I have had my home broken into before and the aftermath is annoying. I’ve had to deal with the entire process and learning that I would never be able to recover items I loved dearly. Even though most things are merely material possessions, you still want to protect your belongings. This is why one viral Reddit thread of former burglars revealing the tricks of the trade caught me by surprise. I wanted to see if I could leverage the post to fool-proof my home and make it difficult to break into. I think the thread helped me do just that. Check out the below tips from those who used to be on the other side, ones who grew a backbone for the greater good of mankind, so it seems. They just might help you when it comes to ensuring your things stay safe and where they belong, with you.
In order to make the reading experience of this article more convenient, the article has been split up into multiple pages. At the end of each page, you will see a “next” button which will take you to the next page. Enjoy your reading!
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Not Everyone Needs Should Know You’re Leaving
I know you’re excited to go on a trip, but posting it on Facebook, especially if your profile is public, is not warranted. It essentially invites burglars to your home to have a field day at your expense. You can tell a friend or two, but you run the risk of them saying something casually to someone in passing.
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This all reduces your chances of a break-in happening while you’re away on a much-needed vacation. There seems to be a sense of ‘needing to say something to someone,’ but the best vacations often happen in secret, don’t you agree? At least wait till you’re back to share your photos on social media.
Don’t Be so Obvious with Hiding Spots
Hiding your passports in a safe in plain sight is never advisable – under any circumstance. And it is imperative to get creative when considering how to keep valuables like documents safe. You can use a safe to hide your things, but at least get creative where you hide that safe. It should remain out of plain sight.
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You can also utilize locations including dirty laundry and the freezer for what you might consider important documents like your social security card while you are away. I know it sounds weird, but who would think to check there in the first place? You can hide things like jewelry inside hollowed-out books.
Don’t Let Anyone In your Home
Believe it or not, there are still door-to-door salespeople. I know what you are thinking, do not even come near my house with what you are trying to sell. No matter how you look at it – some people are gullible enough to let these folks into their house, some of which have mal-intentions.
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If you let a stranger into your home, make them verify their identity. Snap a photo even. Of course, it will only come in handy if something does happen. That way, you’ll at least have a clue. Either way, a good rule of thumb is to keep strangers away from your house altogether.
‘Beware of Dog,’ Even if There’s No Dog
There’s nothing wrong with putting up a sign that reads ‘beware of dog,’ even if you do not have a dog. Burglars are not fond of dogs, for obvious reasons, so this could make them think twice before entering your home. You can get an even better sign that reads ‘guard dog on duty,’ which would also do the job.
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If you do have a dog, it is even better, especially one that is protective of its territory (which is most dogs, to some extent). Just as an aside, please do not leave your pets home alone when you go on vacation! They’re not there to guard your house, after all.
Fake Burglars Out
If you have to hide a spare key for a pet sitter or for any reason while you’re away, at least make it difficult for them to find it by adding a decoy key. One Reddit user provided this tip, and I have to admit, it would be kind of funny to see this in action.
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Most people hide a spare key underneath the doormat at the front door. That’s not very creative, and the first place an intruder would look. Glue a decoy key down so that it does not move and hide the other one in a better location. Doing so will trick a burglar up, and they’ll likely run away without success.
Do not Keep Your Keys Next to the Door
Doing this provides a thief with easy access to valuables like cars. It is also not advisable to keep your keys in the ignition or in the vehicle itself, even if it is in your garage. This makes it effortless for them to have a field day with your car(s) – and to drive off into the sunset along with everything else they’ve stolen.
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You can keep keys in well-hidden safes and other locations that are out of plain sight and less ‘obvious.’ You do have to remember where you’ve put them yourself, though, so you can drive when you come back.
Lock Up Your Car
This tip builds upon the previous one, and it is a good one. LOCK UP YOUR CAR. Even if it is in your garage, lock it up. The goal is to make it as difficult as possible for a burglar to take what is not rightfully theirs in the first place.
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As this Reddit user points out, most folks leave their cars unlocked, with their keys – also located in their automobile. This is never a good idea under any circumstance. This one is a no-brainer – make their job as difficult as possible so you can keep your hard-earned possessions for yourself.
Better Hide Spare Keys
You should always have a spare key to your home. When you go out of town, you will want to ensure people like pet sitters have access to a key so they can feed fish and other animals you have to leave behind on vacation. It is even good if you forget your keys or lose them.
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Don’t be so obvious when hiding your key, though. Think outside the box. You could hide your spare key underneath a flowerpot or even a fixture like a garden gnome. No one would ever think to look underneath something like this – it is inconspicuous.
Lock Your Windows
Before you take off for vacation, chances are you make sure all of your doors are locked. So, you should make it a habit to ensure that all of your windows are locked as well. So many people fail to lock their windows, which to us seems so obvious (but maybe it’s easier said than done).
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It is just easier to leave them unlocked for various reasons. There is, however, no valid reason to do this when you go on vacation, as most burglars do check to see if they can gain easy entry via an unlocked window. You do not want to let something so small be the reason you get exposed to theft.
Move Your Jewelry
The ex-burglar who gave this tip alluded to something critical – they almost always go for your closet. As such, it is safest to avoid putting jewelry there. He further noted, it is one of the first places they look. Try to think outside the box.
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Try hiding jewelry in places like underneath the bathroom sink in an unsuspecting box of what appears to be something else is a good pointer. You can also put jewelry in the kitchen in places like a cookie jar. No one would think to look there unless they get hungry during the break-in, which is a possibility, although it is quite the sneaky place to hide valuables.
Close your Garage Door
It might seem obvious to close your garage door, but that is not the case for everyone. Depending on the neighborhood you live in you might feel privileged enough to fall asleep with your garage door open. In 2021, the reality is – you should not do this.
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Any time your garage door remains open creates a window of opportunity for a thief to take your car or even enter your home via the garage. Your valuables are, therefore, left exposed to strangers and, even worse, the possibility of disappearing. It is a simple thing to do, and it provides an extra layer of protection.
Decoy for the Win?
Safes should be just that, safe. So, purchasing a small, portable safe, defeats the purpose. If you must buy a small safe, you can use that one as a decoy to throw any potential robber off the trail of your actual valuables. If the safe is small enough, they just might take the whole of it instead of trying to open it on the spot.
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Do not keep anything of value in it, just things that you don’t mind having stolen. Keep the safe locked, nonetheless, and make sure there is something in there. You want to make them feel like they’ve hit the jackpot. I suggest filling it with something like papers and old gift cards – so they assume it is filled with credit cards.
Make Your House Untouchable
It is easy to create a feeling of security. You can add technologies like doorbell cameras and motion-detecting lights. These may all come in handy when it comes to startling and or capturing the image of an intruder.
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Leveraging the various technological tools out there is one way to ensure your valuables stay safe and in your hands. There are even high-tech padlocks with cameras. Today, pretty much everything is equipped with a camera, so that’s the good news. You can even program your doorbell to start talking once someone approaches, using your own voice. This would scare me for sure.
Fake It ‘Till You Make It
This is where products like fake keys and clever hiding places come in handy. I would suggest taking to sites like Amazon to explore this world. There are also several independent makers of these kinds of products. The overarching goal is to make things hidden in plain sight.
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Thieves will go out of their way to look for something they cannot see, but if they can see it and it looks like something else, well, they might have such great luck in this instance. I would suggest getting creative with this one and using pulling out all the stops, especially if you have plans to go on vacation in the near future.
Use Smart Lights
When your house is dark for several days and there is inactivity, this puts your home at a higher risk of being burglarized. This is where leveraging tools like smart lights that you can turn on from anywhere – comes in handy.
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If someone is sitting outside your home checking it out, you at least want them to see that something is going on. If they feel someone is home, this likely reduces the chances that they will enter. They might move on to the next home, which is unfortunate for them, but great news for you and your belongings, right?
Mount Your TVs
Electronics are usually the first thing a thief goes to when they break into your place. This is why taking measures like mounting your television to the wall is warranted in most cases. It also just looks pretty good, but that’s a matter of personal taste.
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Do not use just any wall mount, use an industrial-strength one. This way they have a next-to-impossible time removing it. If this is the case, it will likely dissuade them to take it in the first place. You can do this to all the televisions in your home, in fact, and it will also make for better viewing experiences, a true win-win if you ask me.
Hire a House Sitter for Good Measure
If you have a relative who has recently passed away and you can not stay there yourself, you should strongly consider hiring a house sitter. This is someone who could stay in the residence until you or someone else in the family can go and sort things out.
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When someone dies, word spreads fast, and that does not take long to matriculate down to the people you wish hadn’t found out. This could even be a security guard, but it is best if you can do it yourself because it will save money in the end. This is also valid for when you go out of town on vacation.
Make it Inconvenient for Them
As one former burglar shared on Reddit, for them, time is of the essence. They do not like to spend more than 15 minutes on the inside because it increases their chances of getting caught. It is more of an in-and-out situation for the majority of those looking for a quick buck, they’re not looking to spend hours in the house.
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Chances are, they will spend a short period of time inside because they are looking for valuables, and doing so in a slight hurry. They could also have entered looking for something specific. Either way, make it as uncomfortable as possible to penetrate the items they want.
Don’t Let Your Mail Build Up
This is a sure sign that you’re not around. You want to avoid this kind of situation at all costs. If you have mail accumulating, the wrong someone might catch wind of it happening and take advantage of the situation.
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You want to ask someone in your family or someone who you trust to pick up your mail daily. If this is done, it can reduce your chances of having your goodies stolen because someone caught wind of you not being home. You can even stop the delivery of your mail for the duration of time you will be gone.
Small Lock Boxes Don’t Provide Much Protection
Just avoid it. It is a bad idea, no matter how you look at it. It is basically a portable ‘safe.’ There is not much else to consider if you want to retain the things you worked so hard for, remember that a small lockbox is basically a device most thieves will assume has something of value in it and just take it.
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It is, therefore, much smarter to invest in a wall safe, one that is camouflaged into the fabric of your home. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that expensive? They come at several price points and nothing is too expensive if it helps you keep your valuables in your possession.
Medicine Cabinets Are a Primary Target
Some medications are worth a lot of money, but they are replaceable, so that is not the concern here. The real fear is that you will put something of value there and it will be found and stolen. If you hide things in your medicine cabinet, at least think outside the box.
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As one former burglar on Reddit noted, this is often a hotspot for burglars who want to take your valuable items. They assume you’ve hidden jewelry there, along with other valuables like cash, which is the case sometimes. Perhaps if you do leave something of value there, put it in a tissue box or something.
Choose the Best Safe Possible
Your safe has to be bolted down at the very least. If it is not, you run the risk of having it and all its contents stolen, never to be seen again. I had a safe stolen a number of years ago and it was something that could have been carried away with ease.
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The thief did just that and I was left to try to recover all of my important documents. This puts one in an uncomfortable position for a number of reasons, and that’s something you want to avoid. Therefore, investing in a good safe is a smart investment.
Don’t Let Kids Answer the Door
This is something my mother always told me not to do, ‘do not open the door for strangers,’ she said. And for the most part, I did listen to her. When I have kids, I will do the same. I will let them know to come to get me if someone is at the door.
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We have all seen enough television to know what could happen when a stranger comes knocking. The goal is not to teach kids to be suspicious of everyone, but rather a focus on safety and theft prevention. If something this small can help avoid it, then so be it.
Beware of Your Purse in Public
This is something you’re likely aware of if you carry a handbag, but some places are more prone to pickpocketing than others. If you’re in Brazil, for instance, you should be on higher alert. In any case, it’s good to take some measures of precaution.
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Beware of running people and people on bikes as well, they can easily snatch a purse and get away with it. It is also smart not to carry all of your credit cards and ID cards with you at once so you at least have backups if you have to cancel your cards. If you remain on high alert you can avoid this altogether if possible.
Do a Window Check
When you move into a new home, it is paramount to perform a window check. Make sure all of the windows in your home close and lock. If any of them do not lock or close properly, replace them immediately, as they are no good.
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While it is often commonplace for someone to break your windows when they break in, easy penetration points (unlocked windows) are also possible. This is something you should also STRONGLY consider during the process of buying (or renting). There will undoubtedly be an inspector, so add this to the list of things you want to ensure are good with the house.
Textbooks Are Valuable
Valuables are often thought of as jewelry, electronics, etc. On college campuses, there is another form of currency, textbooks. These thick pieces of paper-filled gold are often taken and sold for quick cash. If you’ve been a student in recent years, you know that some textbooks can be quite pricy.
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Lock them up, take them with you, just don’t leave them lying around in plain sight. Most importantly, be aware that they are subject to being stolen, and if you turn your head for a millisecond, they could be gone. It is a strange thing, but it is very real, so do not get caught having to spend hundreds more on a single textbook.
False Outlets Are a Thing
Since burglars do not have a lot of time to do their ‘job,’ getting creative is always warranted. You can hide small sums of cash as well as jewelry in false outlets, something that would take them ages to find in most cases.
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If they only have ten-fifteen minutes to spare, looking for something like this would be more of an afterthought. You can get these kinds of devices for just a few bucks online, and they are pretty convincing looking in most cases. You want to make sure they fit the mold of your house and do not stick out.
Enjoy Your Fancy Things in Private
As much as you might like to, do not brag. Just enjoy what you have in the privacy of your own home. It is better for you, and it will ensure you can keep those things for yourself. Just as you should never post when you are going away, try to avoid doing so for new and exciting purchases.
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By doing this, you’re advertising that you have something expensive that can be stolen. If you’d like to decrease your chances of something like this happening, this tip is really simple. Enjoy what you have and brag about it to your close friends if you have to. Just don’t publish it online.
Think About Your Most Valuable Things
Some things are valuable monetarily, and some things are emotionally valuable. Either way, you should categorize your items and be sure to put them away in a safe location if you have travel plans. This could be something as simple as an item passed down from your great-great-grandmother, who lived over 100 years ago.
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Thieves are clever and good at picking up on these kinds of things. They rarely overlook them, leaving you to remain sad about something you could have protected in the first place. Your valuables should be just that, yours, and not someone who unjustly stole them from you.
No Valuables on the Nightstand
Never, under any circumstance, is this a good idea to keep valuables on the nightstand. This especially holds if you’re going away on vacation, but not only then. This is one of the first places a burglar will look when they break in (if they break in. we don’t mean to sound too pessimistic).
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Move these valuables to a bolted-down safe, it makes for better storage, and that way you know it will remain safe. If you have something so incredibly valuable, keeping it in the house is not an option, move it to a safety deposit box located offsite. This costs a bit of extra money, but the peace of mind is worth it if you ask me.
Lock Up the Shed
You should always lock your shed, not just when you’re away. There are many instances of this coming on to someone’s property in broad daylight and walking off with valuable tools, as they’re hoping to make a quick buck.
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There is no one more emboldened than a thief who sees a “too good to be true” opportunity. It is also not uncommon for a thief to use the guise of daylight to do something no one ever expected they’d be bold enough to do when people are around. A thief can be a lot bolder than we give them credit for that’s for sure.
Get a Second Opinion
If you’re trying to hide things in your home, it’s a good idea to try and get a fresh pair of eyes to see if others find your hiding spots as inventive as you do. It can also oddly be quite a fun game to play with friends and your kids, “Hey kids, can you find mommy’s valuables.”
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This Reddit user learned from their uncle who covered robberies that a great tip is to have a friend or family member you trust help you out. They shouldn’t help hide things but after you hide them, you can call on these people to see if they can find them.
Shatter-Proof Windows
This is not as complicated as it may sound; you can buy shatter-proof film at many hardware stores and it is not too expensive. It just makes it more difficult for your windows to shatter. In many cases, it can completely shatter-proof your windows, which adds an extra layer of protection for you and your valuables. It also reduces your chances of filing a homeowners insurance claim.
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The film is transparent, so it does not obscure the view from your windows. It simply acts as another barrier for burglars who thought they might enter your home via the window in the kitchen. Well, think twice!
What About Your Attic?
This is a pretty clever idea. Hide your valuables in your attic, which includes cash. Who would think to go there? It is old, musty, dusty, and not comfortable to crawl around. A burglar might not have time to waste there. I know I would not want to enter some random attic.
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No one would ever assume there are valuables there, and it is probably the last place they’d look after intruding. You could hide just about anything among things you’ve stored in the attic for years. You just have to do some work at making it camouflage and make it fit in with all the other things surrounding it.
Keep Your Most Precious Items Off-Site
Anything you deem valuable and never want to run the risk of having it stolen – put it in a safety deposit box that’s offsite. It is the only way to ensure it remains in your possession. There are some alternatives to safety deposit boxes, but it is by far the best idea and it is not too expensive.
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You do not always need access to passports, social security cards, highly expensive jewelry, and other valuables on a daily basis, so put them away for safekeeping. This way, you never have to wonder if it will be there when you get back from a family vacation.
Cameras Are Your Friend
Get cameras, and make sure they record. They could be backed up to the cloud, so you can make sure you have all video footage should a timeframe be called into question. Some people get decoy cameras or ones that do not store footage, which makes no sense.
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I do believe there is value in having hidden cameras as well as exposed cameras in your home, especially as we see a nationwide rise in home invasions. This tip is a solid one and did not have to come from a former thief for me to take the advice. It’s just common sense, wouldn’t you say?
Nothing Valuable in Your Car
Don’t leave any valuables in your car. It does not even have to be shiny – it merely has to be accessible. If a thief can see it, they can access it, which means they might be enticed to take it from you. It can even be a bag – the person who takes it might think there’s something of value inside.
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If you are out-and-about and have a pile of goodies in your backseat, you’re asking to get robbed. Do yourself a favor, and put all, and I do mean all, valuables in the trunk! Not only are they safe there, but they are also mostly out of plain sight, making them less tempting to take. This is a solid tip to avoid thieves who are also car-hoping.
Board Games Make for Great Hiding Spots
Theoretically speaking, would you steal a game of Monopoly or a game of LIFE? I know I would not. Who would? This is what makes these locations particularly good hiding spots for important documents and event jewelry when you go away for vacation.
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This takes the idea of hiding in plain sight to a whole new level, but it is a clever idea nonetheless. If you have a surplus of VHS tapes, you have yet another potential hiding spot for your valuables as well. You can take this idea and run with it, it is pretty much foolproof if you can find a solid location to hide your items.
Sliding Glass Doors Are Easily Penetrable
There are a ton of alternatives to sliding glass doors. As one ex-burglar noted, they are too easily penetrable. They give in way too easily, as he put it. So, it is best to consult with an expert to talk about which kinds of alternatives exist and can still provide the same ease-of-access you’re looking for along with added security.
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There are French doors, center swing doors, Dutch doors, and other kinds of doors that provide more security. If you must use a sliding door, there are a few things you can do to keep intruders out, which include adding reinforcement when you go on vacation.
Trim Your Lawn Often
Keeping up with your lawn is important in general. When you are aboard or on vacation in the same country, you want to make sure you keep up appearances. You should not change the routine of your lawn care professionals and have them cut your grass.
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Have them trim your bushes as well as perform all other necessary tasks to keep your lawn up to par with neighborhood standards. You might very well trick someone into thinking you are still home in the process. That is the goal of doing so, in addition to maintaining a beautiful home.
Keep Faking It
We have pointed out that some hiding spots are more obvious, at least to burglars. Why not use this to your advantage? If you have a bunch of customer jewelry laying around, now is its time to shine. You can fill a box up with this costume jewelry and find a better hiding spot for your expensive jewelry.
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As this person points out, this would serve as the perfect decoy. Would it not enrage you if you got a box of costume jewelry but only realized it when you went to pawn it? The hope is that the thief would also be caught in the act of trying to pawn it, real justice if you ask me.
Break Down (and Recycle)
Going on a shopping spree is something most folks desire, but you want to be careful about the boxes you brandish. First off, do not bring your valuables into your home in broad daylight. Do it at night, or go into the garage and take your new items into the house.
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All the boxes from your shopping expedition – break them down. Not only do you want to break them down, but you also want to recycle them. Why? That part is just good for the environment. We can all do our part to make the planet a bit better for us all to share.
In Case of Fire
If you want to make sure your items are safe if there is a fire, buy a fire-proof safe. You can put most of your valuables there, but you want to ensure that the safe is sturdy enough too. The express goal is to also make sure that the safe cannot be carried away by a burglar.
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If the safe is portable, it once more defeats the purpose of a safe, keeping it in your house, with your things safe inside. Make sure the fire-proof safe you get is heavy enough that it cannot be easily lifted. One last thing on the topic of a safe: BOLT IT DOWN.
No more Locked Drawers
This is kind of the opposite of what we’ve said throughout this list, but… don’t lock your drawers? It kind of gives it away that something expensive is located within the drawer. Just keep it unlocked, it will only cause unnecessary damage to nice furniture if a thief has to use a crowbar to open it.
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If you do not lock it they might bypass the drawer assuming there is nothing of value there simply because it is not locked. Of course, none of these tips are fool-proof, but they could provide a layer of protection if there is an intrusion. Try to fool them. Try to confuse them.
Put the Ladders Away
If you keep ladders out – it could provide easy access for a burglar to enter a second-story window, for instance. You want to keep these along with other valuable tools locked away to avoid having your tools used to assist thieves. Have you ever heard the saying that most things you have could be used against you?
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These tools are also expensive and can get stolen, although the likelihood of that happening is slim-to-none. One could also reasonably assume that your neighborhood association would not be too fond of you keeping ladders out, and might see them as eye-sores. So, this is a win-win for everybody.
Be Sure Your Exterior Doors Are Steel
Everything in a home should be reinforced, including doors. Doors with a ton of glass do not provide any level of protection against home intruders, but adding a storm door with steel could do the trick. These doors are hard to break down and would likely make a thief think twice about trying to enter your home.
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This is something that does not cost a lot of money, and installation does not take a great deal of time either. Consult with a specialist, someone who could give you a good deal on said door. It could provide the best line of defense.
Do Not Invite Strangers to Your Home
There’s nothing wrong with selling one-off items on the Internet, but if you do so, try to avoid inviting strangers to your home. If you do not know them, there is a chance they can be on a reconnaissance mission, scoping out your place for a planned burglary at a later date.
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You should ALWAYS meet them in a public location of your choice, one where there are plenty of people around to witness – if anything were to go wrong. This provides the best level of security, and not inviting them to your home to complete an interaction, could very well result in further damage to your home.
Have an Alarm
Alarm systems are the answer to most, if not all, questions when it comes to a burglar. They are loud, and they have a direct link to the police. Having an alarm is suggested in most cases if you truly want to keep your home safe.
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If you cannot afford a full-on alarm system, you can also leverage the power of the alarm sign. These signs usually state that you are protected, and you can pick them up at hardware stores for a few bucks. This is typically enough to deter some potential burglars. Alarms also alert you, along with your neighbors, that something is going on that should not be. I would call this a solid investment.
Gravel Driveway
Finally, invest in a gravel driveway. It can alert you, in addition to an alarm system, that someone has entered your driveway. If you are a light sleeper like myself, I would say this is the first line of defense. This, combined with many of the above tips, could provide a solid amount of coverage for today’s homeowner who has a lot to consider.
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Today, there are a ton of tools available at your disposal, many free and some low-cost, but whatever you choose, you should be doing something to protect your valuables from others. Best of luck burglar-proofing your home and getting it ready for your next vacation.
