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THE 10 BEST WAYS YOU CAN HIDE YOUR VALUABLES
Hiding your life's treasures
under your pillow or mattress won't
safeguard them from a thief.
However, this doesn't mean that a
safety deposit box at your
bank is the only place for them.
In fact, the traditional
approach of keeping one's valuables in
the home is an excellent
idea, provided they are hidden in
really secret places.
The ten following ideas of
where to locate a secret compartment
will offer maximum security.
The first five, because they do
require some construction to
the house, are better for people
who own their own homes. The
second five ideas can be
effectively used by
apartment dwellers or renters.
1. WALLS
- because walls are hollow,
there can be hidden space behind
every wall in every room.
- the ideal spots are behind
solid, fixed items, like coat racks,
or boards along closet walls
supporting the clothes hanging pole.
- remove the attachment and
hollow out a compartment.
- make sure you camouflage
your handiwork well.
2. BEAMS
- ceiling and wall beams are
popular architectural features in
homes.
- make one of the false
beams (one which doesn't offer much
support) moveable, and
hollow an opening out of its top or back
side.
3. BASEBOARDS
- one of the
easiest-to-construct compartments is one behind a
baseboard. These strips of
wood that run along your walls next
to the floor are so common,
no thief would give them a second
glance.
- choose a short section of
board, and carefully pry it away
from the wall with a
crowbar.
- now hollow out a hole, and
replace the baseboard.
4. PANELING
- wall paneling offers a
method of opening large areas of dead
space
- your best choice is behind
actual boards nailed to the wall
individually, not behind the
four-by-eight sheets.
5. MIRRORS
- for a compartment offering
little depth, but a large area of
space, you can construct a
hollow right behind a full-length
mirror on your closet door.
- hollow out your
compartment, then mount your mirror with
sliding tabs.
6. FURNITURE
- complicated secret spaces
built into furniture have for
centuries been favorites.
- a simple approach is to
remove the molding of a table or desk,
and make a hollow.
7. BOOKCASE
- a common source of easily
overlooked space is found at the base
of a bookcase. The lowest
shelf is usually raised above the
ground level several inches,
and this space is enclosed with a
base-molding.
- if you can make the lowest
shelf removable, you can attach your
valuables to the underside
of this shelf by means of magnets.
8. LIGHT SWITCH
- an easy and highly
deceptive secret space can be constructed
behind an electric outlet
plate or light switch plate.
- make sure the electricity
is shut off when you remove the plate
to construct your hollow.
9. HOUSEPLANTS
- secret compartments can be
constructed in the base of your
plant pots: this will be
especially effective if you have lots
of plants.
- seal your valuables well
in plastic if they can be
water-damaged.
10. BURIED TREASURE
- finally, don't overlook
the oldest hiding technique in history,
of burying your valuables
underground.
- make sure you have an
accurate map of where your treasure is
buried.
For maximum security in
hiding your valuables in your own home,
make sure your craftsmanship
is flawless. And don't reveal your
hiding place to anyone out
of your own family.
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