Last Updated on January 17, 2023
There are so many factors to consider when keeping your and the family’s prized possessions secure. Fortunately, home safes are a great way to have some peace of mind. You might want to consider a safe deposit box if you own valuable items, have important certificates and documents lying around, or live in shared accommodation.
In today’s article, we’re sharing what to put in a home safe to prevent anyone from accessing them. Get into good habits now rather than wait until something disastrous happens before making a change.
Your Valuables
A home safe is an excellent addition to an alarm system as it increases the security within your family home. Below are some important items that you may want to store in a safety deposit box to prevent misplacing them or having them stolen should an intruder manage to break in.
Birth Certificates
This is one of the most important personal documents you can own, and it’s very difficult to replace if stolen or lost. Keeping your personal documents in a home safe is a good idea because it provides a designated place for your birth certificate. Think about the times when you needed your birth certificate while submitting an online application and searched the entire house for it for hours.
Not to mention that this is one of the most important proofs of your identity. If someone steals this document, you could risk having your identity stolen. And that is obviously something you want to avoid.
Cash
Whether you have emergency cash or you’re saving up to purchase something, the last thing you want is to have a huge amount lying unsecured around your home. Keep your cash in a safe deposit box so it’s locked away from thieves. And, they’ll have less chance of obtaining it if they break into your property.
While some people might say that you should keep all emergency cash in a bank account, some prefer to have them on hand. If you choose to store heaps of cash in a deposit box, ensure that you pick a fireproof safe. In this way, you’ll be covered against accidental fires, too.
Guns
Opt for a gun safe if you have a weapon at home. Gun safes secure your firearms from children, pets, or intruders. In fact, this is usually in accordance with the law, depending on the country you reside in. And in some places, you’ll also need a separate box for the ammunition, with the gun in another compartment. In which case, choose a gun safe that’s large enough to store both items. Never just stash a gun in a regular deposit box because you want to make sure that you have a safe place for your weapon and are covered by your insurance company.
Furthermore, depending on the number and type of guns you possess, you might need a separate insurance policy to cover the gun. Also, depending on the gun’s worth, your insurer might request that you keep your weapon stored in an alarmed safe for optimum security. In fact, it’s a good idea to discuss your needs with your insurance policy provider before you buy a case.
Jewellery
Home safes are excellent for storing all kinds of valuables. One of those is jewellery. Hiding your jewellery from thieves isn’t always enough for the best security options. Instead, you’ll want to choose a home safe with a locked door that deters burglars from attempting to break into the security system.
Get into the habit of keeping your jewellery in a safe deposit box after each use. You can also put off these criminals by having a cheaper home safe with inexpensive jewellery in it. Doing so will trick thieves into believing that this is the only safe in your home. Hence, your real safe deposit box will be left untouched and your valuables intact.
Store the home safe in a master bedroom where you can create a good routine of putting your accessories in there every night. To ensure a hassle-free claim with insurance companies, keep any receipts of the jewellery in a separate place. You can even take pictures of the papers and store them on your phone for backup. It is also wise to take images or videos of the jewellery to further protect yourself in the event you ever need to make a claim. These receipts will provide proof of purchase in case any of these items go missing during a robbery.
Important Documents
In case of a burglary, you need to protect your personal documents, such as invoices, as these are some things that you can’t always replace. For example, if you purchase a MacBook Pro, make sure that you keep the invoice and store it in the safe deposit box straight away. This is a good protocol if your devices are stolen, and you can present the receipts as proof of ownership. Otherwise, your home insurance might not cover the loss if you’re unable to prove that you owned them in the first place.
Other examples of documents to store in a safe include adoption certifications of a family member, marriage licenses, and more. If a thief gets access to these pieces of information, they could attempt to steal your identity. Otherwise, they remain at risk in the event of a fire. Not to mention re-applying for these documents can be a hassle and a costly process.
Life Insurance Policies
Keep all of your insurance policies in your safe. These insurance documents are important for protecting your home’s valuables if they go missing or are stolen. Keeping them secure in a safe will provide great peace of mind for you. Plus, you’ll always know where they are if they’re safely stored in a home security box.
Furthermore, you can also protect yourself by safely storing car documents, guarantees, home paperwork, manuals, and more in the deposit box. Keep them organised within the safe by placing them in an envelope or filing box and labelling them appropriately. This way, you’ll never get confused about where they are and the information each document contains.
View this post on Instagram
Spare Keys
It’s likely that you own two sets of car keys. But where do you typically store the spare? It’s best to keep these things safe where people can’t easily access them.
It’s much more difficult for an intruder to break into a safe than it is to pick up the door lock and steal your car keys from the front hall. Moreover, keep a spare garage key, office key, friend’s house key, etc. in the safe, too.
Passport
Your passport could also be classified as one of the most important documents you’ll own. You need one to prove your citizenship and to travel abroad. However, it’s not a thing that you’ll require all the time, so keeping it in a home safe is a good security measure until the next time you need it. Someone could take your passport and use your identity. Hence, protect yourself from these incidents by stashing it in a safe together with your emergency cash and social security cards.
Property Titles
It’s also wise to place property titles in your home security box. This includes titles for your home and property deeds, information about investment houses, car titles, and more. You should also purchase a fireproof safe to protect your documents in the event of a house fire.
Laptops
If you use your laptop for work every day, get into a good habit of keeping it in a home safe after each use. Not all of us have the best practice of storing important information, such as photographs and media files, on a hard drive or USB stick. Most importantly, a laptop can often contain personal information, such as browsing history, work-related information, and even passwords. If your passwords for online banking, social media platforms, and other important websites are accessible, it can make it easier for thieves to steal your identity or make online purchases using your bank details.
Bank Cards
Keep your debit and credit cards safe by storing them in a home security box. These small items can be a goldmine for burglars, as they’re able to steal your identity and have access to your bank account.
Furthermore, you might also want to keep national insurance cards in a home safe, too, because these can also lead to identity theft if placed into the wrong hands.
Diplomas
You never know when you’ll need to share your educational certificate with an employer. And the last thing you want is for someone else to get credit for your work by stealing it and pretending that it’s theirs. Keep it locked up in your home safe.
Wills
A will is an important document that you tend to write and then forget about. However, this is one of the most important things that a stranger shouldn’t have access to if they break in. The contents are extremely sensitive and contain personal information. Make sure to produce copies of the original document and keep them in a safe at all times. It’s also worth buying a fireproof safe to prevent any damage in the event of a house fire.
Designer Valuables
No matter what designer valuables you own, keep them secure in a home safe. This could include a handbag, sunglasses, jewellery, and more. You should also consider choosing a safe size that holds and organises the items perfectly. Otherwise, you risk devaluing them if they become damaged or misshapen while stored.
Make it difficult for a thief to access these prized possessions if they break into your home. Otherwise, it’s more likely that they’ll take the designer thing that’s on display and make money out of it. Some intruders may be amateurs, but most would definitely recognise a designer logo if they see one.
Antiques
Don’t forget to store antique stuff in a safety deposit box, too. These items might include rare family photos, jewellery, ornaments, and more. Instead of keeping them out on display or hidden inside of a wardrobe, keep them secured in a home safe. Although it’s okay to have some items presented in your home, if you sometimes have strangers entering your house, it can make these items more susceptible to burglary.
Moreover, keep the items in an airtight packet to preserve any old documents and prevent them from wear and tear. This also may hold off the appearance of ageing spots while they’re stored in a safe for long periods of time.
Medication
If you or anyone else in your family household takes medication on a regular basis, a safe can provide a secure place to store them until the next use. This is especially important if there are kids in the house, where grabbing items like this can be highly dangerous. Prescription drugs can be a huge target for thieves, so keep them out of the way and secure in a home safe.
In addition, contain information from a family doctor and copies of medical prescriptions and histories in a home safe, so you always know where they are and to improve your personal security.
Financial Information
We previously mentioned keeping credit/debit cards in home deposit boxes, but we also recommend safeguarding financial information about yourself and the family in a deposit box, too. This includes bank statements, letters with outstanding debts, due dates, and more. Keeping tabs on your finances can protect your identity and credit.
Things Not Recommended to Be Kept in a Home Safe
As well as knowing what to keep in a safety deposit box, you should also be aware of items that should not be stored in the deposit boxes.
Car Batteries
It might not be all that common to keep a car battery in a home safe, but you wouldn’t be the first person to do it. Yes, having a spare battery for your vehicle is a sensible and great idea, but keeping it in your home safe isn’t. A battery can leak, destroying all of the contents in the safe.
Your Only Keys
We mentioned earlier about keeping spare keys in your home safe, but you should never place the original keys into the security box. Doing so might seem like a smart move by keeping your car keys away from thieves. However, if you forget the combination, you won’t be able to gain access to your car, leading to a hefty bill.
View this post on Instagram
Fire Extinguisher
We understand that you don’t use a fire extinguisher often, but that doesn’t mean you should keep it locked away in a safe until you may need it. Instead, keep an extinguisher within plain sight, so that it’s easy to reach during an emergency.
Imagine if there was a fire in your home, and you had to rush upstairs and open the safe to retrieve the fire extinguisher. In these moments, every second is precious, so always keep it to hand.
Combination Code or Safe Deposit Box Keys
This isn’t a smart way to deter thieves from accessing such information. If they’re able to open the home safe, they won’t need this information anymore. However, imagine if you forget the combination code one day, what use will it be if it’s stored in your safe?
Instead, share the code with someone you trust, who can give you the details should you suddenly forget it. Otherwise, make a note of it on your phone or on a piece of paper and keep it inside your bedside table’s drawer. Ensure that the details are hidden by not writing ‘combination lock code: ###’. Instead, throw people off by writing the combination code in a mixed message. In this way, it would seem like the number means something completely different.
Just Keep in Mind
Home safes are a fantastic addition to a home security system. They keep your items secure and protected from people who want to steal your identity or important possessions. Keep a variety of items – from a hard drive and thumb drive to insurance policies and receipts – locked away in a secure box.
Now you know what to put in a home safe, we hope you can use it to its full potential and keep all of your valuables safe from thieves or damage.
Are there any additional items you store in a home safe that we haven’t mentioned above? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Amy is a U.K.-based writer and editor with a penchant for helping consumers find the best home products for their needs, as well as providing easily digestible guides for living better at home. Her dedication to her work means she can usually be found elbow-deep in research or hunting down samples of the latest and greatest on behalf of her readers.
An avid DIYer herself, Amy’s passion lies in teaching others how they too can achieve their dream homes by tackling some of those pesky projects themselves! Whether it’s building furniture from scratch or turning an old dresser into a coffee table, Amy is always happy to share what she knows about making your house feel like home without spending a fortune.