder will know there are valuables inside it, so they will test it to see if it has security weaknesses they can exploit.
8. Refrigerator or Freezer
Among the worst places to hide valuables on this list, hiding your valuables in the refrigerator isn’t the worst choice if done correctly. If you attempt to hide your items behind food, an intruder may notice it easily.
However, you can improve security by emptying a canned item and placing your valuables inside it. With limited time in your home, a criminal won’t spend the time to examine every food item to see if it’s a hiding spot.
9. Buried in The Backyard
Burying money in the ground has been a practice since ancient times, with the Romans hiding their gold coins underground. However, this method typically doesn’t end well, with the owner forgetting where they buried their valuables.
If you have large sums of money you want to hide, the better option is to purchase a large safe. While you may think you will remember where you buried your money, you will be surprised once you try to unbury it years later.
10. Car Glovebox
With car break-ins dramatically increasing throughout the country, cars are no longer a good location to keep valuables. The only documents you should keep in your car are the registration and insurance information.
It’s best to take your money and other valuables into your home daily to avoid someone taking them. Additionally, you should keep your car’s glovebox locked so someone can’t gain unauthorized access.
11. Laundry Basket
While you may think your dirty clothes will deter burglars, you would be surprised at the lengths a criminal will go for your valuables. An intruder will look through your clothing to search for designer brands and see your valuables at the bottom.
It’s best to keep your valuables in a location that a criminal will likely not check during their invasion. If you want to find the best hiding spots, you need to get into the mindset of a potential intruder.
12. Suitcase
Suitcases can be easily picked up and taken out of a home within seconds. The last place you should store large sums of cash is a suitcase. Criminals can easily bypass the locking mechanism of a suitcase to access your belongings.
If you need a portable way to transport money, you should keep the suitcase in a large bank-style safe. A security safe bolted to the floor can prevent the easy theft common with a suitcase.
13. Nightstand
Nightstands should never have valuable items in them, as they are a target for most criminals when accessing a bedroom. While they search your room for items, a nightstand will likely be a part of the search.
You should make finding your precious belongings as hard as possible for people. With some effort, you can save yourself from large financial losses and keep the things that matter most to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
A burglar typically enters a home and looks for valuables in the owner’s bedroom. Criminals will open drawers and closets while searching for items like jewelry or cash. If a burglar can’t find items in the bedroom, they may move to other areas like the kitchen or garage in search of valuables.
While every thief is different, the most common items an intruder is looking for are jewelry or money. If you have electronics in the bedrooms, like game consoles or laptops, a criminal will likely take them. Always keep your items hidden or in a security safe to avoid being a target of theft.
Never hide your valuables in obvious locations such as drawers, closets, or under the bed. These locations are typically the first areas an intruder will look for when entering your property. It would be best to hide your valuables in hard-to-find locations or a secure lockbox bolted to a surface.
Conclusion
Many areas in your home make for excellent places to hide your valuables. However, many hiding places have become too common to be effective against a criminal. The worst places to hide valuables in this article are locations everyone knows about and won’t protect your items.
Knowing what areas to avoid in your home is equally important as where to hide your valuables. With the worst places to hide valuables in mind, you can now make more informed decisions for your items.