When it comes to keeping your valuables safe, sometimes the simple solutions are the best ones. While it is recommended that you get a safe or install a home security system to safeguard your home and keep precious items under lock and key, being clever also does the trick. To foil a would-be burglar and keep him or her from accessing your valuables, you can get creative with how you store them.

In short, keep them in too common places where they probably won’t even bother to look. You can make use of everyday items to conceal jewelry, money, keys, and other valuable items. When it comes to foiling thieves, hiding things in plain sight can also work. Here are 6 amazing ways you can pull one over the burglar and ensure that your stuff is protected and out of sight.

1. Stuff them in a towel

This is probably a common practice in your family, especially when you go to the pool or the beach. While this is not the best way to keep the thieves at bay, it is less conspicuous and obvious as putting your valuables in a separate pouch in your bag. You can do the same in the cabinet and choose a towel amongst many in the pile to hide your jewelry or cash.

Burglars often come to a home looking for valuables in drawers or go searching for pouches or jewelry boxes. They likely won’t be looking into towels, unless they have plenty of time to ransack your place (which they often don’t). In a rush, they might try to rummage through your underwear closet, which is one of the most common places where valuables are hidden, and will not have the time or smarts to go through your towels.

2. Reuse empty containers and bottles

Whether it’s a spice jar or a shampoo bottle, burglars will not have these everyday items a priority when they loot your home. You can either clean the bottles out thoroughly before using them as a keeper of valuables, or wrap your stuff in ziploc before putting them in as protection.

When reusing a condiment jar, what you can do is paint the inside with glue and add herbs or spices again to coat it and give it a “full” appearance. Then you can put your items in ziploc or a plastic bag and put them inside. You can then display the spice jar back in the cupboard and nobody will even bother to look. Alternatively, you can purchase those pre-made trick jars that use the likes of sunscreen bottles, sauce jars, and other common food containers as storage.

3. Feminine hygiene products

Some guys even refuse to buy feminine products for their girlfriends and wives at the store, so hiding your valuables inside tampon or feminine pad boxes is a great example of hiding in plain sight. Just make sure that the box also contains actual products, at least at the top, so you can safely tuck your jewelry and money inside. If you’re traveling, you can use an empty tampon applicator in a wrapper to hold cash. This helps ensure that those sticky fingers by pickpockets will just graze through them and don’t even bother to open.

4. Not the trunk and glove box

When you need to store valuables in the car, you have to think out of the box and go beyond the usual glove compartment and trunk. Before you reach your destination or even start traveling, make sure that you have already carefully stashed your stuff. You don’t want people to see you stuffing your gadgets, right?

Also, if you’re carrying small items, you can opt to place them inside a drink cup or an empty soda can. You can actually buy these trick items, which are designed to outsmart the bad guys. Another good location to store items in the car is to place them under the floor mat or between the seat cushions. Here’s a tip: get two identical mats and glue them together while leaving a slot where you can slip items inside.

5. Sports items

   

If you’re outdoors, hiding your valuables inside your bag makes you more prone to thieving. However, if you stuff your money inside say, a tennis ball, nobody would bother to give it a look. Just make a slice in the ball to turn it into a secret storage place for your keys, cash, watch and other small items. It works the same as those plastic coin purses that open up to a hollow space when you squeeze it. The ball will then pop back to its original look and look like a simple ball again to mix with the rest of your stuff. At home, you can do this in that place where you keep your sports equipment. Surely nobody would take the time to sift through extra balls.

6. Wear them, instead

It’s best to always keep your valuables in your person, especially when you’re out and travelling. So the age-old trick of hiding stuff inside your bra does still work. Keeping them in your pockets is all too common and pickpocketers will definitely prioritize those when they target you. You can also attach a small pouch under your clothes or wear it around your neck or waist like a belt. There are also those nifty spy-like jackets and clothing that are made with secret pockets and other security features to help keep your valuables out of sight.

Of course, more than being smarter than the thief, it’s still safest to install a home security system to prevent these situations from happening in the first place. But just to make sure, when it comes to hiding valuables in plain sight, the trick is to not to overthink. Even the simplest and most common household items can be used as alternative storage. This way, in case a burglar does succeed in getting inside the house, he or she will definitely go out empty-handed.