Ha ha. Just say away from my house man. In the dark a burgler would feel a hard punch on his chest. Then a burning sensation on his back. Then he would feel liquid running down his chest and back. Then, the demons would appear and scare him half to death. He would feel strong claws on his soul as he was dragged to hell.
To make it extra safe, buy two safes and use one of them as a decoy safe. Put the decoy in an obvious spot and put heavy stones inside to make it hard for the thief so he's less likely to come looking for more
How about a decoy safe? One that is not really hidden very well, and full of rocks? If they carry it away, they will get a nice surprise after opening it.
Wouldn't the first thing a crook do would be to go back to this same house a month or two later and find the more valuable safe that this home owner went thru grate efforts to "decoy" in the first place? Must have a super valuable safe if such lengths were gone to in the first place.
Funny you should mention this. I used to work at an office where we had an old safe about the size of a small chest freezer. No one had the key and no one knew the combinations, and it was too heavy to throw out, so we used it as a printer stand for a long time. One day a burglar came in and went straight to the safe, and pretty soon he realized that it was too heavy to remove from the office, but he managed to move it to the middle of the room and must have spent hours trying to pry it open without success. In the process he left a lot of dents and scratches on the safe and broke a few floor tiles, but we didn't lose anything valuable, not even the computers.
The 3 most ingeniously hidden safes this old Plumber has seen- Basement wall safe with a sheet of plywood leaned in front of it. A false panel in a closet, that shortened the entire end wall of the closet- held in place by magnets, it used a small finger hole to pop it open to expose the safe. A 30 gallon galvanized trashcan, complete with a trash bag hanging out from under the lid- The can had a floor safe in it, and was poured full of concrete.
There probably aren't any available test data, but I wonder how a floor safe embedded in concrete in a trash can would fare in a house fire, especially in protecting heat-sensitive contents like paper records, photo film and computer media. I expect it would do a better job of keeping the contents dry, as it would be situated above grade and the door of the safe would stay above water in case of minor flooding if a water pipe should leak or burst. Intriguing idea.
@@LocksmithRecommended The best way is misdirected. Buy cheap safe put it in the master bedroom with garage sale jewelry. The real safe is a sewage pipe stub in the basement. Who going to open a sewage cap looking for money.
@@assassinlexx1993 My grandfather put a safe in the basement. Stuff was never stolen but the cash he put in there, quite literally, decomposed and it had to be sent to the federal reserve bank to be identified. He estimated that he lost about 10K of bills that could not be identified, but the rest was recovered. It took close to 3 years from beginning to end to get the money back.
Back in the 70's and 80's, I had a truck driving job in Brisbane, Queensland, delivering groceries to small, owner-operated supermarkets. Burglar alarms weren't all that common back then, so grocery stores were often broken into and the most popular item stolen wasn't money, but cigarettes. One store owner I knew told me how he tried everything to secure his stocks of tobacco and cigarettes, but all to no avail. He tried hiding them in behind stacks of unopened stock and in a lock-up cage, but they always found a way to steal them. Finally, he appealed to the stupidity of the average bone head burglar and hid the smokes in plain sight. Every night at closing time, he gathered all of the packets of cigarettes and put them in an empty Kellog's Corn Flakes carton. Then he would put that carton in a corner of his store room where he used to throw all of his empty cartons and cover it with said empty cartons. For a while, he was still broken into, but for the most part, very little was stolen. After a while, the super-stupid crims gave up and left him alone! It's not as good as a safe, but if it works, who cares?
HA! We used to sell cigarettes by the pack from behind the counter. There were 10 packs per carton. I'd hide cash in the half empty cartons. If you robbed the cash register, you would only get about 10% of the cash on hand. Nowadays I wouldn't try that.
I worked in a drugstore and we had a big safe but all we really kept in it were the rolls of coins to make change at the cash registers. Each night at closing we’d take cash from the registers, leaving the drawer open, put it in a brown paper bag, and drop it in the trash. In the morning, the manager who opened would retrieve the bag, replenish the registers, and unlock the door. We were broken into at least twice that I remember (once through the ceiling) but no money was ever stolen and only a little drugs. Watches and other obvious stuff were taken.
After being the victim of multiple burglaries Rodney Dangerfield left a note on his door that read " Dear burglar, I am home." When Dangerfield returned home he saw that he had been burglarized again. Inside, Dangerfield found a note from the burglar which said, "Where the hell were you? I looked all over your house!"
That never happened. I'm sure you know this, but what you typed out seems like you think that what comedians say "happened to them" actually did happen.
I frustrated my parents for years by finding all their hiding spaces for Christmas. I went so far to undo door hinges and pick door locks. One year they stumped me. They hid the presents on the top shelf of the pantry that I look into on a daily basis.
I did that too. I always asked for and received a “Verti-Bird” helicopter set every Christmas which I usually knew early on was on its way if not there already due to the fat pack of “D” size batteries already wrapped and under the tree 🌲…well one year I went looking and sure enough there it was- that beautiful toy I loved so much sitting right there in the closet, but instead of being stoked…..I felt like a jackass and never did it again 😔
I've never understood this, even as a kid. Why would you look for presents? Isn't this just a means of torturing yourself? If it's a good present, now you have to wait. If it's a bad present, your Christmas is ruined before it has even begun. And surely there's guilt on top of this.
Since I take an average of three burglary reports every day, I just shook my head through the whole video...until you got to the pantry. THAT was a good idea. Because they'll take food out of your fridge, but they won't steal your rice and cereal. Also, bolt those safes down, because they will just walk off with them and worry about opening them later. The most important tip, though, is DO NOT TELL ANYONE where your safe is. NO ONE, because you don't know anyone as well as you think you do.
Been in intelligence, cybersecurity and real physical security for much of my career. Not much to do with residential, really, but one technique I've always looked at as legitimate is "security through obscurity." Security should be built up in layers, but this can be one of them. The three legs of a security breach are "means, motive and opportunity." For a residential burglary, the means and motive are moot points - the bad guy is already in the house, bent on evil deeds. The opportunity is the safe, if it can be located. Given enough time, even Ft. Knox could be breached. So it would seem that two viable options, given the time constraint as the video describes, are to either make the safe impenetrable for that long, or make it hard to find. Hard to find is cheaper and probably just as effective - hence the "security through obscurity" buzzwords. Hide it where they won't look for it, or where, if they do see it, they won't recognize it for what it is. One other thought - a poorly designed safe and or location for it can be worse than no safe at all. If things were spread out around your house, the thief might find some of them, but probably not all. The safe, on the other hand, provides a nice little central location and a single place for the thief to find all your valuables - all that is required is to compromise a single point of failure...
I agree with "security through obscurity". Hiding safes/valuables in everyday objects is a time-tested strategy. The crook isn't going to take the time to unscrew a set of old speakers in hopes of finding a jewelry box or look under the carpets to find a disguised safe or move the sofa to find the disguised opening to a safe box. Heck, you can hide valuables in power tools. Give em hell. It would obviously be a pain to get into these things to get your stuff out, but at least you won't have to go to the bank every time you need access to your jewelry etc.
@@ultraali453 My mother was an expert at this. valuables were "safely" hidden all through her house. Of course when she passed away it made it incredibly time consuming to inventory assets and empty the house for sale.
Get an old, used, large microwave. Disable it (cut the cord, what have you) and put it in your kitchen in plain sight. Put one of the smaller safes inside of it. Who is going to check a microwave for valuables?
@@ultraali453 power tools are a thing some burglars might actually want to swipe from the house - depends on the burglar and the tools, but IMHO it's a non-zero risk
I lived in Rio de Janeiro for some years, where muggings are common. The rule always was to carry two wallet's. One to give the mugger and a second which you aimed to keep.
Just be aware - if you have a housekeeper they will be well aware of the location of your safe if you hide them in either of his favorite locations. Especially problematic if you use a cleaning service which may send different people to your home.
Good video...I want to add that burglars will TOSS an ENTIRE apartment or house..it will look like a tornado hit, looking for everything. They will find the safe even in the box marked misc...make the safe hard for them to take it and with an alarm system notifying you (I have a ring alarm motion detector in mine, it will notify my phone immediately upon someone moving or entering it, my small safe is also bolted down so it should give me enough time to get home or in time for the police to respond) This advice coming from an Officer.
I had a house that was built by a huge builder. At that time, they built them in a month. The only way for them to do this quickly was to cut corners especially in finish work. One day I was standing on a tall step ladder trying to condense stuff in the kitchen cabinets. The orientation of the cabinets on the 2 walls, was that they joined on the corner leaving one cabinet with space that was difficult to reach on the one side. As I was stuffing plastic cups into the difficult space I noticed that they did not bother to seal the one side that joined the other cabinet. At first I was pissed how cheap the builder was, but then...my brain started to look at the area completely hidden as a hiding place for a pretty good amount of stuff. Not only would someone not see it unless they were on a ladder but it was open to drop down things about 12 inches.
Mine is bolted to the floor in the garage, right by the door. Would be the easiest thing in the world to reach if they knew it was there. But it is hidden by lawn bags, yard tools, a mower, etc. Best part about it, the fire-rated safe would be easy to access if the house was damaged in a fire or destroyed in a tornado. I keep all of my precious valuables in there: Pokémon cards, discount coupons to Chuck-E-Cheese, everything.
Mines outside in my potting shed underneath the bottom shelf and in front of it are loads pots and bags compost . Who the heck gonna look in a dirty old shed full pots .
I like your choices. But if I were putting a safe in the pantry one thing I'd add is that I'd make sure that the food I put in front of the safe were something like bulk beans or flour, not yummy looking snacks. I've heard tales of burglars stopping on their way out for snacks!
Burglar who tossed my place grabbed old ham (not fresh ham, old janky ham) and almond milk. Poured out the almond milk into a cup and left it there. Put the ham in the microwave. Left it there. On a plate. Seriously, though, that ham was nasty.
Slightly off topic, the ROTC at a school I used to go to had a house on Fraternity Row. The social frats didn't like them being there and harassed them. About the only thing of value they had was a stereo. The speakers were bolted down, so the recievers kept disappearing. One of them got the bright idea to cut a hole in the table and stick a flash-bang under there. It destroyed the table and the cheap reciever, put a dent in the ceiling and broke the windows in the front room. There was a litteral trail of fecal matter leading out the door. Nobody messed with them again.
Depends what is kept in the safe. If you have expensive watches and jewelry and the safe is too far away, you are less likely to use it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Convenience has some role to play in this.
At my house it’s called Defensive Clutter. Anything that makes more time and effort increases security. The longer they’re in the “nervouser” they get.
At my house it's called Misdirection or deception. If I announce to everyone that I don't have valuables or gold to dig and back it up with messy clutter, they'll be least likely to even think about ransacking my anything.
In my last house , I personally built a closet into a secret wall . When my house was burgularized , they never found it . I also always put a large lock , with tape wrapped around the shakle , thru the ejection port of my pump shotgun , when I leave the house . That way , its unlikely that I ll get shot with my own gun if I walk in on a robbery . That was the only valuable that the thief actually stole . They found the shotgun , still locked , in an abandoned house about a year later .
@@iamanovercomer3253 Ah yes, let me just walk into the bank with my shotgun. Surely the security guard and staff will see by my skin tone that I'm a Good Guy With A Gun. /s
I like your box idea. I had a neighbor who had a detached garage with a large gun safe inside it. He put a refrigerator box over it. Even wrote "FOR RENTAL HOUSE" on it to sell it even more.
In the old days of the early 1900's, valuables were stored inside the old Victrola phonographs. I know a guy that used to deal with the old phonographs and he always checked behind the speaker grill after he purchased a floor phonograph and found lots of money hidden there over the years.
@@jamesmcinnis208 Yeah, excuse me, I meant to say "my" basement floods occasionally. I would say, if you're going to store a safe in the basement - then store it HIGH up somewhere.
I use an old plastic coffee thermos. Leave it outside until sun faded and dirty, a few webs on it and then put your stuff in. Lay it on a dirty shelf in the garage next to old paint cans.
Some very good tips here. I really like the empty box over the safe trick. Hiding a safe under a sink is clever and I agree that most criminals won't look there. My only concern is leaking gray water or broken pipes. Clean up would be impossible and water damage to safe contents is a real possibility.
How many people actually use their oven these days. And how many burglars would look inside an oven for a safe that has valuables in it. No one would put a safe with valuables inside something that gets that hot. And since it is a small safe, if you do want to use the oven it would be easy enough to remove while being used and then returned when it cools off.
@@oldtimefarmboy617 That's why I store my ammunition and guns in my oven. Every time my wife bakes something at higher temperatures, it sounds like popcorn is being cooked as the bullets start flying
When I went through my divorce, I quickly found out that lawyers just line up, waiting to take anything you have of value. After a few years, I decided that my best defense was to not have anything that someone else would want, and it worked. Lawyers will leave you alone, and if someone wants to sue you, their lawyer will tell them it isn't worth their time because they already know they won't make a windfall suing me. It sucks being poor, but it's good protection from most human predators.
Another practical idea is to just leave 60 bucks out on the bedstand or the kitchen table, to give the thief a reason to be satisfied enough to leave. having multiple safes is also a good idea, but dont put rocks or dumb stuff in it, or the thief might come back to find the real stuff, or just do some damage as payback. don't make yourself memorable to a thief, you have way more to lose than them.
This is similar to carrying an extra wallet with expired ID, old credit cards and some cash so that if you are held up, you can hand it to the robber. A quick check will show them enough cash to make them run away with it and your apparent cooperation will make it less likely you will get hurt.
I agree with your statement. Long ago before the age of squatters and decent home alarm systems I handled a burglary report at a summer residence. The man said teens (likely) came in and drank his whisky and hung out. He wanted to leave nothing at all of any value in the house. I can understand that sentiment but there was also the chance that whomever broke in before may come back again. And they might get tee'd off and smash up the house out of spite. It's a payoff yes but leaving some money around might satisfy the burglars enough to leave without wrecking the place. As no house can be watched every minute of the day he took that advise. We don't have many burglaries around my neighborhood but I always leave spare currency in the cupboard so a druggie will take that and leave to get his dope without having to tear my home apart looking for a few bucks.
I hide my valuable items by converting them into cash and then buying land and farm equipment. Works like a charm. Nobody wants dirt and chicken manure and shovels. But the eggs and veggies are priceless return on investment.
@@launacurtis3579 so true! Hardly anyone wants to do the hard work part. That's why we store the precious metals of brass and lead, in case someone wants to wait til we've done all the work and then come steal. I am happy to help those in need, but not the malicious and the lazy.
@@sedoniadragotta8323 I have an embarrassingly large collection of seeds. They're my weakness. I need to build shelves to store and organize them all. Corn and bean seeds take up the most room.
I was a silver stacker for some time. One of the best ideas I ever heard of was you take your bullion and put it in sealed sleeves (they have that) and drop them in old half used paint cans in the garage. NOBODY is going to grab old paint cans in the garage - no need for a safe at all and IMO actually more foolproof to thieves.
@@jamesbarrick3403 Yep, my wife knows better than to throw anything of mine away, let alone even go into my shed without me there. Sheesh, whatever are these youngins thinking, not training.
@@jmackinjersey1 The problem with that theory is "what if you die". Will your spouse ask your permission then? You are not there to make the decision anymore. If you trust your spouse, then probably your spouse needs to know of your good hiding places.
I work for a generator company and have several requests per year for the outside case from an old transfer switch. Some of these are large enough to hide a half dozen riffles. They mount these things on the wall in the basement, near their electrical panel then install a couple of dummy conduit pipes. Nobody in their right mind will open an electrical box looking for valuables. Same goes for an old style fridge with the door removed and turned against the wall. Leave the door there too as a decoy.
I like the idea of leaving a safe in a common place to be rousted, but to fill it with lead, and heat it enough to get it to become one solid block that the thief cannot open even with a prybar. They can either abandon it, or take the pain and effort of carting it while dreaming it's full of gold. I also like the concept of having a gps transmitter attached to it, and set off by a wire that breaks when the safe is moved. That way the thieves might even get caught with the stolen paperweight.
Don't they have cheap tracking devices now, I-tracker or air tracker? Of course getting law enforcement to help may be a problem. A decade ago, a coworker had her home burgled and they stole an iPad. They used the find my device feature and notified the police who promptly told them they couldn't check the house out because GPS isn't accurate enough.
Great video for criminals to learn where to look for safes. Best place I ever knew? A wood paneled room, with a hidden door among the panels held by a magnetic lock latch release. You couldn't even tell that there was a closet in the room, every wall looked the same.
Watch your cleaning crew if u use them. They are known to look into every nook and cranny in your house. I no longer use them after missing jewelry, cash and other valuables disappear over time.
In-wall safes for the win. I have installed hundreds of them in customers homes. Behind clothes in closets, behind pictures, etc... I've even put them in the floors underneath a rug.
I don't own a safe but keep my valuables in concealment furniture... not anything a thief would recognize unless they are know a thing or two about antiques. As a DIYer, I can see myself crafting a secret spot in a well thought-out cat tree. If I were able to do a floor safe, I'd probably put it under a litter box or the dog crate. I like the box of junk idea.
I read a suggestion to empty out a paint can and put valuables in there, then hide it amongst other paint cans. Like thieves would have the time to open a bunch of paint cans.
Instead of a heavy safe, why not cut a heating floor vent into any room on the second floor, and install a fake heating register. In a carpeted room, cut the narrow carpet out, then cut the narrow hole into the plywood floor. Shove your valuables into that fake vent hole, then conceal it with a fake heating register (type with louvers where heat would otherwise come through. I never did this, but I might someday.
Thank you so much for sharing this insightful video! Hiding safe places is crucial, and your tips are invaluable. One additional approach I've found useful is utilizing unexpected spots like false bottoms in drawers or hollowed-out books on shelves. Keep up the great work, and let's all stay one step ahead of potential risks!
I hide my small safes inside of trash cans. They are covered with a bag filled with non-perishable stuff like papers and empty food packaging to make them look like trash cans in use in case someone looks inside. Each of them are bolted to the floor for good measure. You could do something similar with your pantry spot. Hide the small safe inside of a disguise box, such as the Classic Mix chip box in your pantry. You could take it to a higher level of disguise with a bit of crafting and box selection.
In Alaska where some people are snowbirds (they leave the state for winter), some homes are particularly secluded and easily robbed. The thieves take their time. Places like the pantry are will be exposed as the thieves eat your food and generally make a mess. The laundry room sink is probably safe since they won't do laundry. The washing machine / dryer might get ripped out though.
My grandparents did canning every summer in mason jars. Canned tomatoes, peaches, pears. He stored gold coins in plastic inside three of the jars with pears. He marked the dates on each one with 3, 2 and 1 day before canning. Four of the 15 jars were marked with a date 4 days before. These had the coins
A friend once told me that her mother in law got robbed. She kept her $10k in an old leather bag that was horrible to touch. It was dirty and old looking. She left the bag in the corner of the lounge room. The robbers didn't bother taking the bag because of the bad condition.
Listen, just leave some things out for the thief. Save him/her time. Maybe they will be satisfied with a few trinkets and coins and leave other things alone. You know, like a smash and grab! In and out!
@@playdoe3275 Depression era thinking. Back then, all the banks closed and nobody could get their money out. You still needed money to eat and pay bills.
7:02 Wrong height to put a safe in the pantry. Install some very high shelves in your pantry so the entire pantry shelves go from floor to almost ceiling. Any normal person will need a step ladder to access the top shelf. Place canned goods and other long-lasting items on the top shelf along with your safe, tucked in back out of view when standing on the floor. Keep the step ladder in your garage. This may inconvenience you when needing to access your safe, but in fact you probably only access it once or twice each year, so the difficulty in seeing and accessing it becomes your best defense against theft.
@@1959Berre You've missed the point. The point is that you DO need to fetch the ladder or step stool, which should not be kept anywhere near the safe. The canned foods on the high shelf are used to hide the front of the safe. The entire point is to position a safe in a high, inaccessible area which hides it well and is inaccessible to a burglar. This may be inconvenient for the homeowner too, however given the fact that he/she will rarely need to access the safe, the inconvenience is well worth the trouble, and it provides excellent protection against burglars. If you need to access your safe on a frequent basis, this plan will not be so workable. However, it is always important to hide the safe, and tell others in your home never to talk about where it is. The other plan is to have a decoy safe. This would be a cheaper safe, kept in a bedroom closet, where most burglars look. Keep useless documents in that safe, with a bit of cash and junk jewelry. Make it easy for a burglar to steal this safe and walk away with it, so he exits the home more quickly, while the real safe remains unknown to him.
We at Burglars United thank you for your helpful tips and will include these places in our "where to look for a safe when burgling a house" brochure......
As a security risk consultant most residential needs start with a wall safe about 3” deep for light cash, back up supply of medicines, checkbook and day to day jewelry. I prefer a touch tone keypad type with a mechanical key override in the event of electronics failure. This is important especially if you have contractors in the house, maids, etc. It should be at a very convenient chest height and ease of walk up and use, not buried as people won’t use it if it’s not convenient. If there is a walk in closet, that may be best. Behind the in-swinging door to the master bedroom is another. I won’t put any electronic safe in bath rooms where the steam from a shower can corrode the mechanism. The second safe like a large cube for valuable contents is wise but it must be hard anchored. A safe that can be picked up or pried up is a fools joke for security. Keep in mind people don’t want to crawl on their hands and knees, so it must be for infrequent needs. Wealth clients who want a rated cube safe should elevate the unit to chest height access and I always recommend a lit area and a shelf next to the safe for ease of use. In some cases a true floor safe is hidden in the basement for metals and cash (not something that will deteriorate as there can be higher humidity). All contents of a floor safe should be in heavy zip,lock bags. There are ways to absorb moisture with moisture bags. For nonnegotiable papers non valuables, a fire rated file cabinet is preferred to preserve longevity. Peoples needs vary and wealthy individuals and those known to be crypto trading are targets and should consult with reliable security professionals. The idea of multiple safes may be a foreign idea to many, but true risk management is about strategy first, cares for human behavior convince issues (people won’t use it if it’s a pain to use). I use the term Reasonable Inconvenience part of the assessment and recommendations for consideration. That safe under a sink is the one most likely not to be used. Again having to crawl on the floor is not at all what people want to do. They rather hide something than bother. Some of the hiding tips in this video like putting a cardboard box over a box cube safe is a nifty idea. Then there are other factors of a usable home alarm and video surveillance systems and video doorbells that record at all times. Security is a layered approach and these home improvement centers are not an expert. Go to a real licensed security clearance approved locksmith and never use google to find the listing phone number as crooks take out adds in the name of a legit company but with a phone number that calls the crook. To prove the point of bogus listings is there was a listing under Edwards Snow Den ski supplies with the White House address. The verification process google listings uses was upgraded to sending the merchant a post card with a link CR bar code, but that can be manipulated. There are videos on this issue and some are very shocking. You must trust whomever you consult with and have the work done by. Unfortunately the web is not all that private or secure, so being extra cautious is likely a wise. If someone comes to your home as a security professional and you get any bad vibe, shorten the visit and disclose nothing and move on. If your risk or value is high, it’s probably wise to engage a local expert security advisor. Vendors are okay, but risk planning is a field few have the experience to be risk planners. Often a good consultant will know which vendors are well suited for the project and that cuts out the worry of due diligence of the vendor(s). Security starts and ends with trust.
Great post! Thanks. We have another video you may want to take a look at. Which Safe is Right for Your Needs. ruclips.net/video/MeEa-6C5zoA/видео.html Safe Burglar Ratings Explained. ruclips.net/video/9u-asS7Ldys/видео.html
In a past life I was quite wealthy and had to carry a lot of cash as the country I lived in was a cash economy. My safe was bolted through the wall right next to the door - people used to scream at me ti hide it - I figured anyone robbing me would find a hidden safe and Id rather they spent a couple of hours trying to get in a safe that I had USED to keep the cash in cos it was super convenient than pick the cash up of a table cos I couldn't be bothered crawling on the floor. A safe is only any good if you USE IT was myt logic.
A pit bull that doesn't like strangers anywhere on the property helps too. I've seen solicitors turn around half way up the walkway because of his barking.
Good advice. Me, I have two safes, one that is not too hard to find with not much money, the second that has more money is better hidden. I don't care if they take the first one and chances are they will not guess that there are two. As to the second, my house at one time (prohibition) used to be a gambling den, speakeasy and has secret rooms and hidding places. Almost got killed by one, because I had no idea the hidden door was lose. Been here 15 years and the most recent find was last year.
My.mother was like that hiding booze. Found the last 25 years after death. Lol. Actually found TWO like that. One was a box of crystal that was full of wine instead, too.
This is all excellent advice wherever you live. I was once visiting a house to tune an upright piano (that's the UK term for a Spinet by the way) and I discovered that the owner had discovered how to remove the "bottom door" panel (that's the panel below the keyboard in front of the player's knees). In the bottom of the piano behind the loud-pedal system they had stowed a box of jewelery and cash. It struck me as such a good place to hide something from any burgling intruder. What criminal knows how to remove the bottom door of a piano? There are many different methods of securing the door concealed and hard to access depending on the make of instrument- wooden sliders, spring releases, turn button catches etc and the door is located on hidden dowels - what a great place to hide valuables. Not in a sealed polythene box in the toilet cystern! Not under a bed; Not in the tumble dryer; and if you have a grandfather clock don't hide anything in that either!
@@gblargg But seriously! Who's walking out the door with a piano? You need a moving truck to do that. Burglars don't show up in trucks that size! They show up in at best a van, but mostly cars so that they can get away quicker. A truck would have the neighbors suspicious and calling the police. 👀 👀 Their goal is to get away. Big trucks don't have the speed you need to dust a squad car. Just sayin'.
@@gblargg Have you tried to move a piano?? Lol. They're a good 450 pounds of solid wood. I watched them put mine into a small space. Took 4 guys. The legs aren't as secured as one might like, so bashing into it and you'll have 450 pounds of piano coming right at you. It's propped up with thick wood pieces. But not bolted on.
My uncle had a safe behind a portrait of himself in his penthouse suite home office. Inside that safe is a fireproof strong box, containing a Gray’s Sports Almanac from 1950-2000, kept in a plastic bag.
The ratings for safes in the EU are graded by how long it takes to break into them, however the test favors the person breaking into the safe, as they put the safe in the middle of the floor and it's set upon with crow bars and hammers and other tools. However nearly all safes can be bolted to solid brick or concrete walls which eleminates that safe being picked up and dropped or attacked from all angles, the safe can also be placed inside very slim cupboards or spaces where a burgler can't get leverage to use a crowbar, and either has to destroy the cupboard around the safe, use power tools, pick locks or spend time going through variations of key codes. Which all takes a long time and creates noise. So even cheap key safes can be very good if they are bolted to solid walls. And placed in the right space. You don't need a heavy expensive safe, a light safe between €90 and €300 bolted to a concrete wall and floor will do exactly the same thing. I had a cheap €90 Chinese made gun safe and because I'd bolted it to the wall inside a cupboard and not wanting to destroy the cupboard it took me several hours of drilling and cutting to open the safe to get my guns out, it was so good I bought a new one for my ammo. I had to upgrade my gunsafe for EU security standards but again you don't need to spend more than €300 if you fit it correctly, it ain't going anywhere. Obviously you have to get through the alarm and camera system, mastiff and heavily armed veteran but all security should be layered. Nobody has tried to break in, but I live in hope. 🤪
Mastiff are hilarious. They don't bite anyone. They just pin them and sit on them. You'd be shocked to see how fast they CAN move! When you never see that irl. But they're damn fast.
My dad pulled the tip and ink reservoir out of one of those jumbo permanent markers. Great place to put some cash rolled tight and stored in a drawer with the cap replaced with other random markers. As long as a thief doesn’t need to label anything, you’re golden.
I use a small safe that's fire and water-proof (because having it survive a fire does no good if doesn't survive the fire department's efforts) but any burglar would be disappointed on opening it to find the only valuables are my divorce and custody papers. They're valuable to me!
I have a small fire/water resistant box which I have a copy of insurance paperwork in case of a fire. If a thief wishes to take anything else, that is fine because it is all replaceable. The annoying part would be taking the time replacing it. This is from someone who was broken into many times growing up. They can't take it if you don't have it.
If you have central A/C, consider inside the air return unit. Open the door, remove filter, set safe down on the floor inside the return, replace the filter, close the door. Who's really ever going to look there? And, it's reasonable easy to access.
in the middle of a pandemic and an unreliable just in time delivery system, the pantry might be the first thing they burglarize lol. Thanks for the tips, its something to really think about.
Great video! As you said, the burglar spends 8-10 minutes in the house. The more places he has to look for valuables he more time the police have to get there and catch him. Security signs, locked doors, alarm systems, video cameras, hidden safe will not prevent a burglary, but they will make your home less appetizing to a burglar. Security is a deterrent that may prevent a burglary.
So after watching the video, would they bank on the odds of finding it in the unlikely spots or still go with the usual high percentage spots? They'd be just wasting time searching all the fruitless areas unless they got previously clued in with inside job info.
@@paulbarthol8372 The police do come in my area, but I do realize that this is not the same for others... which supports the efforts to hide things in truly unusual places. Anything in the primary bedroom is highly susceptible to being found.
In the 90s my best friend father was beaten to a pulp and spent 2 weeks in a coma because he could not open a safe hidden in an apartment he rented in Rio. His wife lost an eye to the burglars. Later they learned the safe had nothing inside. Since then I always leave hotel safes open and when I rent an Airbnb I make sure to request any existing safe be left open. Everything can be replaced.
My neighbor growing up was a jeweler. His house was robbed several times. He would bait them with fake jewelry scattered about. From what I can remember it worked every time.
My safe is not kept in my house. It is in a remote area in my property. There is a small one that is kept inside, behind the dryer inside the wall. The dryer is on hidden wheels that lock into a tiny groove on the floor. To move the dryer out, I just push it in with my foot then pull hard to get the wheels over the groove. I do what I have to in the safe and then push the dryer back.
Best place for a small safe is at the vicinity of the front door because usually, a burglar will run passed the front door (whether he entered through it or not) and go into more obvious places like bedrooms and closets and studies and no burglar wants to spend much time where any police or security or homeowner showing up will most likely be.
The problem I have with a safe (not a gun safe) in the house, is that most burglars want to just get in and get out quick...Steal your stuff, and get away. But I fear should they find a safe, they now they have a reason to wait for you to come home so you can open it for them.
This sounds like a job for an easy-to-steal dummy safe with a couple hundred bucks and “important” paperwork. And a magnetic sensor that notifies you that it was moved. A little smart sensor should run you under $100 if you wait until something is on sale. Mine is behind a mesh door in a cabinet in my living room. Not crazy obvious to random guests but anyone looking would have no problem finding it. The sensor is actually on the opposite door as it is more concealed, and it’s impossible to open the safe door without opening both cabinet doors. Not perfect, but sufficient enough that if it trips I’ll check my cameras.
It never dawned on me NOT to put it in my bedroom or closet. The pantry is nice, but I like the idea of putting it in a Linen Closet that's usually in a hallway. I'd take that cardboard box and cut out the bottom AND one side so I could slide the box over the safe and mark it JUNK. BUT this is all GREAT info I never really thought of. THANKS!
These were a couple of good ideas. I have a large safe bolted down in the basement and a small safe I keep upstairs in the main bedroom, easy to find...it's empty. It's not bolted down and is my decoy safe in case they want to grab and run. I figure the quicker they find it the quicker they'll leave. Big surprise when they open it.
I thought the same exact thing when he got to the pantry, and went back to look at the date. You never know what smash-and-grabbers are going to go for these days.
I wonder how much the color of a safe matters in whether it its recognized. Apparently, some theme parks paint utility items or other items they don't want people to pay attention to in their parks in a color called Go Away Green or something like that. Have safe makers studied what colors of safes are more likely to be found, if there is any difference?
What about a Russian Dolls option? Put the safe within 6 other safes 😂 But I think for me the best option would be inside a plastic recycling trash can in the kitchen or pantry, fill it empty with plastic bottles and containers with the safe at the bottom, it's clean and easy to access.
The Burg Wachter safes carry a burglary rating. It's the toughest small safe we've ever found. We have a great photo of one of the safes we installed that a robber tried to break into. It held. www.acmelocksmith.com/buy-safes-online/burg-wachter-cl10e.html But you're absolutely right. In most cases, small safes are not meant to protect high-dollar items. Hence the reason to try to conceal them, somehow. Thanks for commenting.✌
@@LocksmithRecommended Considering how quickly LPL gets through this "burg watcher" lock, I'd hesitate to trust their safes ruclips.net/video/_ThNLMr5NXQ/видео.html
@@justinmileman7863 that's a padlock. This is a RSC-rated safe. What you don't see are the hours and hours LPL spends figuring out how to bypass many of the locks he bypasses. In a lot of cases he's crafted special tools for the task. You can watch his videos, pick up the picks, and still not he able to pick many of the locks he's bypassed. It's a skill that takes time to learn. Unlike locks, UL-rated safes have a minimum entry criteria. If the LPL gets into a UL-rated safe in under that criteria, he would be negating the safe's UL-rating, and if notified the safe should loose the UL rating. Locks have no equivalent rating. That doesn't mean you can't get past a safe lock. We've drilled thousands of safes. And we've spent 1000s of hours learning that skill. Even though I can bypass every residential lock, I still lock my house. Even though LPL has shown me he can bypass every padlock, I still have a padlock on my gate. And even though we've drilled even the highest rated residential safes, I still put my valuables in one. Because the typical smash and grabber doesn't know how to bypass any of it. And a typical professional isn't coming to my neighborhood.
I love it how the random poster like to troll the content maker. If you are such a freaking expert get your own youtube channel... or maybe you just don't know how to contribute?
We had a safe HIDDEN in the basement. Some worker working on furnace or plumbing broke into it. Had plenty of time to search for it and tools and noise didn’t alert us. Didn’t realize it until months later.
I like keeping a small high security (with a good fire rating) bolted to the ground inside a large high security safe (like a very large quality gun safe) that’s also bolted to the ground and has a good fire rating). This really helps the odds of your jewelry/money/papers surviving a fire. It also makes things much harder for home intruders. The biggest issue with small safes is they can be removed and opens elsewhere much easier than a 1500-2500 lb safe. But even the best safe should always be bolted securely to the foundation.
I think under a sink would be a decent place to hide a safe from a burglar, but I've had enough plumbing issues with homes I've lived in that I don't think I'd want to deal with the potential moisture issues and having plumbers coming into my home and seeing where I've hid my safe. Makes sense to keep things out of the master bedroom and bath though.
There are over 120 MILLION households in the USA. How many of these households do you think are going to follow the (very good) advice in this video? [probably several thousand] How many are going to also make a good effort to conceal/camouflage their small safe's hiding place? [probably a few thousand] Did you listen to the first comments?--most Americans CONTINUE to hide valuables--and their small safes--in the Master Bedroom somewhere. [probably in the millions] Most burglars know this, and almost always toss/search the Master Bedroom. There's a lot of inertia and tradition in American culture, and one RUclips video won't change that.
I owned a house once where there was a cylindrical hole in the concrete in the closet in the master bedroom with carpet over it. Best I could determine at the time was that it was originally for a floor safe, but the door that over it was no longer there. It was probably 10" in diameter and 18" deep. I suspect that it would have been a pretty good place to have a safe since it was hidden under the carpet and even if you discovered it, it's going to be difficult to break through the concrete or steel plate on the top. I never used it as a safe or hiding place though since the stuff that I want to lock up are a bit larger than that (i.e. firearms). The underneath the stairway area might be a good place to put a gun safe though if you place it there and then have the stairs built around it so that it would require a lot of prolonged destruction to remove the safe. It's also good to put it in a tight space so that the criminals don't have room to work. If you're willing to dispose of the corpses, an "active" security system might be an option regardless of the legalities in your area.
A psychological trick - make something visible and easy to find and they may overlook the thing you're hiding. Like with an auditor, if you've done a really good job they'll just keep going until they find something. But if you leave them something to find they go away happy and miss the flaming shit-storm in the back room.
I'm a bit of a watch collector. I intentionally put all of the cheaper watches that I don't really care about too much in my master bedroom, actually just out in the open (A good number of solar watches sitting in the window sill). Funny to think they made off with 20 or so watches, meanwhile all the good stuff is off in another random room in a safe. I've always heard, never store anything you care about too much in the Master Bedroom.
As comedian Chris Rock said: "You wanna save your money? Put it in your books. Because crooks don't read. Just put the money in the books. Books is like kryptonite to a crook." (Yes, I cleaned up the language and made it politically correct)
@@MusicforMe123 I know, but I had to make it politically correct or the RUclips police would start raising hell. Chris Rock can say what I can't say. It's very sad. America has lost its' sense of humor.
Still trying to find a company that makes replacement bolting security doors for a woodstove. With walls of 1/4"+ fully welded steel, it would take a lot to get in to one of those; and they are heavy as all get up. Very few people would think to look inside a wood stove :)
We never had a safe when I was a child (I don't have one now either) but when I was a child the attic was converted into an extra bedroom. A carpenter built floor to ceiling shelves at one end to fit the sloping sides and at the top at either end he fitted a secret compartment. You wouldn't realise unless you knew how to open them. There weren't ever any valuables in it, it was just something fun we could hide small toys in.
The best suggestion I've heard is to put something of moderate value above or on top of your high-value item(s). Of course conceal the high-value item. The principle of course is the thief will continue searching for goodies, but elsewhere in the house.
Fill the entire house with safes. They can't take all of them, and they won't know which one is the real one. - plus fill the fake ones with spiders. Or, you could put all your valuables inside an ET doll, and then put that in the closet surrounded by other dolls. No-one ever sees ET hiding among the stuffed animals. Just don't put it in the master closet, unless it's inside a safe.
One bit of advice that works: Buy a small cash box/container and seal it in a large two-gallon freezer bag and bury it somewhere in your backyard--even a small dirt area that a condo might have. No burglar is going to start digging up the backyard or patio area dirt. Then, buy an inexpensive lockable safe and place it in a dresser drawer or on a shelf in your primary bedroom's closet--some place where it can be easily found--that only contains non-valuables like old eyeglasses or medallions taped in an old Bandaid can to give it some heft and sound. A burglar might leave rather quickly to lessen the chances of getting caught--he/she would be eager to get home to get at those supposed "treasures" in that decoy safe lol!
This only works if you have total privacy and are certain of it. In a condo or apartment complex, or at a house in a neighborhood, you can never be certain someone didn't see you digging and burying whatever it is. Even in the middle of the night.
Before I burglarize any house, I always check RUclips to see the latest hiding locations for safes..........
That's Funny!!!!😂😂😂😂
Hahaha. I came down here to say just that.
Ha ha. Just say away from my house man. In the dark a burgler would feel a hard punch on his chest. Then a burning sensation on his back. Then he would feel liquid running down his chest and back.
Then, the demons would appear and scare him half to death. He would feel strong claws on his soul as he was dragged to hell.
It's unlikely even 1,000 people did what this video says. Your odds of robbing that house: 1,000 in 350,000,000 (assuming USA) are 1 in 350,000
@@randomgrinn"Your odds of robbing that house......" The odds of *me* robbing that house are precisely zero.
If burglars went into my master bedroom closet, they would probably assume I'd already been robbed that day.
Too funny!
This comment needs more likes
@Patrick Henry thank you, Patrick; I’m heartened that it took an entire 8-weeks before someone called that to my attention. 😏
they would find my wife's rare collection of shoes.....and clothes she's "going to wear someday"....
Exactly!
I would NEVER trust an ACME safe. I’m scared it might land on my pet coyote.
We have a acme company that maintains our fire suppression and extinguishers … i have the came concern with those
Lmfao
😂
Most of them can be opened faster with al sock then you can open with the coded or 🔐
Oh yeah I've seen that cartoon
To make it extra safe, buy two safes and use one of them as a decoy safe. Put the decoy in an obvious spot and put heavy stones inside to make it hard for the thief so he's less likely to come looking for more
I've hidden 10 decoy safes around my house
Nay: place the key to the second safe into the first!
I was thinking the same.
nice try, safe seller council!
I hide my safe inside a safe inside a cage inside a safe which is hidden!
How about a decoy safe? One that is not really hidden very well, and full of rocks? If they carry it away, they will get a nice surprise after opening it.
Totally support the idea.
Wouldn't the first thing a crook do would be to go back to this same house a month or two later and find the more valuable safe that this home owner went thru grate efforts to "decoy" in the first place? Must have a super valuable safe if such lengths were gone to in the first place.
@@mv-db4463 they possibly would but its only when people have been broken into that they gets alarms cctv etc
Funny you should mention this. I used to work at an office where we had an old safe about the size of a small chest freezer. No one had the key and no one knew the combinations, and it was too heavy to throw out, so we used it as a printer stand for a long time. One day a burglar came in and went straight to the safe, and pretty soon he realized that it was too heavy to remove from the office, but he managed to move it to the middle of the room and must have spent hours trying to pry it open without success. In the process he left a lot of dents and scratches on the safe and broke a few floor tiles, but we didn't lose anything valuable, not even the computers.
I have a decoy safe. Same plan.
The 3 most ingeniously hidden safes this old Plumber has seen- Basement wall safe with a sheet of plywood leaned in front of it. A false panel in a closet, that shortened the entire end wall of the closet- held in place by magnets, it used a small finger hole to pop it open to expose the safe. A 30 gallon galvanized trashcan, complete with a trash bag hanging out from under the lid- The can had a floor safe in it, and was poured full of concrete.
Great comment!
There probably aren't any available test data, but I wonder how a floor safe embedded in concrete in a trash can would fare in a house fire, especially in protecting heat-sensitive contents like paper records, photo film and computer media. I expect it would do a better job of keeping the contents dry, as it would be situated above grade and the door of the safe would stay above water in case of minor flooding if a water pipe should leak or burst. Intriguing idea.
@@LocksmithRecommended
The best way is misdirected. Buy cheap safe put it in the master bedroom with garage sale jewelry.
The real safe is a sewage pipe stub in the basement. Who going to open a sewage cap looking for money.
@@assassinlexx1993 My grandfather put a safe in the basement. Stuff was never stolen but the cash he put in there, quite literally, decomposed and it had to be sent to the federal reserve bank to be identified. He estimated that he lost about 10K of bills that could not be identified, but the rest was recovered. It took close to 3 years from beginning to end to get the money back.
Underneath a false toilet in basement. Make toilet look dirty. Put toilet paper nearby.
Back in the 70's and 80's, I had a truck driving job in Brisbane, Queensland, delivering groceries to small, owner-operated supermarkets. Burglar alarms weren't all that common back then, so grocery stores were often broken into and the most popular item stolen wasn't money, but cigarettes.
One store owner I knew told me how he tried everything to secure his stocks of tobacco and cigarettes, but all to no avail. He tried hiding them in behind stacks of unopened stock and in a lock-up cage, but they always found a way to steal them.
Finally, he appealed to the stupidity of the average bone head burglar and hid the smokes in plain sight. Every night at closing time, he gathered all of the packets of cigarettes and put them in an empty Kellog's Corn Flakes carton. Then he would put that carton in a corner of his store room where he used to throw all of his empty cartons and cover it with said empty cartons. For a while, he was still broken into, but for the most part, very little was stolen. After a while, the super-stupid crims gave up and left him alone!
It's not as good as a safe, but if it works, who cares?
A variation on "The Purloined Letter."
HA! We used to sell cigarettes by the pack from behind the counter. There were 10 packs per carton. I'd hide cash in the half empty cartons. If you robbed the cash register, you would only get about 10% of the cash on hand.
Nowadays I wouldn't try that.
Not just where you live, same thing in the US.
I worked in a drugstore and we had a big safe but all we really kept in it were the rolls of coins to make change at the cash registers. Each night at closing we’d take cash from the registers, leaving the drawer open, put it in a brown paper bag, and drop it in the trash. In the morning, the manager who opened would retrieve the bag, replenish the registers, and unlock the door.
We were broken into at least twice that I remember (once through the ceiling) but no money was ever stolen and only a little drugs. Watches and other obvious stuff were taken.
So true!
After being the victim of multiple burglaries Rodney Dangerfield left a note on his door that read " Dear burglar, I am home." When Dangerfield returned home he saw that he had been burglarized again. Inside, Dangerfield found a note from the burglar which said, "Where the hell were you? I looked all over your house!"
Get it for fingerprints.
😂😂😂
He never got any respect.
That never happened. I'm sure you know this, but what you typed out seems like you think that what comedians say "happened to them" actually did happen.
@@GraemeGunn you must be a blast a parties.
"No one looks for valuables in a Pantry...." of course.... unless you are in a pandemic with a food shortage........
Yeah, like people are burglarizing homes for food. As if.
Cama, it's coming. It's coming.
Steven Harris ....but then they would steal the food, not the safe!......So, no problem!.....
Well they will now
Never put your safe behind your stash of toilet paper!
I frustrated my parents for years by finding all their hiding spaces for Christmas. I went so far to undo door hinges and pick door locks. One year they stumped me. They hid the presents on the top shelf of the pantry that I look into on a daily basis.
My brother always looked and found presents too. So my mom hid them in his closet one year. He never found them.
@@mrdonigan Thats hilarious
I did that too. I always asked for and received a “Verti-Bird” helicopter set every Christmas which I usually knew early on was on its way if not there already due to the fat pack of “D” size batteries already wrapped and under the tree 🌲…well one year I went looking and sure enough there it was- that beautiful toy I loved so much sitting right there in the closet, but instead of being stoked…..I felt like a jackass and never did it again 😔
I've never understood this, even as a kid. Why would you look for presents? Isn't this just a means of torturing yourself? If it's a good present, now you have to wait. If it's a bad present, your Christmas is ruined before it has even begun. And surely there's guilt on top of this.
why would you look for presents? Your mom should give it to you anytime she wanted and you should wait.
Since I take an average of three burglary reports every day, I just shook my head through the whole video...until you got to the pantry. THAT was a good idea. Because they'll take food out of your fridge, but they won't steal your rice and cereal. Also, bolt those safes down, because they will just walk off with them and worry about opening them later. The most important tip, though, is DO NOT TELL ANYONE where your safe is. NO ONE, because you don't know anyone as well as you think you do.
...lol... your last statement was true as fuck. Humans can turn on a dime.
Thanks for the comments, and thank you for your service!
pbsjones is the only person so far who has made an INTELLIGENT comment. Keep it up PBS...hearing EXPERTISE and EXPERIENCE like yours is valuable.
not yet, anyway...
They will now
Been in intelligence, cybersecurity and real physical security for much of my career. Not much to do with residential, really, but one technique I've always looked at as legitimate is "security through obscurity." Security should be built up in layers, but this can be one of them. The three legs of a security breach are "means, motive and opportunity." For a residential burglary, the means and motive are moot points - the bad guy is already in the house, bent on evil deeds. The opportunity is the safe, if it can be located. Given enough time, even Ft. Knox could be breached. So it would seem that two viable options, given the time constraint as the video describes, are to either make the safe impenetrable for that long, or make it hard to find. Hard to find is cheaper and probably just as effective - hence the "security through obscurity" buzzwords. Hide it where they won't look for it, or where, if they do see it, they won't recognize it for what it is.
One other thought - a poorly designed safe and or location for it can be worse than no safe at all. If things were spread out around your house, the thief might find some of them, but probably not all. The safe, on the other hand, provides a nice little central location and a single place for the thief to find all your valuables - all that is required is to compromise a single point of failure...
Excellent comment. Thank you!
I agree with "security through obscurity". Hiding safes/valuables in everyday objects is a time-tested strategy. The crook isn't going to take the time to unscrew a set of old speakers in hopes of finding a jewelry box or look under the carpets to find a disguised safe or move the sofa to find the disguised opening to a safe box. Heck, you can hide valuables in power tools. Give em hell.
It would obviously be a pain to get into these things to get your stuff out, but at least you won't have to go to the bank every time you need access to your jewelry etc.
@@ultraali453 My mother was an expert at this. valuables were "safely" hidden all through her house. Of course when she passed away it made it incredibly time consuming to inventory assets and empty the house for sale.
Get an old, used, large microwave. Disable it (cut the cord, what have you) and put it in your kitchen in plain sight. Put one of the smaller safes inside of it.
Who is going to check a microwave for valuables?
@@ultraali453 power tools are a thing some burglars might actually want to swipe from the house - depends on the burglar and the tools, but IMHO it's a non-zero risk
I lived in Rio de Janeiro for some years, where muggings are common. The rule always was to carry two wallet's. One to give the mugger and a second which you aimed to keep.
Michigan is the same. Thanks for watching!
Wouldnt muggers who live there know about the 2 wallets thing?
@@TheRustylungs ….probably some but that’s why you hide the real one in your balls
@@TheRustylungs It works most of the time.
how are gun laws in brasil?
Just be aware - if you have a housekeeper they will be well aware of the location of your safe if you hide them in either of his favorite locations. Especially problematic if you use a cleaning service which may send different people to your home.
Strangers in the home is never a good idea.
Solution, clean your own house.
Get a robot maid (when they’re finally available).
@@princessmarlena1359 the robot can be hacked!
@@bibabiba9946 “Domestibot! You’ve ruined me!” 😉
Good video...I want to add that burglars will TOSS an ENTIRE apartment or house..it will look like a tornado hit, looking for everything. They will find the safe even in the box marked misc...make the safe hard for them to take it and with an alarm system notifying you (I have a ring alarm motion detector in mine, it will notify my phone immediately upon someone moving or entering it, my small safe is also bolted down so it should give me enough time to get home or in time for the police to respond) This advice coming from an Officer.
Thank you for the feedback;
Police respond to burglary? So 1970s
Plot twist: the police come back and steal it.
I had a house that was built by a huge builder. At that time, they built them in a month. The only way for them to do this quickly was to cut corners especially in finish work. One day I was standing on a tall step ladder trying to condense stuff in the kitchen cabinets. The orientation of the cabinets on the 2 walls, was that they joined on the corner leaving one cabinet with space that was difficult to reach on the one side. As I was stuffing plastic cups into the difficult space I noticed that they did not bother to seal the one side that joined the other cabinet. At first I was pissed how cheap the builder was, but then...my brain started to look at the area completely hidden as a hiding place for a pretty good amount of stuff. Not only would someone not see it unless they were on a ladder but it was open to drop down things about 12 inches.
Sees good opportunities in shity situation!
Great thinking
I have a space just like that. I don't use it though; it's too hard to reach...
The most secure is buy 100 safes and place them all over the house, then use one of them.
🤣 Thanks for watching.
None*
I thought of buying a few safes and leaving them empty... not 100 though 🤣
What if someone steals your house?
@@burtingtune might have to buy a few 100 houses and leave them empty 😄
A burglar broke into my house looking for money one night. I got up and helped him look.
🤣
Did you at least argue for a 60-40 split?
so did you find some?
Sounds like someone had a blast
I'll show myself out
50-50 split man, I could use a buck or two myself. That should send them running and not have them come back.
If your house resembles something out of the A&E TV show _Hoarders_ you could easily hide a safe from detection.
🤣
It does and you're right
Unfortunately my messy house also hides valuables from me and I lose things.
You don't even need a safe in such a house.
Mine is bolted to the floor in the garage, right by the door. Would be the easiest thing in the world to reach if they knew it was there. But it is hidden by lawn bags, yard tools, a mower, etc. Best part about it, the fire-rated safe would be easy to access if the house was damaged in a fire or destroyed in a tornado. I keep all of my precious valuables in there: Pokémon cards, discount coupons to Chuck-E-Cheese, everything.
What is the code?
Mines outside in my potting shed underneath the bottom shelf and in front of it are loads pots and bags compost . Who the heck gonna look in a dirty old shed full pots .
@@sedoniadragotta8323 I am now that you told me where to look. Thank you.
“There’s not a lot of valuables in a pantry…”
Says you. The pantry has Oreos and Cheeze-It’s.
You have BOTH Oreos AND Cheeze-Its?! Wow.
The pantry has lots of good stuff! Chips Ahoy! cookies, donuts, Cheerios honey nut cereal, Doritos chips, etc..
First place I would go. What they got to eat. Lol
Toilet paper and paper towels were really valuable during the panicdemic.
Dont forget the Ritz crackers!
I like your choices. But if I were putting a safe in the pantry one thing I'd add is that I'd make sure that the food I put in front of the safe were something like bulk beans or flour, not yummy looking snacks. I've heard tales of burglars stopping on their way out for snacks!
Burglar who tossed my place grabbed old ham (not fresh ham, old janky ham) and almond milk. Poured out the almond milk into a cup and left it there. Put the ham in the microwave. Left it there. On a plate. Seriously, though, that ham was nasty.
@@Qriator was the old ham there to scare them off or something.
Thank u. You r CORRECT. I WILL COPY. WILL FIND BULK STUFF AT SAM CLUB. NOW I GOT TO BUY FAKE FOODS ! TO HIDE THE SAFE . LOL 😂 😆 LOL
Yes, dont put your chips and snack cakes in front of your safe. Lol..
@@dianamorris5327 a mixed bag of vegetables? 😁
Slightly off topic, the ROTC at a school I used to go to had a house on Fraternity Row. The social frats didn't like them being there and harassed them. About the only thing of value they had was a stereo. The speakers were bolted down, so the recievers kept disappearing. One of them got the bright idea to cut a hole in the table and stick a flash-bang under there. It destroyed the table and the cheap reciever, put a dent in the ceiling and broke the windows in the front room. There was a litteral trail of fecal matter leading out the door. Nobody messed with them again.
😂
As a home thief I really appreciate this "Home Owner Secrets Exposed" type video. Thanks for spreading the word to the thief community good sir.
Depends what is kept in the safe. If you have expensive watches and jewelry and the safe is too far away, you are less likely to use it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Convenience has some role to play in this.
At my house it’s called Defensive Clutter. Anything that makes more time and effort increases security. The longer they’re in the “nervouser” they get.
At my house it's called "lack of valuables." If you find any gold to dig, lemme know.
At my house it's called Misdirection or deception. If I announce to everyone that I don't have valuables or gold to dig and back it up with messy clutter, they'll be least likely to even think about ransacking my anything.
As a chronic procrastinator, defensive clutter is relatable.
In My house, it's called Offensive Clutter. I get nervous just coming home each day. I feel sorry for any burglars.
Yes, I would dare an intruder to find valuables in my home. I can't even find them:)
In my last house , I personally built a closet into a secret wall .
When my house was burgularized , they never found it .
I also always put a large lock , with tape wrapped around the shakle , thru the ejection port of my pump shotgun , when I leave the house .
That way , its unlikely that I ll get shot with my own gun if I walk in on a robbery .
That was the only valuable that the thief actually stole .
They found the shotgun , still locked , in an abandoned house about a year later .
The shotgun is valuable... you should carry it with you ‼️ you never know when you're going to need it 😂🤣
dont say where you hide it, someone might use the information
@@iamanovercomer3253 Ah yes, let me just walk into the bank with my shotgun. Surely the security guard and staff will see by my skin tone that I'm a Good Guy With A Gun. /s
How about keeping your firearms locked up and hidden away when you leave the house?
@@TheStupidcomment Re-read
my original post .
I like your box idea. I had a neighbor who had a detached garage with a large gun safe inside it. He put a refrigerator box over it. Even wrote "FOR RENTAL HOUSE" on it to sell it even more.
In the old days of the early 1900's, valuables were stored inside the old Victrola phonographs. I know a guy that used to deal with the old phonographs and he always checked behind the speaker grill after he purchased a floor phonograph and found lots of money hidden there over the years.
Best place? In the basement. Crooks don't like one entrance rooms. I find you down there you will be staying down there.
I think they don't like one-exit rooms.
Careful....basements FLOOD.....mind does occasionally......
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 Are are you pressing on the "period" key because your mind is flooded?
@@jamesmcinnis208 Yeah, excuse me, I meant to say "my" basement floods occasionally. I would say, if you're going to store a safe in the basement - then store it HIGH up somewhere.
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 For a while there, I liked the Turn of phrase "a flooded mind." In fact, I believe I've experienced the feeling.
I use an old plastic coffee thermos. Leave it outside until sun faded and dirty, a few webs on it and then put your stuff in. Lay it on a dirty shelf in the garage next to old paint cans.
That's a neat idea!
Then your wife throws it away.
@Me Smith Story number 2 would have ended up with the gun blowing up in his face, doesn't take much to cause that problem.
Just use the old paint can. A REALLY old paint can, among a half dozen others. Weight it down with some fishing lead sinkers glued to the bottom.
@@ryanvernatter3537 wife?, he has valuables, pretty sure he's single.
Some very good tips here. I really like the empty box over the safe trick. Hiding a safe under a sink is clever and I agree that most criminals won't look there. My only concern is leaking gray water or broken pipes. Clean up would be impossible and water damage to safe contents is a real possibility.
I thought the same thing about damage from water leaks. I guess if you hide your safe there, just double-bag the contents in plastic or something.
How many people actually use their oven these days. And how many burglars would look inside an oven for a safe that has valuables in it. No one would put a safe with valuables inside something that gets that hot. And since it is a small safe, if you do want to use the oven it would be easy enough to remove while being used and then returned when it cools off.
@@oldtimefarmboy617 That's why I store my ammunition and guns in my oven. Every time my wife bakes something at higher temperatures, it sounds like popcorn is being cooked as the bullets start flying
@@swift_goose 🤣🤣🤣
@@oldtimefarmboy617I use it every day ??? For cooking food??? LOL what do you use? The meecrowahvey?
BTW, thieves don’t read labels on boxes when they rob your house. They just toss all the boxes out into the room and see what falls out.
.... ..
I keep my safe in the display case with my pet rattlesnake and tarantulas.
Does your rattlesnake eat the tarantulas? Or does he or she leave them alone? :) (PS I know it's a joke)
Perfect way to thwart burglars? Own nothing valuable. It totally confuses them.
When I went through my divorce, I quickly found out that lawyers just line up, waiting to take anything you have of value. After a few years, I decided that my best defense was to not have anything that someone else would want, and it worked. Lawyers will leave you alone, and if someone wants to sue you, their lawyer will tell them it isn't worth their time because they already know they won't make a windfall suing me. It sucks being poor, but it's good protection from most human predators.
Exactly - I don't keep "valuables" in my home.
Another practical idea is to just leave 60 bucks out on the bedstand or the kitchen table, to give the thief a reason to be satisfied enough to leave. having multiple safes is also a good idea, but dont put rocks or dumb stuff in it, or the thief might come back to find the real stuff, or just do some damage as payback. don't make yourself memorable to a thief, you have way more to lose than them.
This is similar to carrying an extra wallet with expired ID, old credit cards and some cash so that if you are held up, you can hand it to the robber. A quick check will show them enough cash to make them run away with it and your apparent cooperation will make it less likely you will get hurt.
I agree with your statement. Long ago before the age of squatters and decent home alarm systems I handled a burglary report at a summer residence. The man said teens (likely) came in and drank his whisky and hung out. He wanted to leave nothing at all of any value in the house. I can understand that sentiment but there was also the chance that whomever broke in before may come back again. And they might get tee'd off and smash up the house out of spite. It's a payoff yes but leaving some money around might satisfy the burglars enough to leave without wrecking the place. As no house can be watched every minute of the day he took that advise. We don't have many burglaries around my neighborhood but I always leave spare currency in the cupboard so a druggie will take that and leave to get his dope without having to tear my home apart looking for a few bucks.
I hide my valuable items by converting them into cash and then buying land and farm equipment. Works like a charm. Nobody wants dirt and chicken manure and shovels. But the eggs and veggies are priceless return on investment.
It's the hard work that will keep them away 😁
Don't forget the seeds .
@@launacurtis3579 so true! Hardly anyone wants to do the hard work part. That's why we store the precious metals of brass and lead, in case someone wants to wait til we've done all the work and then come steal. I am happy to help those in need, but not the malicious and the lazy.
@@sedoniadragotta8323 I have an embarrassingly large collection of seeds. They're my weakness. I need to build shelves to store and organize them all. Corn and bean seeds take up the most room.
I was a silver stacker for some time. One of the best ideas I ever heard of was you take your bullion and put it in sealed sleeves (they have that) and drop them in old half used paint cans in the garage. NOBODY is going to grab old paint cans in the garage - no need for a safe at all and IMO actually more foolproof to thieves.
Very cool
Unless your wife decides to clean the garage and brings the cans to some recycling event.
@@rosspatience4217 My advice is for men. Not boys that have a wife that think they can do what they want with my oroperty
@@jamesbarrick3403 Yep, my wife knows better than to throw anything of mine away, let alone even go into my shed without me there. Sheesh, whatever are these youngins thinking, not training.
@@jmackinjersey1
The problem with that theory is "what if you die". Will your spouse ask your permission then? You are not there to make the decision anymore. If you trust your spouse, then probably your spouse needs to know of your good hiding places.
I work for a generator company and have several requests per year for the outside case from an old transfer switch. Some of these are large enough to hide a half dozen riffles. They mount these things on the wall in the basement, near their electrical panel then install a couple of dummy conduit pipes. Nobody in their right mind will open an electrical box looking for valuables. Same goes for an old style fridge with the door removed and turned against the wall. Leave the door there too as a decoy.
Cool.
A burglar might open an electrical panel to turn the house power off to disable an alarm system, or the wifi that a security system depends on.
@@scvcebc ... that only works in areas where the power panel is outside. The vast majority of homes have that panel INSIDE.
@@scvcebc That's a breaker panel. Nothing but live wires in an electrical panel.
I like the idea of leaving a safe in a common place to be rousted, but to fill it with lead, and heat it enough to get it to become one solid block that the thief cannot open even with a prybar. They can either abandon it, or take the pain and effort of carting it while dreaming it's full of gold.
I also like the concept of having a gps transmitter attached to it, and set off by a wire that breaks when the safe is moved. That way the thieves might even get caught with the stolen paperweight.
Good
Don't they have cheap tracking devices now, I-tracker or air tracker? Of course getting law enforcement to help may be a problem. A decade ago, a coworker had her home burgled and they stole an iPad. They used the find my device feature and notified the police who promptly told them they couldn't check the house out because GPS isn't accurate enough.
@@woodstream6137 coworker should've gone right outside the location and called the police about weird sounds coming from the house.
@@woodstream6137 I'd agree with the cops on that one. GPS aint accurate enough at all.
Michael Foye
I like the way you think! 🥇
Great video for criminals to learn where to look for safes. Best place I ever knew? A wood paneled room, with a hidden door among the panels held by a magnetic lock latch release. You couldn't even tell that there was a closet in the room, every wall looked the same.
Watch your cleaning crew if u use them. They are known to look into every nook and cranny in your house. I no longer use them after missing jewelry, cash and other valuables disappear over time.
In-wall safes for the win. I have installed hundreds of them in customers homes. Behind clothes in closets, behind pictures, etc... I've even put them in the floors underneath a rug.
I don't own a safe but keep my valuables in concealment furniture... not anything a thief would recognize unless they are know a thing or two about antiques. As a DIYer, I can see myself crafting a secret spot in a well thought-out cat tree. If I were able to do a floor safe, I'd probably put it under a litter box or the dog crate.
I like the box of junk idea.
I have a ceiling safe over a false ceiling :)
I read a suggestion to empty out a paint can and put valuables in there, then hide it amongst other paint cans. Like thieves would have the time to open a bunch of paint cans.
@melb2734. Paint cans will burn up in case of fire though.
These days, don't put a safe near your toilet paper storage area.
But it's most convenient there! A safe today is gonna be filled with paper towels and toilet paper. What's more valuable than that? ~Cindy! :)
😂 😂 😂
@assassinlexx On a serious note, that's BRILLIANT! You are 100% right! ~Cindy! :)
@assassinlexx l
assassinlexx great idea throws them off the scent
Instead of a heavy safe, why not cut a heating floor vent into any room on the second floor, and install a fake heating register. In a carpeted room, cut the narrow carpet out, then cut the narrow hole into the plywood floor. Shove your valuables into that fake vent hole, then conceal it with a fake heating register (type with louvers where heat would otherwise come through. I never did this, but I might someday.
The judge told me I have to keep all my valuables at my ex-wife's house.
Been there.
LOL Love it.
Lol!
@@LocksmithRecommended: Really? You've been to Robert's ex-wife's house? Hmm...
@@justincase5272 🤦
Thank you so much for sharing this insightful video! Hiding safe places is crucial, and your tips are invaluable. One additional approach I've found useful is utilizing unexpected spots like false bottoms in drawers or hollowed-out books on shelves. Keep up the great work, and let's all stay one step ahead of potential risks!
I really love the cardboard box trick! I labelled mine "x-mas decorations" after I moved into my place.
Thanks for watching 🙂
Mine is labeled "canning jars"😂😂😂😂😂
Mine is labeled "kid's pictures."
@@winniecash1654 mine is "recycled maxipads"
@@stupidas9466 lol 🤣 that should keep them away!
I hide my small safes inside of trash cans. They are covered with a bag filled with non-perishable stuff like papers and empty food packaging to make them look like trash cans in use in case someone looks inside. Each of them are bolted to the floor for good measure.
You could do something similar with your pantry spot. Hide the small safe inside of a disguise box, such as the Classic Mix chip box in your pantry. You could take it to a higher level of disguise with a bit of crafting and box selection.
In Alaska where some people are snowbirds (they leave the state for winter), some homes are particularly secluded and easily robbed. The thieves take their time. Places like the pantry are will be exposed as the thieves eat your food and generally make a mess.
The laundry room sink is probably safe since they won't do laundry. The washing machine / dryer might get ripped out though.
My grandparents did canning every summer in mason jars. Canned tomatoes, peaches, pears. He stored gold coins in plastic inside three of the jars with pears. He marked the dates on each one with 3, 2 and 1 day before canning. Four of the 15 jars were marked with a date 4 days before. These had the coins
A friend once told me that her mother in law got robbed. She kept her $10k in an old leather bag that was horrible to touch. It was dirty and old looking. She left the bag in the corner of the lounge room. The robbers didn't bother taking the bag because of the bad condition.
Listen, just leave some things out for the thief. Save him/her time. Maybe they will be satisfied with a few trinkets and coins and leave other things alone. You know, like a smash and grab! In and out!
so y didn't she keep her $10k in the bank.that's not smart.
@@playdoe3275 Depression era thinking. Back then, all the banks closed and nobody could get their money out. You still needed money to eat and pay bills.
@@MiBones no wonder.2 bad cuz she could've made gd interest on all that $.i guess she still thot she had 2 keep lots around.:(
@@playdoe3275 Hard to convince a depression era adult that it won't happen, again.
7:02 Wrong height to put a safe in the pantry. Install some very high shelves in your pantry so the entire pantry shelves go from floor to almost ceiling. Any normal person will need a step ladder to access the top shelf. Place canned goods and other long-lasting items on the top shelf along with your safe, tucked in back out of view when standing on the floor. Keep the step ladder in your garage. This may inconvenience you when needing to access your safe, but in fact you probably only access it once or twice each year, so the difficulty in seeing and accessing it becomes your best defense against theft.
Right. Put empty cans in front of the safe. So you never need to grab those. This spares you the trouble of fetching the ladder.
@@1959Berre You've missed the point. The point is that you DO need to fetch the ladder or step stool, which should not be kept anywhere near the safe. The canned foods on the high shelf are used to hide the front of the safe. The entire point is to position a safe in a high, inaccessible area which hides it well and is inaccessible to a burglar. This may be inconvenient for the homeowner too, however given the fact that he/she will rarely need to access the safe, the inconvenience is well worth the trouble, and it provides excellent protection against burglars. If you need to access your safe on a frequent basis, this plan will not be so workable. However, it is always important to hide the safe, and tell others in your home never to talk about where it is. The other plan is to have a decoy safe. This would be a cheaper safe, kept in a bedroom closet, where most burglars look. Keep useless documents in that safe, with a bit of cash and junk jewelry. Make it easy for a burglar to steal this safe and walk away with it, so he exits the home more quickly, while the real safe remains unknown to him.
We at Burglars United thank you for your helpful tips and will include these places in our "where to look for a safe when burgling a house" brochure......
🤣🤣🤣🤣
thank you for making this video and letting all the thieves know where to look next after they didnt find any safe in the bedroom
As a security risk consultant most residential needs start with a wall safe about 3” deep for light cash, back up supply of medicines, checkbook and day to day jewelry. I prefer a touch tone keypad type with a mechanical key override in the event of electronics failure. This is important especially if you have contractors in the house, maids, etc. It should be at a very convenient chest height and ease of walk up and use, not buried as people won’t use it if it’s not convenient. If there is a walk in closet, that may be best. Behind the in-swinging door to the master bedroom is another. I won’t put any electronic safe in bath rooms where the steam from a shower can corrode the mechanism.
The second safe like a large cube for valuable contents is wise but it must be hard anchored. A safe that can be picked up or pried up is a fools joke for security. Keep in mind people don’t want to crawl on their hands and knees, so it must be for infrequent needs. Wealth clients who want a rated cube safe should elevate the unit to chest height access and I always recommend a lit area and a shelf next to the safe for ease of use.
In some cases a true floor safe is hidden in the basement for metals and cash (not something that will deteriorate as there can be higher humidity). All contents of a floor safe should be in heavy zip,lock bags. There are ways to absorb moisture with moisture bags. For nonnegotiable papers non valuables, a fire rated file cabinet is preferred to preserve longevity.
Peoples needs vary and wealthy individuals and those known to be crypto trading are targets and should consult with reliable security professionals. The idea of multiple safes may be a foreign idea to many, but true risk management is about strategy first, cares for human behavior convince issues (people won’t use it if it’s a pain to use). I use the term Reasonable Inconvenience part of the assessment and recommendations for consideration. That safe under a sink is the one most likely not to be used. Again having to crawl on the floor is not at all what people want to do. They rather hide something than bother.
Some of the hiding tips in this video like putting a cardboard box over a box cube safe is a nifty idea. Then there are other factors of a usable home alarm and video surveillance systems and video doorbells that record at all times. Security is a layered approach and these home improvement centers are not an expert.
Go to a real licensed security clearance approved locksmith and never use google to find the listing phone number as crooks take out adds in the name of a legit company but with a phone number that calls the crook. To prove the point of bogus listings is there was a listing under Edwards Snow Den ski supplies with the White House address. The verification process google listings uses was upgraded to sending the merchant a post card with a link CR bar code, but that can be manipulated. There are videos on this issue and some are very shocking. You must trust whomever you consult with and have the work done by. Unfortunately the web is not all that private or secure, so being extra cautious is likely a wise. If someone comes to your home as a security professional and you get any bad vibe, shorten the visit and disclose nothing and move on.
If your risk or value is high, it’s probably wise to engage a local expert security advisor. Vendors are okay, but risk planning is a field few have the experience to be risk planners. Often a good consultant will know which vendors are well suited for the project and that cuts out the worry of due diligence of the vendor(s). Security starts and ends with trust.
Great post! Thanks. We have another video you may want to take a look at.
Which Safe is Right for Your Needs. ruclips.net/video/MeEa-6C5zoA/видео.html
Safe Burglar Ratings Explained. ruclips.net/video/9u-asS7Ldys/видео.html
In a past life I was quite wealthy and had to carry a lot of cash as the country I lived in was a cash economy. My safe was bolted through the wall right next to the door - people used to scream at me ti hide it - I figured anyone robbing me would find a hidden safe and Id rather they spent a couple of hours trying to get in a safe that I had USED to keep the cash in cos it was super convenient than pick the cash up of a table cos I couldn't be bothered crawling on the floor.
A safe is only any good if you USE IT was myt logic.
I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, could you write that again? ✌️
A pit bull that doesn't like strangers anywhere on the property helps too. I've seen solicitors turn around half way up the walkway because of his barking.
@Wood Stream I would love one but I don't want to pick up its shit
Good advice. Me, I have two safes, one that is not too hard to find with not much money, the second that has more money is better hidden. I don't care if they take the first one and chances are they will not guess that there are two. As to the second, my house at one time (prohibition) used to be a gambling den, speakeasy and has secret rooms and hidding places. Almost got killed by one, because I had no idea the hidden door was lose. Been here 15 years and the most recent find was last year.
Cool. Thanks for commenting.
My.mother was like that hiding booze. Found the last 25 years after death. Lol. Actually found TWO like that. One was a box of crystal that was full of wine instead, too.
This is all excellent advice wherever you live. I was once visiting a house to tune an upright piano (that's the UK term for a Spinet by the way) and I discovered that the owner had discovered how to remove the "bottom door" panel (that's the panel below the keyboard in front of the player's knees). In the bottom of the piano behind the loud-pedal system they had stowed a box of jewelery and cash. It struck me as such a good place to hide something from any burgling intruder. What criminal knows how to remove the bottom door of a piano? There are many different methods of securing the door concealed and hard to access depending on the make of instrument- wooden sliders, spring releases, turn button catches etc and the door is located on hidden dowels - what a great place to hide valuables. Not in a sealed polythene box in the toilet cystern! Not under a bed; Not in the tumble dryer; and if you have a grandfather clock don't hide anything in that either!
The idea is to get creative! Thanks for watching 👍
Safe until they decide to steal the piano...
@@gblargg But seriously! Who's walking out the door with a piano? You need a moving truck to do that. Burglars don't show up in trucks that size! They show up in at best a van, but mostly cars so that they can get away quicker. A truck would have the neighbors suspicious and calling the police. 👀 👀 Their goal is to get away. Big trucks don't have the speed you need to dust a squad car. Just sayin'.
@@gblargg Have you tried to move a piano?? Lol. They're a good 450 pounds of solid wood. I watched them put mine into a small space. Took 4 guys. The legs aren't as secured as one might like, so bashing into it and you'll have 450 pounds of piano coming right at you. It's propped up with thick wood pieces. But not bolted on.
My uncle had a safe behind a portrait of himself in his penthouse suite home office. Inside that safe is a fireproof strong box, containing a Gray’s Sports Almanac from 1950-2000, kept in a plastic bag.
Say ...was his name Biff?
@@stephenszabo2361 yeah, and he’s such a butt he ad
Ha. Underrated comment.
If some kid comes by ever asking about that almanac, you know what to do.
Don't be so gullible McFly!
The ratings for safes in the EU are graded by how long it takes to break into them, however the test favors the person breaking into the safe, as they put the safe in the middle of the floor and it's set upon with crow bars and hammers and other tools. However nearly all safes can be bolted to solid brick or concrete walls which eleminates that safe being picked up and dropped or attacked from all angles, the safe can also be placed inside very slim cupboards or spaces where a burgler can't get leverage to use a crowbar, and either has to destroy the cupboard around the safe, use power tools, pick locks or spend time going through variations of key codes. Which all takes a long time and creates noise. So even cheap key safes can be very good if they are bolted to solid walls. And placed in the right space. You don't need a heavy expensive safe, a light safe between €90 and €300 bolted to a concrete wall and floor will do exactly the same thing. I had a cheap €90 Chinese made gun safe and because I'd bolted it to the wall inside a cupboard and not wanting to destroy the cupboard it took me several hours of drilling and cutting to open the safe to get my guns out, it was so good I bought a new one for my ammo. I had to upgrade my gunsafe for EU security standards but again you don't need to spend more than €300 if you fit it correctly, it ain't going anywhere. Obviously you have to get through the alarm and camera system, mastiff and heavily armed veteran but all security should be layered. Nobody has tried to break in, but I live in hope. 🤪
Mastiff are hilarious. They don't bite anyone. They just pin them and sit on them. You'd be shocked to see how fast they CAN move! When you never see that irl. But they're damn fast.
I know two BRILLIANT places to hide a safe. I would be a damn fool if i told you 🤣🤣
Under the cat box ?
My dad pulled the tip and ink reservoir out of one of those jumbo permanent markers. Great place to put some cash rolled tight and stored in a drawer with the cap replaced with other random markers. As long as a thief doesn’t need to label anything, you’re golden.
Then you forget and throw it out when you go to write and it doesn't work?
That is awesome!
I use a small safe that's fire and water-proof (because having it survive a fire does no good if doesn't survive the fire department's efforts) but any burglar would be disappointed on opening it to find the only valuables are my divorce and custody papers. They're valuable to me!
Me too. My safe is for items I wouldn't want to lose in a fire. A burglar would be so disappointed.
I have a small fire/water resistant box which I have a copy of insurance paperwork in case of a fire. If a thief wishes to take anything else, that is fine because it is all replaceable. The annoying part would be taking the time replacing it.
This is from someone who was broken into many times growing up. They can't take it if you don't have it.
If you have central A/C, consider inside the air return unit. Open the door, remove filter, set safe down on the floor inside the return, replace the filter, close the door. Who's really ever going to look there? And, it's reasonable easy to access.
Not an HVAC guy, but that could ruin your system by limiting air to the blower system.
in the middle of a pandemic and an unreliable just in time delivery system, the pantry might be the first thing they burglarize lol. Thanks for the tips, its something to really think about.
...and the TP. 🤦♂️
Definitely don't hide it behind your toilet paper!!!!!! Lol
That's an end of the world scenario you're describing where money and gold has no more value. The food and supplies take the place of currency.
Great video!
As you said, the burglar spends 8-10 minutes in the house. The more places he has to look for valuables he more time the police have to get there and catch him. Security signs, locked doors, alarm systems, video cameras, hidden safe will not prevent a burglary, but they will make your home less appetizing to a burglar. Security is a deterrent that may prevent a burglary.
Agree! Thanks for watching.
So after watching the video, would they bank on the odds of finding it in the unlikely spots or still go with the usual high percentage spots? They'd be just wasting time searching all the fruitless areas unless they got previously clued in with inside job info.
Where do police come for a burglar alarm anymore?
@@paulbarthol8372 The police do come in my area, but I do realize that this is not the same for others... which supports the efforts to hide things in truly unusual places. Anything in the primary bedroom is highly susceptible to being found.
Gosh
In the 90s my best friend father was beaten to a pulp and spent 2 weeks in a coma because he could not open a safe hidden in an apartment he rented in Rio. His wife lost an eye to the burglars. Later they learned the safe had nothing inside. Since then I always leave hotel safes open and when I rent an Airbnb I make sure to request any existing safe be left open. Everything can be replaced.
Wow. I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks ACME, you've made my '10 minute work time' more productive
🤦🏻♂️
If I had a safe in my pantry I would put the chocolate chips in it.
You're mean. lol
My neighbor growing up was a jeweler. His house was robbed several times. He would bait them with fake jewelry scattered about. From what I can remember it worked every time.
Good 💡 idea. The Walk in PANTRY. I have 1 but NEVER thought of Hiding a SAFE in THERE. THANKS AGAIN 👍🤓👍👍👍
The laundry room never gets tossed - until thieves discover RUclips.
Perfect - I always have piles of laundry - I could probably just throw my dirty clothes on top
My safe is not kept in my house. It is in a remote area in my property. There is a small one that is kept inside, behind the dryer inside the wall. The dryer is on hidden wheels that lock into a tiny groove on the floor. To move the dryer out, I just push it in with my foot then pull hard to get the wheels over the groove. I do what I have to in the safe and then push the dryer back.
Best place for a small safe is at the vicinity of the front door because usually, a burglar will run passed the front door (whether he entered through it or not) and go into more obvious places like bedrooms and closets and studies and no burglar wants to spend much time where any police or security or homeowner showing up will most likely be.
The problem I have with a safe (not a gun safe) in the house, is that most burglars want to just get in and get out quick...Steal your stuff, and get away.
But I fear should they find a safe, they now they have a reason to wait for you to come home so you can open it for them.
Valid.
This sounds like a job for an easy-to-steal dummy safe with a couple hundred bucks and “important” paperwork.
And a magnetic sensor that notifies you that it was moved. A little smart sensor should run you under $100 if you wait until something is on sale.
Mine is behind a mesh door in a cabinet in my living room. Not crazy obvious to random guests but anyone looking would have no problem finding it. The sensor is actually on the opposite door as it is more concealed, and it’s impossible to open the safe door without opening both cabinet doors.
Not perfect, but sufficient enough that if it trips I’ll check my cameras.
Thats what a med inside dog is for. They’ll go next door where there is no dog. Lol
@@charlotte5834 meh. A dog is a pain in the arse in a lot of ways.
Just install something like Ajax and you will know that someone in your house. Knowing this you can come home with police. Surprise!
It never dawned on me NOT to put it in my bedroom or closet. The pantry is nice, but I like the idea of putting it in a Linen Closet that's usually in a hallway. I'd take that cardboard box and cut out the bottom AND one side so I could slide the box over the safe and mark it JUNK. BUT this is all GREAT info I never really thought of. THANKS!
These were a couple of good ideas. I have a large safe bolted down in the basement and a small safe I keep upstairs in the main bedroom, easy to find...it's empty. It's not bolted down and is my decoy safe in case they want to grab and run. I figure the quicker they find it the quicker they'll leave. Big surprise when they open it.
What if crooks are watching you now? Also, there may be a day when you have to hide you pantry to keep your food.
I thought the same exact thing when he got to the pantry, and went back to look at the date. You never know what smash-and-grabbers are going to go for these days.
@@persistentdreams --Don't hide it behind the toilet paper.
Come that day. You can leave your valuables in the pantry and hide your food under the bed. Lol
@@dandavis8300 nowadays the toilet paper is in the safe!
@@slicedpage Assuming they have a limited amount of time, they'll still go for the highest return areas.
I wonder how much the color of a safe matters in whether it its recognized. Apparently, some theme parks paint utility items or other items they don't want people to pay attention to in their parks in a color called Go Away Green or something like that. Have safe makers studied what colors of safes are more likely to be found, if there is any difference?
What about a Russian Dolls option? Put the safe within 6 other safes 😂
But I think for me the best option would be inside a plastic recycling trash can in the kitchen or pantry, fill it empty with plastic bottles and containers with the safe at the bottom, it's clean and easy to access.
Saranz That's a good one.
Might be rather heavy for a bin of empty bottles though-
0:09 seconds into this video and all I can hear in my head is LPL:" here are 3 safes with egregious design flaws..."
The Burg Wachter safes carry a burglary rating. It's the toughest small safe we've ever found. We have a great photo of one of the safes we installed that a robber tried to break into. It held.
www.acmelocksmith.com/buy-safes-online/burg-wachter-cl10e.html
But you're absolutely right. In most cases, small safes are not meant to protect high-dollar items. Hence the reason to try to conceal them, somehow.
Thanks for commenting.✌
@@LocksmithRecommended Considering how quickly LPL gets through this "burg watcher" lock, I'd hesitate to trust their safes ruclips.net/video/_ThNLMr5NXQ/видео.html
@@justinmileman7863 that's a padlock. This is a RSC-rated safe. What you don't see are the hours and hours LPL spends figuring out how to bypass many of the locks he bypasses. In a lot of cases he's crafted special tools for the task. You can watch his videos, pick up the picks, and still not he able to pick many of the locks he's bypassed. It's a skill that takes time to learn.
Unlike locks, UL-rated safes have a minimum entry criteria. If the LPL gets into a UL-rated safe in under that criteria, he would be negating the safe's UL-rating, and if notified the safe should loose the UL rating. Locks have no equivalent rating.
That doesn't mean you can't get past a safe lock. We've drilled thousands of safes. And we've spent 1000s of hours learning that skill.
Even though I can bypass every residential lock, I still lock my house. Even though LPL has shown me he can bypass every padlock, I still have a padlock on my gate. And even though we've drilled even the highest rated residential safes, I still put my valuables in one.
Because the typical smash and grabber doesn't know how to bypass any of it. And a typical professional isn't coming to my neighborhood.
I love it how the random poster like to troll the content maker. If you are such a freaking expert get your own youtube channel... or maybe you just don't know how to contribute?
James Barrick ever watch LPL??
& Not trolling dude, why you think that?
We had a safe HIDDEN in the basement. Some worker working on furnace or plumbing broke into it. Had plenty of time to search for it and tools and noise didn’t alert us. Didn’t realize it until months later.
😯
That's terrible! ☹️
Yeah, you have to BE THERE when people are in your house.
Workmen like that are prolific thieves
Holy Schmidt!
I love to have that walk-in pantry. He has it well stocked.
I like keeping a small high security (with a good fire rating) bolted to the ground inside a large high security safe (like a very large quality gun safe) that’s also bolted to the ground and has a good fire rating). This really helps the odds of your jewelry/money/papers surviving a fire. It also makes things much harder for home intruders. The biggest issue with small safes is they can be removed and opens elsewhere much easier than a 1500-2500 lb safe. But even the best safe should always be bolted securely to the foundation.
fire safes are designed to be grabbed and taken with you in the event of a fire, and hope they will protect your documents if no one is home
@@kenwittlief255 I hope not, since my fire safe is 800 lbs !
I think under a sink would be a decent place to hide a safe from a burglar, but I've had enough plumbing issues with homes I've lived in that I don't think I'd want to deal with the potential moisture issues and having plumbers coming into my home and seeing where I've hid my safe. Makes sense to keep things out of the master bedroom and bath though.
The best security advice: Hide your safe and make a RUclips video on how and where you hid it.....Masterful indeed.
There are over 120 MILLION households in the USA. How many of these households do you think are going to follow the (very good) advice in this video? [probably several thousand] How many are going to also make a good effort to conceal/camouflage their small safe's hiding place? [probably a few thousand] Did you listen to the first comments?--most Americans CONTINUE to hide valuables--and their small safes--in the Master Bedroom somewhere. [probably in the millions] Most burglars know this, and almost always toss/search the Master Bedroom. There's a lot of inertia and tradition in American culture, and one RUclips video won't change that.
Anyone looking to find a safe will now look in these places. Bravo!!
I owned a house once where there was a cylindrical hole in the concrete in the closet in the master bedroom with carpet over it. Best I could determine at the time was that it was originally for a floor safe, but the door that over it was no longer there. It was probably 10" in diameter and 18" deep. I suspect that it would have been a pretty good place to have a safe since it was hidden under the carpet and even if you discovered it, it's going to be difficult to break through the concrete or steel plate on the top. I never used it as a safe or hiding place though since the stuff that I want to lock up are a bit larger than that (i.e. firearms).
The underneath the stairway area might be a good place to put a gun safe though if you place it there and then have the stairs built around it so that it would require a lot of prolonged destruction to remove the safe. It's also good to put it in a tight space so that the criminals don't have room to work. If you're willing to dispose of the corpses, an "active" security system might be an option regardless of the legalities in your area.
A psychological trick - make something visible and easy to find and they may overlook the thing you're hiding.
Like with an auditor, if you've done a really good job they'll just keep going until they find something. But if you leave them something to find they go away happy and miss the flaming shit-storm in the back room.
That works well for HVAC techs with city inspectors too. ;)
Now I just need a safe and a house with a pantry I will be all set.
🤣
And something worth storing in a safe?
@@marktisdale8058 LOL so true so sad :(
😂😂😂😂😂
I'm a bit of a watch collector. I intentionally put all of the cheaper watches that I don't really care about too much in my master bedroom, actually just out in the open (A good number of solar watches sitting in the window sill). Funny to think they made off with 20 or so watches, meanwhile all the good stuff is off in another random room in a safe. I've always heard, never store anything you care about too much in the Master Bedroom.
I hide my valuables in a water sealed container linked by a chain to the underside of the lid that sits on my septic tank. Works like a charm.
So that's where you keep the good shit.
@@ALRIGHTYTHEN. I shit you not!
That's why the guy driving the septic tank emptying truck has a sticker on the back that reads My other vehicle is a Ferrari!
As comedian Chris Rock said: "You wanna save your money? Put it in your books. Because crooks don't read. Just put the money in the books. Books is like kryptonite to a crook." (Yes, I cleaned up the language and made it politically correct)
I remember years ago my wife and I used to keep thousands in cash in a book. Which book, you ask? "Paper Money" by Adam Smith.
He didn't say crooks... He said n*****s
@@MusicforMe123 I know, but I had to make it politically correct or the RUclips police would start raising hell. Chris Rock can say what I can't say. It's very sad. America has lost its' sense of humor.
@@MusicforMe123 nitwits...
@@asherdie Close but not close enough.
Still trying to find a company that makes replacement bolting security doors for a woodstove. With walls of 1/4"+ fully welded steel, it would take a lot to get in to one of those; and they are heavy as all get up. Very few people would think to look inside a wood stove :)
5" angle grinder and cutting wheel will cut it in half in 30 seconds
We never had a safe when I was a child (I don't have one now either) but when I was a child the attic was converted into an extra bedroom. A carpenter built floor to ceiling shelves at one end to fit the sloping sides and at the top at either end he fitted a secret compartment. You wouldn't realise unless you knew how to open them. There weren't ever any valuables in it, it was just something fun we could hide small toys in.
The best suggestion I've heard is to put something of moderate value above or on top of your high-value item(s). Of course conceal the high-value item. The principle of course is the thief will continue searching for goodies, but elsewhere in the house.
You just gave away the "secrets". Now all the burglars know them too. Thanks a lot....
Fill the entire house with safes. They can't take all of them, and they won't know which one is the real one. - plus fill the fake ones with spiders. Or, you could put all your valuables inside an ET doll, and then put that in the closet surrounded by other dolls. No-one ever sees ET hiding among the stuffed animals. Just don't put it in the master closet, unless it's inside a safe.
🤣
HAHAHAHA
Inbed your diamonds on your cats collar.Hope it doesnt run off
Omg that’s hilarious
One bit of advice that works: Buy a small cash box/container and seal it in a large two-gallon freezer bag and bury it somewhere in your backyard--even a small dirt area that a condo might have. No burglar is going to start digging up the backyard or patio area dirt. Then, buy an inexpensive lockable safe and place it in a dresser drawer or on a shelf in your primary bedroom's closet--some place where it can be easily found--that only contains non-valuables like old eyeglasses or medallions taped in an old Bandaid can to give it some heft and sound. A burglar might leave rather quickly to lessen the chances of getting caught--he/she would be eager to get home to get at those supposed "treasures" in that decoy safe lol!
This only works if you have total privacy and are certain of it. In a condo or apartment complex, or at a house in a neighborhood, you can never be certain someone didn't see you digging and burying whatever it is. Even in the middle of the night.
Set up one of those pop up canopy put a tarp wall on three sides do your digging inside that. There where night vision googles come into play.😉
If you are planting flowers or gardening pretty sure you could slip it in without detection.
And fit it with a glitter loaded spring...
@@angelbear_og😂🎉