Where to Install a Safe at Home or at Work

A safe does its job only if it stays where you put it and you can still get into it when you need to. That makes the choice of spot almost as important as the safe itself. Here is how to think it through, at home or at a business.

Hidden, but still easy for you to reach

The best spot is out of sight for visitors and anyone passing by, yet easy for you to reach without moving furniture every time. A closet, a utility room or the back of a cabinet often works well.

What is underneath matters

A safe that is not anchored can be carried away along with everything in it. How well it can be anchored depends on what it sits on:

• A concrete floor, such as a basement or a ground-floor slab, gives the strongest anchor.
• A wooden floor can work if the safe is bolted down into the structure below, not just the floorboards.
• A wall safe sits inside the wall itself, so where it can go depends on how that wall is built.

Floor or wall?

A freestanding safe sits on the floor and can be large and heavy, and bolting it down is straightforward on the right floor. Wall safes are easier to hide behind a picture or inside a closet, but they are smaller and depend on the framing inside the wall. Think about what you need to store before you decide.

How often will you open it?

A safe for daily use, such as a cash safe at a business, has to be somewhere you can open quickly and without bending into a corner. A safe for documents, jewelry and spare keys can sit in a less convenient spot that is harder to find.

Moisture and temperature

Damp basements and hot attics are hard on papers, photos and electronics. If a basement is the best spot for anchoring, consider a moisture absorber inside the safe, and keep important documents in sealed bags.

At a business

• Keep it out of customer view, ideally in an office or a back room.
• Decide who has access and how the code or key is shared.
• Put daily cash handling where it is safe for staff, not near an entrance.

When a safe will not open

Safes with electronic keypads often stop responding simply because the battery is low. Check the manual for where the battery goes, since on many models it is reached from the outside. If the code has been forgotten, the battery is not the issue, or a key has been lost, do not try to force the door: forcing a safe can jam the bolts and make it much harder to open. A safe that will not open for its owner is a job we handle.