Jewelry is one of the most expensive items one can have in their home. Therefore, it is natural for an individual to be worried about a break-in. While no one can predict a theft, one can always take precautionary measures to prepare for such events, like keeping the jewels in a bank. However, many homeowners hide their jewelry in common places at home, assuming the thieves won’t find it. Here are nine such places that one should avoid.

Prescription cabinet
Prescription cabinets have doubled up as makeshift jewelry safes for years. Unfortunately, there isn’t any security to it. Almost everyone has access to a prescription cabinet. Furthermore, burglars may steal anything, including prescriptions. These are not available easily in the market, and the thief could sell them for additional money. Therefore, prescription cabinets should never be used to hide anything valuable at home.

Toilet tanks
Toilet tanks are a common hiding place for valuables, but they are not safe options. People often put the expensive contents in a ziplock bag or waterproof container and submerge them in the tank to keep them hidden from potential theft. However, this is not a secure location as movies and TV shows have popularized it, and many people know it. It is also not recommended to place important documents in these containers or bags as they may get damaged if water seeps through them.

Laundry basket
Many people believe that thieves would never go through a pile of dirty clothes, so they tend to hide their jewelry in this spot until the laundry needs to be washed. However, this is actually one of the worst places to hide valuables. Burglars may consider a laundry basket a jackpot when they rob a home. This is because people usually forget to empty their pockets while throwing clothes in the laundry, so burglars already think they may find something in the lot. When they go through the laundry, such as jeans and dresses, the valuables hidden in the heap may fall out.

Safes
A safe, despite its build quality, is often the first thing that catches a thief’s attention. It symbolizes that something valuable is inside, making it one of the first places a robber checks for valuables. To ensure the safety of the jewelry, it is important to position the safe correctly. It should be stationary and disguised to match the furniture or interiors of the home. If the safe is visible and movable, the thief may steal the safe itself along with the valuable contents.

Vases
It is not advisable to use empty vases or pots to store valuable items such as jewelry. Although it may seem like a convenient option due to the dark spaces inside these decorative items, they are some of the first places a thief may check when robbing a home. All the thief needs to do is empty the pot or vase to check if there’s something hidden inside. In some cases, the burglar might even break the pot in search of valuables. While this may save them time looking for expensive baubles, it can cost the homeowner a lot to clean up later.

Bedroom
Many people believe that hiding their valuables, such as cash or jewelry, under a mattress in the bedroom is a safe option when someone is at home. However, this is not always the case. In fact, it is one of the most unsafe places to hide any belongings. A burglar may not hesitate to harm people in search of valuable items and may not even care for their own life. It is also not advisable to keep any important documentation or cash in the children’s bedroom, even if it seems like a good hiding spot among the toys and other tiny accessories. This can put those living in the room at risk of a break-in.

Closets
There are better ideas than hiding valuables in the closet because it is the most common place for burglars to look during the theft. Some closets may have a secret hiding spot, which can be useful if the homeowner finds a clever way to hide their valuables. However, experts indicate that it may be an unsafe place to store precious metals because closets are typically located in the bedroom. This means that a thief may endanger the homeowner’s life when attempting to steal from the closet.

Drawers
One of the first common mistakes people make is storing their jewelry in drawers. Since this is a prominent hiding place, burglars often rush straight to the drawers to look for valuables. One should also avoid keeping other important identification or financial documents in a drawer, considering that identity thefts are on the rise. Additionally, hiding jewelry under clothes is not the best option either, as it’s easy for someone to overturn a drawer and find precious metals.

Refrigerators
Refrigerators have been used for various purposes, including hiding and storing fine jewelry. Many people often wrap the contents in foil paper, place them in a box, or use other DIY methods found on the internet to hide them in the freezer, labeling them as food. While this might seem like a creative solution, one should note that burglars are aware of this tactic and might check the refrigerator for jewelry. Therefore, it is best to avoid refrigerators as a top hiding spot. Additionally, pop culture shows and movies have highlighted this hiding spot, making it less of a secret place to hide things.