A home safe can be your biggest home security investment that can keep all your valuables safe inside your home. You can protect your money, jewelry, documents and everything you want from being stolen or damaged by fire. The best safes are virtually fireproof, shatterproof, and even burglar-proof, so insurance companies can offer you the best premium to insure your valuables if they see that you have a reliable safe at home.
Home safes have different features. There are the standard types of safes that you can take anywhere, and there are also wall safes and floor safes. All of these have their own special features and benefits, though most people prefer wall safes because they can be camouflaged behind pictures on the wall or behind cabinets. They also cannot be taken easily because they are solidly fixed inside the wall. Floor safes also provide the best security, but they require a lot of earth and cement work and are not feasible to install if the home is located in an area prone to flooding. Carrying safes can also provide enough security and you can put it anywhere you want. However, because portable safes are of the portable type, they are also vulnerable to thieves.
If you want to know how to choose the best home safes for your valuables, here are the best features to consider.
Choosing Your Best Home Safe
1. Consider checking its Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) rating. If you want to insure your valuables in a safe with an insurance company, your home safe must meet the standard UL rating required by the insurance company. Your insurance company will not charge you high costs if you can meet this security requirement.
2. Your home safe should be resistant to burglars and fire. There are bulky, solid and fixed safes, but they are quite expensive, although they can offer you the best protection for your money and valuables. You can also go for the smaller types if you only have a few valuables or are short on budget for the larger ones.
3. Prefer a safe that has a combination lock. Safes with combination locks are more secure than those that require keys. Experienced thieves can easily find ways to unlock locks that use keys. You can also find home safes that have digital keys and automatic locking features.
4. Prefer a wall safe of heavy construction if you are always leaving your house. Wall safes are more secure and are the ideal option if you are always away from home. However, the wall of your house should be thick enough to accommodate most of the safe. For the safe, its walls must be at least 0.5 inches thick and the door must be at least 1 inch thick and made of solid steel. Large, long screws should be used to secure the safe inside the wall for a more secure hold.
5. If you prefer a floor safe, look for one that is waterproof but made of solid steel. This type of safe will be bolted to the floor, and once installed, it will be virtually impossible to remove. So you better think about it seriously if you want a fixed floor safe because you will hardly be able to get it out once you have fixed this inside the concrete floor.
6. Buy a safe according to your needs. If you want to protect your guns from your children, buy a larger safe with a combination lock. If you just want to keep your money in it, you’ll need a medium-sized safe. Jewelry can be accommodated in smaller safes. The bottom line here, however, is to find a highly durable safe for all the things you want to protect and keep safe.
7. Do a price comparison. You can easily find reliable home safes at hardware stores, office supply stores, and home security stores and even furniture stores. However, make sure that you will be assisted by a staff and will show you the most trusted brands. After you’ve scored the best ones, compare their prices.
8. Do not choose a safe that can be easily carried away. Some people choose to carry safes for their jewelry thinking that safes can provide more security than cabinet drawers. But there are downsides to these safes, too. These types of safes are easy to transport and everything in them, including your safe, can disappear if thieves break into your home. If you choose to have a safe, you should hide it in a foolproof location where thieves are unlikely to easily find it. You may also find the fireplace or attic the best places to hide your safe.
By following these tips, chances are you can find a home safe that will give you the ultimate peace of mind. Sometimes the price doesn’t matter as long as the home safe can give you the ultimate sense of security. If you have the money for an expensive but reliable safe, why not buy one? So before you buy your home safe, make sure you know the type you need and where you can install it. If you have trouble installing it, you can also find a large number of licensed home safe installers in the directories.