What Do You Want to Protect?
As you shop for your home safe, you should always consider what you want to protect from theft or fire in it. It is common for people to store important documents, jewelry, emergency cash or a handgun in their safes. But there are other things that you might not immediately think about putting in a safe until you actually have one in your home, like:
- Family photographs, especially irreplaceable photos passed down through your family
- Prescription medications to keep them locked up and out of the hands of children or visitors to your home
- Personal mementos, including things your children may have made and given to you when they were young
- Collections, like coins, stamps or other valuable items you want to protect
- Electronic equipment, including portable devices like laptops and tablets
Before choosing your safe, always consider your current and future needs for storing items in it. The benefits of buying a larger home safe is that you have extra room and adjustable shelving to meet your future needs.
Where Do You Want to Put Your Safe?
When trying to determine the size of the safe you should buy, you need to consider where you will be putting it in your home. Do you want a smaller safe that can be discretely hidden inside a cabinet in your kitchen or office? Or do you have a closet or room where you could place a larger safe? The size you choose should also be based on the space that you have to place a safe in and allow it to be fully functionable with opening its door.
Making It More Difficult for Burglars
You might be tempted to go with a smaller safe, and there are plenty of them on the market. However, choosing a smaller safe makes it easier for a burglar to carry off-site to open later instead of wasting time trying to open in your home. The larger your home safe is, the more difficult you make it for burglars to cart it away, especially if you have bolted it down to your floor as recommended.
Choosing the size of your safe is a personal decision with several factors to consider.