Where do you store your gun safe keys? How do you think a thief would feel if they found the keys to a fully stocked gun safe? Pretty darn happy!
If you’re not confident with your answer, it’s time to find a new place for them – somewhere that they won’t get lost or stolen. Let’s look at some tips on storing your key safely and securely so that no one but you has access.
Where to store your keys?
Where Do You Store Your Gun Safe Keys?
Here, we will guide you through all places suitable for keeping your precious gun safe keys: indoor, outdoor, or even away from your house!
Indoor Hiding Spots
The following are several different possibilities for placing the safe keys in your home in order to keep them hidden but still accessible when needed.
The Stairs
A single flight of stairs can offer lots of room for hiding a gun safe key. You can gouge out a few steps and create a secret storage compartment. Alternatively, suppose there’re some spare space under your stairs. In that case, just stash your keys anywhere. Hardly anyone will look for keys or valuables under the stairs, making it the perfect hiding spot.
Create a secret storage compartment for your key!
Furniture
Secret storage compartments are not only for the stairs; you can do the same with any piece of furniture and store your key there. It’s a good way, but sometimes the simplest places are even better. You can stuff the key under a cushion or between two pieces of wood in an old chair – both are possible!
Lockable Key Vault
If burglaries increase in your area, you might need a lockable key vault. It is the safest spot to hide your gun safe keys in – durable, sturdy, waterproof, and most importantly, hard to crack. You can also store this lockable key vault either inside or outside of your house – how convenient it is!
A lockable key vault is not much bigger than your key.
Keep in mind that a typical vault is not much bigger than your key, which means you can easily hide it somewhere without anyone knowing. Just stash it away, and your gun safe will remain unopened!
The Refrigerator
Hiding a key in the refrigerator can be tricky, but why not? Your fridge has many compartments and vents where there is always some food packed up and hidden away – such a great house for your key!
Some people go so far as using empty cartons of milk as a camouflage item in the fridge. Pour water and hide your safe key under the cap, so no burglars would notice any differences.
Alternatively, you can simply hide it under the fridge, and you don’t even have to open every door if someone reaches your fridge.
Pet Items
Don’t be surprised if we say pet items are great hiding spots for your key! You could stick it under a food or water bowl with tape, tuck away your key amongst pet medication packets, or try hiding the key inside your pet’s toy. No one will think to look for them there, except you!
Outdoor Hiding Places
Our list below will not make any sense to most of you as you might think that hiding the gun safe key outside of the house is risky.
Yet, burglars will most likely find a hidden key while they’re already indoors, and they have long become wiser to your traditional methods! Instead, our hiding spots below are less likely for them to figure out!
Dog House
If you have a dog, there are so many spots to hide your gun safe key in and around the doghouse. Your pet pooch will prevent anyone from getting to them! Even if burglars know where this spot is, they won’t want to risk their face being mauled by your “guard”.
Your furry friend will protect your gun safe key!
Nailing It To A Tree
Nailing a key to the tree seems to be the weirdest spot on our list. Some people might think it’s insane, but you’ll be surprised as to just how effective it can be! You won’t need any special equipment, just hide your key in plain sight. It’s small and will definitely disappear if you nail it to a tree. Who can find your key out there? No one else but you!
Fake Sprinkler Key Holder
A fake sprinkler key holder is a great option when you need an inconspicuous place for your key. It looks like any other outdoor object, and most importantly, it’s underground! That’s why the burglars can’t accidentally bump into the top and suspect it of something hiding underneath.
Mount Thermometers
Why not mount a thermometer on your wall and hide the key inside it? Surely it will not be an obvious place for burglars to look! You can buy some key hiding thermometers online at a reasonable price or just turn any old regular outdoor thermometer into a secret spot for your key with ease!
Away From Home
Many people choose to hide their safe keys outside with a neighbor, but it’s possible to take this one step further and make your hiding spot more inconspicuous. You could hide your key at least half a mile away from home, like an old lamppost or park bench.
That’s certainly more discreet than leaving it next door, yet there is one major downside – you might not be able to get back quickly if necessary (and sometimes this requires frequent trips). If you often get your guns out, maybe skip this method entirely!
What Makes A Good Hiding Place For Your Gun Safe Key?
A good hiding spot for your gun safe key must be somewhere:
- You’ll remember (of course)
- You can access it easily enough – it depends on how often you access your gun safe. If you use it daily, that must be an entirely different requirement than when you use it once a year!
- That your accessing the key won’t draw any attention (your roommate seeing you open the fridge many times but not bring out anything)
- A housemate or a guest won’t randomly find
- That is unlikely to be discovered through a simple/quick search.
What Are Alternatives To Gun Safe With Keys?
Mechanical Lock with Key Locking Dial
With a mechanical lock and a key locking dial, you can lock the dial, and no one can move it. This function will protect against theft or vandalism and ensure that only authorized people can gain access to your safe!
Mechanical lock with key locking dial
Electronic Lock with Key Bypass
The electronic lock with key bypass utilizes a key generally found on low-end import safes. You can unlock its units by pulling them off the face of your safe, behind which there will be an opening for you to insert and turn your 5-inch metal key before it finally unlocks.
This option is useful if your safe’s lock is of poor quality and has a high failure rate.
Standard Key Lock
The standard key lock is very similar to your house keys. It allows you to open up the lock by putting the key inside, turning it until there is a click, then releasing the locking mechanism.
We would not recommend this for big gun safes or safes containing large amounts of money and valuables. Anyone with some lock-picking experience can access your safe using this technique.
Abloy Key Locks
As one of the most secure locks on the market, the Abloy key lock is technically a standard option. It isn’t easy to pick, and of course, very trustworthy!
Final Thoughts
It’s not easy to find a perfect hiding spot for your keys, but hopefully, this article has given you some ideas – indoors, outdoors, and even away from your home. So, where do you store your gun safe keys now?
If you find it difficult to choose, we would suggest that you experiment and try out different spots. Put them in various places and see which ones work best for you!
