5 Must-Have Features in a Home Safe

Home safes are ideal for people to store valuables without having to get a locker at a bank. They add convenience and security right inside your home. However, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind before investing in one.

Modern home safes come with several features, but there are five primary features that every home safe needs to have to be deemed worthy.

Read below to learn more about the five must-have features in a home safe and how to get the most out of these strongboxes for homeowners!

TYPES OF SAFES FOR YOUR HOME

Domestic safes come in several forms and are designed to provide a mixture of convenience and safety.

Here are some of the most common types of home safes in the market today:

Security Safes

Strong, small, and secure. These safes are ideal for homeowners who want to go away on a vacation and secure their small private belongings such as cash, jewellery, media files, and even papers.

These safes are built with high-quality and durable materials and have a key lock or digital locking mechanism that makes them harder to breach.

Data Safes

Everyone is getting on the trend of cryptocurrency and the best way to secure it is to have your digital wallet keys on a separate hard disk that is disconnected from the internet.

This is where media/data safes come in. If you have invested in digital currencies or have important data that you want to secure, then a media safe would be your best bet! These safes are designed to keep your data safe from outside threats and are usually also fire-rated. So, even in the worst cases, they can protect your data and keep it safe during emergencies.

Drop Safes

If you are into saving money and storing cash inside your home, then a drop or deposit safe will be a great investment. These safes work in the same way as regular safes except that they have a small slit on the top for deposits.

These safes are great for storing free cash and when you need the money, you can just access the safe regularly to get cash out. Deposit safes usually come with a cash rating that ensures your safe for a certain amount depending on the cash rating.

Fire Safes

Fire and waterproof safes are a great investment to have, especially if you keep a lot of valuables inside the vault. Fire safes are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and can keep your files, cash, jewellery, and anything else secure so long as the safe is exposed to an environment under its limitations.

Wall Safes

Wall safes hide in plain sight and are excellent for homes! These safes can hide behind cabinets, paintings, and furniture.

Wall safes are easier to access since you don’t have to bend down to store valuables. They can be installed virtually anywhere and are highly secure. Even if an intruder enters your home, they will have to spend a lot of time searching for the location of the safe.

Safe Boxes

Safe boxes are miniature, portable, and convenient safes that can be stored virtually anywhere. These boxes have a sturdy locking mechanism and are excellent for storing small items.

Safe boxes can also be mounted on floors for added security and are ideal for people who want to store valuable jewellery, official documents, and more.

Diversion Safes

For people who want added security, a diversion safe might be an excellent investment. Safes are usually installed in typical locations and unfortunately, these locations might be the first place where burglars look.

This is where diversion safes come in. These safes can look like regular items, such as a hardcover book, which won’t attract unwanted attention.

The benefit of these safes is that they can blend in with their environment making them harder to find and breach. They are small enough to be easily lifted and moved around the house without an issue as well.

5 MUST-HAVE FEATURES IN A HOME SAFE

As mentioned above, you can find several types of home safes with a lot of features, however, ideally, you should look out for these five features that make home safes secure and reliable:

Water resistance

While the likelihood of safes being exposed to water is limited, there is a chance that slow water damage can erode the quality of the safe over time. This is especially true for wall safes installed near windows where rainwater can enter, or safes installed near water lines that can become damaged and leak water.

Waterproof safes protect the outside and inside of the safe by keeping the contents dry. This means that the safe is built using specialised materials that provide water protection and protection from erosion.

Fire Resistance

A fire-rated safe is a must-have for any domestic property. Fires can be devastating and have the potential to wipe out your hard-earned assets.

This is why you need to invest in a safe that provides a great fire rating. These safes can withstand extreme temperatures and keep the contents inside safe.

Please keep in mind that although fireproof, the exact protection of these safes will depend on several factors such as the duration of exposure to fire, the intensity, the location of the fire, and more.

Impact Resistance

Safes with weak locking mechanisms can be hammered open. This is why impact-resistant safes are a great investment. These safes provide added protection by making the exterior of the safe sturdy. This also includes a strengthened locking mechanism that can resist impact and keep the safe door locked.

Locking Mechanism

A safe is only as good as its locking mechanism. There are several locking mechanisms to choose from.

Most people go with a simple lock and key mechanism and while these safes are secure and convenient, they also have downsides. For example, if you lose the key, the safe becomes compromised. Furthermore, the locks on these safes can be breached by professional thieves who know how to pick complex lock systems.

This is why we recommend that you go with a digital or dial lock. These locks are harder to breach and provide the ultimate convenience. These safes use a PIN code that only an authorised person should memorise.

There are also biometric safes that can be accessed using fingerprint scanning. These safes are a bit more expensive but provide extra security and convenience since you don’t have to carry a key or remember a code to access them.

Futureproof Features

Futureproofing features are not necessary but great to have!

Start with the size of the safe. We recommend getting a larger safe to futureproof yourself. However, the best way to determine the size of the safe is to first figure out where you want to keep it.

If you want to install the safe on a wall, then a medium-sized safe would work well. However, with floor-mounted safes, you can go for a bigger size with the additional feature of the safe being bolted down for added security.

You should also look out for features such as humidity control since this would prevent mould and mildew growth on your valuables over time.

Having an interior light, especially if the safe is kept in a dark place, will help you see inside it easily as well!

Finally, some home safes also come with a false bottom that allows you to hide extra items and keep them out of plain sight. This space can be utilised for USBS, foldable files, passports or official documents, currency, and more.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST HOME SAFE

Home safes can be tricky to buy because, unlike commercial safes, they need to be compact, secure, reliable, and easy to install.

There are several home safes in the market and finding the right one for your needs can be a hassle, especially if you don’t know where to start.

Here are some of the questions that you need to ask yourself before investing in a safe. These questions can help highlight your expectations and requirements from the safe:

1. What kind of items do you need to put inside the safe?
2. Is your neighbourhood a high-risk one?
3. What is your biggest concern security-wise?
4. How big do you want the safe to be?
5. Where do you intend to keep it?
6. What is your biggest priority – protection against burglaries, fire, or water damage?

Ideally, you would want to contact a professional security company like Calder Security to not only guide you on your purchase decision but also help install the safe using all the latest regulations.

Security companies have several decades of experience and can help you employ all the best practices that can increase the safety of your home and the safe.

Security companies can send out a professional security consultant who can perform a security risk assessment of your entire home. The audit can reveal where you can install the safe and the ideal type, size, and form of the safe.

Furthermore, you can also explain your expectations and requirements using the questions above to get a safe that is budget-friendly, long-term, foolproof, and effective.

Please keep in mind that while you can go the DIY route to purchase a safe for your home yourself, it is always advised that you leave security hardware to professionals. They can not only help you pick the right safe but can also properly install it so that it provides long-term protection.

Purchasing a safe can seem straightforward, but there are several factors and features that you need to consider. Additionally, professional security companies have a detailed list of suppliers that provide all kinds of safes at a great price.

So, by going the professional installation route, you can not only end up saving money, but you can also extract the maximum value from your purchase.

WHAT SHOULD YOU STORE IN A HOME SAFE

Home safes are small so there are a limited number of things that you can store in them. For the best experience, we recommend that you only store the following items for maximum protection:

Cash

Having cash in hand is great, but too much of it can turn into a liability. Loose cash should always be kept inside a secure safe. This cash can help you out on a rainy day or be kept secure for the long term.

Safes are usually built with humidity controls so they will keep the cash dry and prevent deterioration – but you can also double the protection by storing the cash inside zip-lock bags. If you only want to store cash inside the safe and don’t want to constantly open it for storage, then we recommend that you go for a deposit safe that is designed to temporarily hold a large amount of cash.

Of course, you will have to eventually move out the cash and deposit it in a bank once the safe is full. If you want to save small amounts in different currencies, then any type of safe can work well for the job!

Jewellery

Precious jewels and burglars go way back. Burglars are always on the hunt for precious possessions which is why you should never store these assets around the home.

Valuables such as jewellery, gold coins, watches, and other expensive items should be kept always locked away in a secure safe unless they are needed. While most safes are designed to control the humidity within the safe it is always advised to keep precious valuables inside small bags to double-up your security and to keep your belongings safe from the elements.

Medicines

Painkillers and tranquilisers and their prevalent misuse are becoming a big issue and burglars are increasingly targeting homes for prescription medication. When not in use, safes can be used to store these medicines so that they are locked away from intruders and are also out of reach of children.

For the best experience, we recommend that you get a digital keypad lock for storing medicine. Due to the importance of these items, it is better to have easy access to them. Key lock safes may work well too, but if you lose the key, you might have to skip a dose until you get the safe open by a professional locksmith.

Important Documents

Modern burglars can steal more than just physical items! They can also steal data which is just as valuable in the digital world we live in today. Things like cryptocurrency keys/digital wallets and other precious digital hardware must always be kept away in a secure vault.

Furthermore, official documents such as passports, birth certificates, bank statements, and credit card statements must all be locked away in a secure safe. This not only protects them from thieves but also from disasters such as fires and floods.

CONTACT CALDER SECURITY

If you are unsure about choosing the best type of safe for your home and are getting overwhelmed with the plethora of choices, contact Calder Security to help you make the best decision and keep you, your home, and your valuable assets safe and sound.

We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) and are familiar with a wide variety of safes, cash boxes, and strong boxes.

Our experienced engineers not only assess your requirements and suggest the most suitable safe for your needs, but can also install, maintain, repair, remove, relocate, and open a wide range of home safes.

Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 9799 to talk to our security professionals right away for more information on home safes and how to get the best one for your security requirements.

Photo by Andrej Sachov on Unsplash