The average burglar spends under five minutes inside a property.1 So, the harder something is to locate, the less likely it is to be taken.
Forget storing the family heirlooms in your jewellery box – that’s an easy target. Here are some clever, unexpected hiding spots to help keep your treasures secure while you’re holidaying away.
Pot plants
How about using your indoor pot plants as a makeshift safe before your next trip?
Burying your valuables in the soil of your favourite fiddleleaf fig may keep it safe from intruders. Just be sure to put whatever you’re hiding in a waterproof container.
Pantry items
Cereal boxes, empty cans or old jars can be great hiding spots. Unless your thief gets the munchies mid break-in, they might not have time to peruse your pantry.
Hollowed-out books
A well-placed hollowed-out book used as a safe container can blend seamlessly on your bookshelf.
Buy one online or DIY your own to stash small valuables in plain sight. Just remember which book you used.
False-bottom drawer
Handy with DIY? A false-bottom drawer is a great way to hide valuables. All you need is plywood, a hot glue gun and some wood strips.
For best results, use a deep drawer so the depth change isn’t obvious.
Tennis ball
A tennis ball isn’t just for the court. It can double as an ace space to store your valuables.
Cut a small slit to create a hidden compartment, perfect for jewellery or small items. But don’t lose it at the park!
Floating shelves with hidden compartments
Floating shelves are great because they have no visible support - say goodbye to clunky hardware or brackets on the wall.
With a little extra effort and a veneer, you can build a hidden compartment on your floating shelf.
Dog food bag
A burglar is unlikely to dig through a bag of dog food. Hide small valuables in a sealed container, place it inside the kibble and cover it up. Have a feline companion? A bag of unused cat litter works too.
Kid’s room
As long as your kid’s room isn’t filled with electronic devices, there probably isn’t much value in there for burglars. Look for spots that aren’t obvious for thieves and are also hard for your children to find.
Laundry basket
The likelihood of finding anything of value at the bottom of a dirty clothes pile is quite low. This makes your laundry basket a fantastic potential hiding place.
Just make sure whatever you’re hiding is waterproof, in case it ends up in the washing machine.
Old appliances
An old vacuum cleaner makes an excellent hiding spot. It doesn’t even need to work. Find one at an op shop and use the canister for hidden storage.
Consider cover with AAMI
Hiding your precious possessions can be helpful but you may not always be able to outsmart burglars. AAMI Home & Contents Insurance and Contents Only Insurance offers cover for your valuables for theft at home.
Cover your contents by theft at home
Contents with flexible limits is a cover for items like jewellery or watches that you can choose to increase their limits for an extra premium. When you do this, they become specified contents and are covered for loss or damage while at home.
For example, you have a diamond ring worth $8,000. Jewellery has a flexible limit of $2,000 per item. You ask us to increase cover to $8,000 and pay the extra premium. This diamond ring is now shown on your certificate of insurance as a ‘Specified contents’ item and is covered for a maximum of $8,000 at the insured address.
1 Australian Institute of Criminology