Home burglaries happen more than anyone wants to think. It’s one of those things that people get slightly prepared for but never actually expect to happen to them. Unfortunately, burglaries do happen, and they often don’t even involve force – they can be done by people you know, at times you would least expect it, and can leave you left without things important to you and feeling horribly violated (See more information on it here).
I’ve found one of the most underrated, yet, worthwhile investments in home security is a security safe. When I say security safe, I’m not talking about the cheap safes you find at a dirty hotel
that anyone could break in and take. These are not excuse-to-feel-secure safes I’m talking about. I’m specifically talking of well built, heavy, bolted, strongly secured and chiefly designed security storage items.
There are a few different kinds of security safes, purposed for keeping different things secure. It’s important when looking into them to think about quality. While a budget should always, always, always be kept in mind, don’t settle for less than what you need, either. That said, you should know what kind of safe you need and what kind you are getting.
Contents
Safe from Nature
Fire/Waterproof Safes
More and more safes are being created now days that are simultaneously waterproof and fireproof. While security safes are typically burglary-safe, more and more are adding this feature. The better-rounded your safe is, the better. You can view fire ratings for safes here.
Purpose
Safes are made not only to protect your possessions from burglars but from other kinds of damage as well. For instance, the inside of a jewelry safe is usually covered in a softer fabric to ensure its belongings are not damaged by the safe itself when being moved around.
Placement
Wall Safes
Wall safes are attached to a wall, often suspended a foot or two above the ground. This is mostly for the convenience of what you’re keeping there, and often times for looks. However, this potentially makes it harder for burglars to get into or take away as well.
Bolted-to-the-floor
For certain purposes, bolting a safe to the floor seems to be a better option than a wall safe. There’s no easy way to steal a safe that’s bolted to the floor. Breaking in has to be done in-house, or else they have to spend time unbolting it from the floor (assuming the safe is light enough for them to move in the first place). This is probably your best option.
Closet
This is pretty much any kind of safe that can fit in a closet. Unless you have a lot of room in there, you might want to stick with a smaller safe for this purpose. Don’t settle for a cheap hotel-quality safe though – get something that will protect your items the best! The main point of putting a safe in a closet is conveniently hiding it from the general public. However, burglars and dedicated thieves probably won’t avoid a closet – so it’s especially important to ensure you’ve got a well-built safe!
Other
There are many other places you could keep a safe – the three I mentioned are most common. Where do you keep your safes? The more creative, the better. Make it hard for those pesky burglars to find!
