|
2torial #0526:
Learn2 Stash Stuff Discreetly
Safe-ty first!
Anyone who has ever left for vacation has spent
time considering where in their homes to hide their
valuables. Well, chances are that a thief has spent
even more time pondering where valuables are likely
to be hid. All things considered, a safety deposit
box in a bank vault is still the best place to keep
jewelery and other valuables, but there are some
places around your home that make terrific hiding
places for important items.
There are some places where experienced thieves
are sure to look, such as inside top drawers,
underneath any drawer, and behind wall art in the
den or bedroom. We suggest you take care to avoid
these obvious, or rather popular, caches.
It's a good idea to wrap items in plastic before
stashing them. Most of our suggestions are for
small objects that can be held in your hand. Take
time to look around your place for spaces where you
can hide things unobtrusively. You want places that
are easily overlooked and will not be disturbed
accidentally by a houseguest or neighborhood pet.
The following suggestions are less obvious
places than the ones mentioned above, but remember
that a determined thief with enough time will
probably find what you have in your home. What
you're doing here is buying time, hoping that any
burglar will be disturbed before getting to your
good stuff.
 Hide it easily
Look for easily accessible places, created with
a minimum of fuss, which are also easily overlooked
by the casual observer. Some good examples of these
places are:
- Bulk dry goods such as jars of rice and
flour can hide small valuables and be kept out
of the way on the back shelf.
- Condiment containers, such as mustard and
mayonnaise jars in your refrigerator, can also
hold small items.
- Aspirin or brown pill bottles inside the
medicine cabinet can be a good bet.
- Packages of frozen vegetables can be thawed,
and refrozen with items inside them.
Tennis balls with a small slit in them will
return to their original shape. Squeeze the ball to
open and stuff, then scatter it among others at the
back of a closet.
- Vacuum cleaner bags can hide baggies with
valuables inside them.
- Stuffed animals can be cut open (gently, and
not around young children) and used as unlikely
containers. Cut along a seam, stuff and resew
Teddy before returning him to his friends.
- Ceiling light fixtures can be unscrewed, and
small valuables may be placed within the
electrical box underneath (kudos to John D.
MacDonald).
- Composite "rocks" that have latchable,
enclosed spaces within are available through
mail-order catalogs. They can be placed outside
in the garden.
 Create a more permanent hiding
spot
These places require a bit more preparation to
become effective hidden containers.
- Book safe: glue most of the pages of an old,
uninteresting hardcover book together. Use a
coping saw to cut a hollow area out of the
middle. Drill starter holes for the saw. Then
glue the box made with the pages to the back
cover and let dry thoroughly. Stash on your
bookshelf among other books.
- Steps and flooring have natural hollow
spaces underneath. Carpentry skills are required
to effectively create a seamless surface that
escapes detection.
- Hollowcore doors can have sections cut out
of the hinge edge to give access to the space
within the door. Use the cut-out piece as a
plug.
- The tops of poster beds unscrew. Hollow
spaces can be drilled out in the posts
themselves.
Commercial wall and floor safes should be
installed by a professional, and are effective at
drastically slowing down the unprepared casual
thief.
-end-
Learn More!
| 
