Places You Should Hide Expensive Tech from Burglars
After yesterday’s tale of an oven-baked laptop, where a paranoid apartment dweller thought to stash his Mac in the oven to evade a potential burglar’s loot radar, we now know where not to hide our valuables. But the basic idea behind the plan is still smart: If you’re going to be away from home for a while, leave your expensive tech in unexpected places that burglars wouldn’t think to raid. Here are a few better ideas.
Headed away for the holidays? Take a minute to burglar-proof—well, try to burglar-proof—your apartment.
Anything small, portable and valuable—like a laptop, iPad or camera—can (and should!) be hidden in an unlikely place.
So you don’t have to turn to the oven to store your meltable and flammable gear, here’s a few better ideas from us (and some input our readers!):
In the Kitchen
If you steer clear of the oven, the kitchen is a safe place to stash valuables, just ask rebecca_f: “The kitchen … is a great place to hide things in case of a break-in. a police officer confirmed it for me earlier this year after i reported a robbery.”
But we’d stick to cabinets and pantrys. Stashing your gear in the oven, dishwasher, microwave or fridge is asking for trouble. Plus, according to Catherine_g, it’s probably not that safe: “Actually my coworker had his fridge and freezer raided by burglars. When the police came they said that a lot of people hide jewelry in the fridge, so burglars typically go through the fridge.”
In the Bathroom
The cabinets in your bathroom and linen closet are probably another place burglars will skip over. Try stashing your laptop under the bathroom sink (in an airtight bag, you know, just in case). We also love this idea from Frambwaze: “I used to hide my laptop wrapped in a bath towel in the middle of the pile… what kind of thief would steal bath towels anyway?“
With You
What kind of techie would you be if you took a trip without your laptop, iPad and camera? The safest way to keep your gear away from burglars is to take it with you.
(Images: flickr member stefanoost licensed for user under Creative Commons, flickr member ttstam licensed for user under Creative Commons)