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‹ Guides

Concealment and Diversion

Concealment furniture

Picture frame wall safe Hinged behind a framed print, shallow enough to sit flush on a plaster wall. The oldest trick there is, which is why it is also the first place searched. Behind art8 x 10 inShallow Hidden picture frame safe, 8 x 10 in See on Amazon Under-bed locking chest Flat enough to live under a bed frame and heavy enough to be awkward to carry off. A combination rather than a key, so there is nothing to find first. Under bedDual combinationSteel Vaultz locking storage chest, dual combination See on Amazon Wall clock safe Wall clock safe A working clock with the back half hollowed out. Hung high, which is the one plane in a room that people scan past rather than stop and search properly. Working clock10 inchWall height Wall clock with hidden compartment, 10 in See on Amazon Air vent safe A vent cover that opens, set between the studs among vents that actually work. A dead vent in a row of live ones is the tell, so it goes where nobody stands. Vent coverBetween studsCombination Elder Welder air vent wall safe See on Amazon Outlet wall safe A real faceplate over a box set between the studs. Nothing is wired to it, which is the point and also the tell if anyone tries to plug something in. Between studsReal faceplateFlush Elder Welder outlet wall safe See on Amazon

Small concealment

Book safe Book safe A hollowed hardback on a shelf of hardbacks, which is the only place it works. Beaten by anyone who pulls the books out, so it holds a decoy, not the lot. Decoy layerHardbackShelf blend KYODOLED diversion book safe, key lock See on Amazon Diversion can or jar Weighted to match the product it copies and kept among identical tins. Weight is what gives the cheap ones away, so it wants a cupboard nobody rummages in. WeightedKitchenAmong identical Mealivos fake can diversion safe, weighted metal See on Amazon Magnetic key and stash case A steel case on a magnet, mounted out of sight under something metal. Holds a spare key or a folded note, and it is sealed enough to sit outside all winter. Magnet mountUnder metalSpare key Nite Ize Hideout magnetic key box See on Amazon False bottom food tin A screw base under real product, kept in a cupboard among identical tins. Weight is the tell, so it lives behind the things nobody lifts down to look at. Screw baseCupboardWeight matters BigMouth Spam can safe, weighted to match See on Amazon Diversion wall socket A socket front on a magnet, pushed into a hole cut in the plasterboard. Minutes to fit and it holds a rolled note stack, which makes it a decoy, not a safe. MagneticNo wiringOne stack Magnetic outlet diversion safe, simple install See on Amazon

What to consider

Time is the mechanismNot unfindable, only slow to find. A burglar searching fifty objects is far less effective than one walking to an obvious safe.
Blend, do not stand outA book safe works on a shelf of books and fails on an empty one. Context matters more than the product.
Scatter, do not concentrateSmall amounts across several spots. If one is found the rest survive, and no single discovery is worth much.
Layer with a real safeNo fire, water or pry rating. Rated safe for documents and metal, concealment for cash, keys and quick access.

Emergency cashSmall notes, three to five spots. Nobody finds all of them in ten minutes.
Spare keysMagnetic boxes under metal, a bolt safe in the garden. Never the doormat, the frame or the mailbox.
USB drives and SD cardsSmall enough to hide almost anywhere. Encrypt them anyway.
Jewellery and small valuablesThe more ordinary the container, the more invisible it is.
Document copiesOriginals in a rated safe, a second set somewhere else entirely.

Kitchen and pantryOpaque food containers, the cabinet kickboard, an unused appliance.
BathroomA cleaned-out toiletry bottle, or the plumbing access panel behind the bath.
Laundry and utilityInside a detergent box, behind the machine, in a hanging coat. Low-priority rooms.
Living areasA hollowed book among many, a flat envelope behind wall art, a disused speaker.
Air ventsA container taped inside the duct behind the cover. Do not block the airflow.
Under drawersTaped to the underside, not inside. Works in any room.
False bottomsCard or thin ply cut to fit a drawer, shelf or box, then loaded over.
Garage and workshopAn old paint can, a toolbox with a false bottom, a bag of soil.
DIY PVC pipe cacheA capped, sealed length of pipe buried in a bed or fixed inside a wall reads as plumbing. Waterproof by design.
VehicleBehind interior panels, the spare tyre well, under a seat, an empty fuse box.