Secret Hiding Places You’ve Never Thought Of

Family HandymanUpdated: May 10, 2021

Got some cash or valuables to hide? Try one of these clever, simple ways to hide those items from all but the smartest, most determined crooks.

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A Roll in the Roll

Take apart the spring bar that holds your toilet paper. Roll up a stack of bills, stash them inside and reassemble the bar for a hidden away safe.

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Not IN the Drawer

Drawers don’t go all the way to the back of a cabinet, and there’s typically a little space on the underside too. Put cash or important papers in an envelope and tape them to the back or underside of a drawer. Plus: Watch this video to learn how to make a secret hiding place out of a stack of old books.

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See three more bonus secret hiding places in your home in this video:

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“Litterally” Buried

Put small containers of valuables in a tub of cat litter (unused!) and then pour the cat litter back into the tub.

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Right Out in the Open

It doesn't have to be an old vacuum cleaner. Any common household item that has a cavity will work as a secret compartment. Think old printers, computer towers, children's toys, etc. (Just be sure family members know about it so your valuables don't get donated or tossed!) For easy hidden storage access, choose an item that opens instantly, like a vacuum cleaner bag compartment. For more security, choose an item with a cover that screws shut.

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Good Venting Is Key

Stick a magnet to a spare house key using hot glue, then tuck the key up out of sight inside the dryer vent hood. If your vent hood is aluminum or plastic, glue a magnet to the inside of the hood as well as the key. Check out our guide for finding secret hiding places in your home.

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Air-Return Stash

Cut out a stud space opening to fit a return air grille. Cut off the grille screws and glue just the heads in place. Run four drywall screws into the corners of the opening so they fit just inside the rim of the grille. Then glue rare earth magnets to the back of the grille so they line up with the screw heads.

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False Stair Tread

It takes some effort, but if you can, free a tread from your stairs. Then attach a piano hinge to the back. It'll be almost invisible and you'll have a good place to stash valuables.

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Time Well Spent

Store a few small items in a wall or mantel clock, as long as the clock itself isn’t worth stealing! Tape them to the back or put them in any open cavities. Be sure to steer clear of these hiding places, because that’s where burglars always look first!

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Buried Treasure

Roll up some cash, stick it in a medicine bottle or any other watertight container, and bury it in a potted plant. For quicker access and to keep dirt from getting under your fingernails, place a stone or pine cone over it. Not many burglars are going to be excavating around your houseplants. Have trouble keeping houseplants alive? Here are 10 you (probably) can't kill.

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False-Bottom Drawer

Pick a deep drawer so the depth change won't be obvious. Cut 1/4-in. plywood 1/16-in. smaller than the drawer opening and rest it on a couple of wood strips that are hot-glued to the drawer sides. Then hot-glue some item you'd expect to find in that drawer to the bottom so you have a handle to lift the false bottom secret compartment and reveal the booty. In this video tutorial, we'll show you how to create a secret box out of old books.

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Kid's Room Hideaway

No burglar worth his salt looks in a kid's room for valuables. It's just full of useless junk. So find somewhere in there where the kid won't find it either.

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Cabinet Hidey-Hole

Between almost every pair of upper cabinets, there's a 1/2-in. gap. Take advantage of that gap by hanging a manila envelope containing, oh, I don't know, about two grand in hundred-dollar bills? Hang the cash with binder clips that are too wide to fall through the crack.

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Slip a Box Inside a Box

Store a container of valuables inside a larger bin full of unappealing stuff. Label it accordingly for one of the best places to hide large amounts of cash.

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Toe-Kick Hideaway

There's a four-inch-tall cavity under all those kitchen cabinets behind the toekicks. It takes a few carpentry skills, but you can pull the toe-kicks free and make them removable. Most are 1/4-in. plywood held in place with one-inch brads, and they're relatively easy to pull off. If you have a secondary 3/4-in. toe-kick, you'll have to cut it out at both ends. An oscillating tool works well for that task. Stick both halves of round hook-and-loop self-adhesive tape to the toe-kick. Then push the toe-kick into place. The adhesive will stick to the cabinet base and leave half of the hook-and-loop tape in place when you pull it free. You can store plenty of valuables under two average-size cabinets.

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Garage Door Opener Shroud

Believe it or not, you can hide items like passports and cash under the shroud that covers the garage door opener for a hidden compartment stash box.

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Ways to Hide Money: It’s Magic, Alright

Pop the end cap off a marker and remove the ink cartridge. Just right for a spare roll of cash. Want more secret stash containers? There are our top 20 secret hiding places in the home.

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Counterfeit Containers

Go online and type in "secret hiding places" and you'll be amazed by how many brand-name phony secret stash containers are available. Comet, Coca-Cola, Bush Beans — whatever. But you can craft a homemade version too. This mayonnaise jar had its interior spray-painted with cream-colored paint for plastic.

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The Appliance Caper

Fridges and dishwashers have a snap-off grille in the front. Well, there's a lot of secret storage space under there. Ask yourself this: How many burglars will be thinking about cleaning your refrigerator coils? But before you stuff treasures under a fridge, take a peek to see where the coils are. On some models, a stack of cash might block the airflow. That will make the fridge work harder and could even damage it.

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Spare Tire

Pick up a spare wheelbarrow wheel and tire (about $20 at a home center). Deflate the tire, tuck in your goods and re-inflate it. Plus: Check out these 13 inexpensive ways to theft-proof your home.

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Pocket Change

How many thieves are going to go through the dozens of pockets in your closet? Put cash in the pockets of your old pants and suit coats. Just be sure the clothes don't get donated!

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Which Paint Can Contains the Gold?

Next time you use up a can of paint, save the empty can and fill it up with valuables. Then put it back on the shelf with all your other cans. And remember to keep your paint cans in order; these 27 life-changing garage organization ideas will help.

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Sitting Pretty

Dining chairs often have a false bottom box space under the seat for a drop-down hinged panel. These can be one of the best places to hide large amounts of cash.

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Fake Plumbing Pipes

Put in a fake PVC pipe complete with a cleanout plug somewhere in your basement. Unscrew the plug and there are the secret compartment items. Find out the first place burglars look and other secrets they won't tell you.

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Hole in the Door

Drill a hole in the top of any interior door. Size it to fit a cylinder such as an old film container or a cigar tube. Roll up some bills and keep them there. Editor's Note: If you want to do this trick on a hollow-core door, you have to stick close to the outside edges. Look at the door from the top and you'll see how wide the solid internal frame is.

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Hide a Key In Plain Sight

Say you want to hide a key somewhere other than under the rug or over the door. How about mounting a phony plastic LB fitting? Screw it to the wall and run a bit of 1/2-in. conduit to the ground so it looks official. Cut the head off the bottom screw and glue it in place. That's it. Swing the cover aside and there's the key.

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Hide a Safe in the Wall or Floor

Install a wall hidden safe or cylinder floor safe by bolting it to the floor. (Most hidden safes have holes inside for just that purpose). Hide it in the corner of a closet or other inconspicuous area. Or mount the wall safe inside a wall and cover it with a picture. Or chip out a hole in your concrete slab, stick in the floor hidden safe, then pour new concrete around it.

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False Top (or Bottom)

When you build a piece of furniture, build in a stash spot. For example, when you assemble a dresser, put a piece of 1/4-in. plywood just above the top drawers and install a piano hinge on the top. Now you have a spot to hide precious items.

Check out another piece of furniture that doubles as secret storage in the video below.

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Ways to Hide Money: Secret Cash Stash

Keep some emergency cash rolled up in a clean, empty sunblock tube. Tuck it in a drawer or medicine cabinet where you can easily grab it when you need it. Don’t forget about the garage! Learn how to secure your garage and prevent theft.

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Don’t Kick This Ball

A soccer ball makes a perfect spot for little items. Let some air out of the ball and cut one of the seams using a utility knife. After inserting your items, tuck the seam back into place.

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Key House

An unoccupied birdhouse makes a handy spot for a spare key. Screen off the bird entrance to keep out tenants. Plus: These 25 homes are hiding secrets you need to see to believe.

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Ways to Hide Money: Spread Your Wealth

Use lots of hiding places. You could keep cash between pages in books, tape an envelope behind your headboard or put cash behind the false panel in your dishwasher.

Originally Published: November 15, 2019