Written by Douglas Mefford in Home
Viewed by 140 readers since 03-15-2009

While not everyone is wealthy enough to require a built-in wall safe to keep their valuable items like jewelry or coin collections in, nearly everyone does have some items that need extra care and concealment for safe keeping. There are many products on the market that provide a small, concealed space for a few items. Hollow cans for various products and cutout books are favorites for those who have just a few things to conceal. The biggest drawback is in keeping these where such an item, if it were real, would look out of place and draw unwanted attention back to it.

For real safety for your items around the house it is best that you learn a little bit of woodworking. Replacing a baseboard along any chosen wall and fitting it with concealed catches and hinges will provide a hidden doorway into a secure space within the very walls of your home. Depending on which wall you choose, the space behind you door can be anywhere from the few inches within the wall or you can install a lifting shelf that can be raised up above the top of the cut and be as deep as your room is tall. In this type of setup, even if by some accident your hidden door is discovered, it will appear empty as the “shelf” is fastened above the exposed space.

Another favorite place to hide small items is in a hollowed out electrical outlet. This process has diminished somewhat as the idea has gained popularity but there are ways to reinforce its effectiveness. Take a battery-powered digital clock and drill a hole in the back casing; making sure not to damage the workings, and secure an electrical cord to the inside. Once this is done you can fill your small outlet safe with your valuables and “plug in” the clock. In this manner it will give the appearance of a functional electrical outlet.

Flowerpots can also be used in several ways to help provide more long-term storage of valuable items. The simplest method is in obtaining a watertight container and literally burying your treasure in the bottom of the pot. For easier access, the pot can be fitted with a secondary level container about halfway down so the entire plant and its soil can be raised up to expose the bottom section of the pot. One may wish to still utilize the waterproof container and build a method for wicking water up to the soil from the bottom so as to provide the most natural look for your plant hideout.

Whatever system you use to conceal where your money or valuables are hidden it is critically important that you be vigilant in noting if there are any wear-marks beginning to show where you open and close your hidden compartment. It should be constructed so as to not show signs of use but since long-term use can reveal such marks, you should always check it for visual clues that all is not as it should seem.