Happy new flat couple of owners showing keys sitting in the floor of the kitchen while moving home

Forget the first places that come to mind when you’re thinking about hiding a spare front door or car key. Not only does every burglar know about looking under the doormat or on top of the doorjamb, but so does every neighbor’s teenager.

Fake rocks, front porch light fixtures and taped inside the mailbox are other places that determined intruders will check.  Getting locked out of your house or car does inevitably happen, as does the need for someone to get into the house to repair a problem when you can’t be there.

So what do you do? Experts at Pop-A-Lock Locksmiths in Phoenix advise clients to put that key somewhere that it will be hard, if not impossible, for any intruder to find. Here are some good ideas for hiding places where keys remain hidden.

Neighbors

If you have a neighbor you trust, leaving a key with them is the safest way to “hide” that key.

But there is a downside: you do have to coordinate with the neighbor when a serviceman needs to get in, and you have to hope they will be home if you ever get locked out.

A more effective variation on this would be – with your neighbor’s permission – to hide your key in your neighbor’s yard and vice versa, so that even if anyone does come across the key, it won’t open the door they want it to.

Thermometers

An outdoor wall thermometer can provide the good spot for a key to be hidden – simply slip it behind the thermometer making sure it can’t slip out the bottom; to be safe, you can tape it securely to the back of the thermometer.

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding offers excellent hiding spots for keys, since it is often possible to find slight splits in seams where a key can be slipped in and hidden. Make sure to tie a piece of clear fishing line to the key and slide the key in until just a little bit of the line showing. Make sure to hide this far enough away from the front door that no one can notice the tiny line.

Wind Chimes

You can wrap a key in plastic then use double-sided tape to secure it inside one of the chimes. It’s doubtful that anyone will notice that one tube isn’t chiming, and even more doubtful that a burglar will start poking around inside wind chimes which can make a lot of noise.

Bricks and Mortar

If you have brick siding or a brick walkway, find a spot where the mortar is a little crumbly and dig it out; hide the key inside the hollowed out spot and cover it with mortar you’ve glued together. Make sure this is inconspicuous and is also at least 15 feet from the front door so it won’t be noticed.

Birdhouses

Birdhouses make excellent hiding spots for spare keys, but only if they are unoccupied by a nesting family. You can pop a mothball into the birdhouse to keep birds out while keeping a key hidden there.

Pop-A-Lock Locksmiths of Phoenix

If you should find yourself locked out of your home without a key, or just need new keys made for your home, call us at 602-274-1432 or contact us online.