We’re fans of hide a keys, objects designed to look like regular household items that conceal spare keys for safe keeping. The key to their success, of course, is that they actually pass for the object they pose as.
Unsurprisingly, this isn’t always the case. Making your own hide a key using actual objects you’ll find around the home or garden is an easy way to get around this.
Read on to find out how you can DIY your own failsafe key hiding objects for inside and outside the home.
Table of Contents
Preparing the Key
Whichever hide-a-key object you decide to make, you should ‘prepare’ the key that’s being hidden first so that it can be more easily accessed and avoids falling out of the object. You can do this one of two ways: via a magnet, or via a piece of string.
Magnet
The most reliable way to prep the key is to use a magnet to ‘stick’ the key to, so that it can then be attached to metallic surfaces without fear of falling out of the object that you hide it in.
This can also just be used as a more simple way to hide a key underneath a surface or object, like a window sill or table, if you don’t have the time to make a hide-a-key object.
Purchase a small magnet about an inch in diameter, and glue this onto the inside or back side of your chosen DIY hide-a-key object, or otherwise the surface you want to hide the key underneath.
If your key isn’t magnetic, glue a coin that is attracted to magnets to one side of it. Voila: the key will now attach to the magnet, keeping it safer inside your chosen hide-a-key object and preventing it from falling out of or away from surfaces.
String
Attaching your key to a piece of thread several inches long is particularly useful if your DIY hide-a-key object of choice is long in depth; it will allow you to grab a hold of the key more easily rather than trying to fish it out, or losing it all together.
Simply tie a piece of string through the hole in the center of the key. If no the key has no hole in it, simply wrap the string around the top of it and carefully glue it.
Again, this is also a fast-track method for hiding your key more simply, like in dirt in the ground, in a plant, or in a plant pot. Attaching a small keyring to the other end of the string may make it more useful, so that you can hang it from surfaces more easily and avoid losing it in dirt.
How Do You Make a Secret Key Holder?
Hiding a Key Inside: Fake Book
A quick Google will reveal a bunch of fake book hide-a-key objects for your shelf, and while a book is a failsafe and timeless idea for hiding any kind of object, the plastic ones you’ll find posing as books are laughably unconvincing. Use a real book instead!
- Find an unwanted hardback book with a depth of at least two inches.
- Open the book at least twenty pages in and place a plastic container that is both smaller and thinner than the book itself into the middle of the page. Ensure it fits. This will become what houses the key inside the book. For items you might find lying around the house, we recommend using a thin tupperware or old ice tray.
- Trace around the edges of the plastic container using a pencil and ruler.
- Using a sharp utility knife, carefully cut around the traced shape and remove the paper.
- Glue the plastic container into the gap in the middle of the book (make sure to wrap something protective, like an old cloth or cellophane, around the other pages and cover to avoid glue spillage).
- Shut the book firmly and apply watered down glue to the edges of the other pages. This will stick them together and stop them moving around when you come to access the container. Make sure not to glue the pages that lie on top of the container; you want these to move naturally.
- Attach a magnet to the inside of the container using glue if you wish to prevent the key from falling out as you move the book around.
- Allow to dry before use, and place on shelves with the spine facing outwards.
Hiding a Key Outside: Sprinkler Head
Hiding a key outside is, of course, a little more risky. That’s why sometimes buying a hide-a-key object can be detrimental to security if it simply doesn’t look convincing enough.
With a little elbow grease, you can make an extremely convincing hide-a-key using an actual sprinkler head, to effectively conceal keys outside your home. After all, what’s more realistic than an actual object?
- Purchase a real sprinkler head.
- Unscrew the top and remove the insides of the unit, including springs and plastic components.
- On the underside of the top piece, glue a magnet or small latch for the key to tie to via a piece of string or cotton thread. This will keep the key from falling into the bottom part of the unit and make it easier to gain access to.
- Attach the pipe adapter to the bottom of the sprinkler head.
- Plant the pipe deep into the dirt around your home, either in the front or back garden. Make sure it is surrounded by plants for added realism and additional subtlety.
Hiding a Key in Apartments: Outdoor Thermometer
Living in an apartment immediately restricts your options for hide-a-key objects that don’t look awkwardly out of place. You probably don’t have any outdoor space to use sprinkler heads and planters, for example.
Thermometers that attach to external walls are a good way to get around this and maintain realism, without having to resort to shoving your key under the doormat and risking your security.
- Buy an outdoor thermometer.
- Attach the key to the back of the thermometer. For simplicity, you can just use tape, but we’d recommend using either magnets or string for additional strength. Eventually, pulling tape on and off the back will wear it out.
- Mount the thermometer to the wall. For apartments, we recommend you use one with suction cups or double sided tape on the back as opposed to having to drill into the wall. If you would prefer the latter, consult your landlord before doing so.
- If the thermometer mounts to the window using suction cups, make sure to tape paper over the back of the key to avoid reflections in the glass revealing its location!
FAQ
Are hide a keys safe?
Hide a keys that look convincingly like the object they are mimicking are probably significantly safer than those that are dead giveaways, which is why making your own can be useful. But keeping keys outside your home is always going to pose more of a risk to your security than not having keys outside your home. If using hide a key objects, incorporate other security measures to reduce the risks.
For example, free apps like AlfredCamera could help put your old phones to use and act as an outdoor security cameras which will alert you when they detect unusual movements.
AlfredCamera is available to download now for iOS and Android devices.
Where do burglars not look?
Burglars prioritize easy access and highest value, so the mundane and the out of reach is less at risk. The first floor is going to be at higher risk than any other since it is easier to access.
Where can I hide a key in my porch?
We recommend using an outdoor thermometer for hiding a key on the porch. Attaching a key to the back is a simple procedure using either a magnet, string, or just tape.
How do you hide a key in the garden?
Placing your key inside a sprinkler head is an excellent way to hide a key in the garden. Generally speaking, the more foliage and clutter there is, the more concealed and ‘natural’ looking the hidden key will become.
Where can I hide a key in my room?
An old but gold place to hide a key in your room is inside of an old hardback book. This amounts to cutting out a chunk of the inside pages and gluing the container into the gap to subtly conceal your key. Place the book back on the shelf and voila: none will be the wiser.
Where should you not hide a spare key?
You should never try to hide a spare key under the doormat or in a mailbox. These are painfully obvious, easy-to-access hiding spots that’ll be the first place home invaders will gravitate towards, and should therefore be avoided in favor of more subtle hiding spots.
Recommended reading:
8 Best and Worst Places to Hide Your Spare Car Keys
How to Hide AlfredCamera: 10 Clever Tips