10 Best Diversion Safes for Hiding Valuables in Plain Sight

Diversion safes look like ordinary household objects, like soda cans, books, and personal care items- but they all have hidden compartments where you can store valuables discretely. If you pick the correct diversion safe, it can be nearly impossible for a burglar or thief to find it unless they are aware that you have one to begin with.

Many of these disguised hiding places can go undetected if you make them blend in well enough and provide an inexpensive, discrete solution when compared with floor safes. Misdirection can be a powerful strategy when it comes to security or just keeping nosy people out of your stuff.

Here are the ten best diversion safes for your security, stash, or caches.

How to Pick a Diversion Safe

Choosing the right diversion safe involves considering its disguise, size, construction, opening mechanism, and placement.

Opt for a safe that closely resembles a common household or personal item, ensuring it blends seamlessly.

Select a size that accommodates your valuables and documents, and prioritize durable materials and inconspicuous opening mechanisms. Consider the environment where the safe will be placed- some will look out of place in the wrong living area or by themselves.

Law enforcement groups (like the FBI) are keenly aware of diversion safes and know to look for them, which would be unfortunate for those being searched professionally.

We list our top ten below (eleven including the fake rock) to cover a wide range of places you may want to hide a stash or cache of valuables.

10. Dictionary Book Safe

If you have a bookshelf around, it makes sense to have a few books on it. Dictionaries may not be as popular as they once were since you can find everything online, but there are still plenty of dictionaries taking up room on desks and shelves.

This specific dictionary doesn’t have many words in it, but it does have enough room for your stuff.

Here are the specifics:

• Interior storage: 9.2″ x 5.7″ x 1.6″

• 3-number combination lock

• Available in black, blue, and red

• Available in a smaller size

You’ll want to throw this on a shelf with similar hardback books so it’s less noticeable.

This tried-and-true diversion safe may not be the most clever one out there, but it is effective.

9. Soda Can Safe

Soda can safes have been around for a while, but still catch people off guard because soda cans themselves are just so common.

They come in many different types- from Coca-Cola all the way to the A&W we have listed here.

They aren’t as sturdy as some of the other diversions on our list, but they can get the job done and fit in pretty much anywhere in the home, at work, or outdoors.

It may not be the best diversion safe, but it is a classic and one of the easier ones to blend into any environment.

8. Hairbrush Diversion Safe

If you have long hair, you probably have a hairbrush. Several of them.

Well, you’re in luck- this is one of the smaller diversion safes that will fit in with plenty of environments. You don’t just have to stash it in your main bathroom- you can stash it anywhere you would typically find a hairbrush: work drawer, glovebox, suitcase, purse, etc.

Here are the specifics on the brush:

• Interior storage: 1.2″ D x 4″ L

• Available in black or gold

• Optional ‘smell blocking’ mylar bag

Plus, this thing actually works as a functional brush!

Be sure to use it enough to get some hairs in there. A used hairbrush is much less suspicious than one without any hair on it.

7. Tire Foam Stash Can

If you are looking to stash valuables in your garage or vehicle, this tire foam can get it done. It won’t ever get grabbed because nobody wants to detail your tires for you.

Here is how it measures up:

• Interior storage: 2″ D x 3.5″ L

• Can dimensions: 3.25″ D x 5.25″ H

While it is on the smaller side, it can fit inconspicuously with other cleaners on a shelf or fit anywhere in your vehicle.

Stash small valuables, cash, or keys using this as a cache.

6. Flower Pot Fire Safe

If you need an indoor/outdoor solution, this flower pot safe is one of the best.

It has a keyed lock under the planter drop-in to access the safe, which is good for deterring prying kids.

Inside, it includes a handy fire bag so you can grab and go quickly once you get in the safe. You can also use lag bolts to secure the plant so it can’t be picked up easily.

Here are the specifics:

• Interior storage: 4.3″ x 4.3″ x 2.8″

• Pot dimensions: 4.5″ D x 4.5″ W x 6″ H

• Keyed lock with two keys

• Available in black, white, and terracotta orange

• Waterproof and Fireproof (with included bag)

You’ll need to bring your own plant though as this only includes the pot.

Burglars rarely toss house plants, especially small ones like this. Plants make sense in any room, from bedrooms to bathrooms so it’s easy to make it blend in.

5. Cleaner Stash Can

Thieves aren’t going to come in and get under your kitchen sink to help you clean up the house a bit.

This little tube with a Comet label perfectly matches the real thing, and gives you the best solution for hiding valuables with the cleaning supplies.

It is the exact same size and the weight is similar to a half-used container before you load it with whatever you want.

It’s easy to open and close quickly and the size makes it easy to grab and go if you are in a hurry.

This fake comet cleaner diversion can is one of the better options for the kitchen. Intruders are very unlikely to go rummaging through a bleach cleaner.

4. Outlet Wall Safe

Outlets are everywhere in your house and nobody is going to consider looking at them as a potential hiding spot.

This is one of the few diversion safes that require installation to work by making a hole in your wall where an outlet may typically go. But, that can be worth the work since it is one of the most secure and discrete options available.

Here are the specifics:

• Interior storage: 2.6″ x 2.2″ x 4.1″

• Keyed lock with two keys

• Outlet plates can be replaced to match

• Available in larger 2-gang size as well

Plug an appliance you rarely use or a nightlight/surge protector in the outlet (it obviously won’t power) to complete the deception.

The best-of-the-best when it comes to small hidden safes- this one flies under everyone’s radar.

3. SPAM Safe

This gives you another diversion safe that you may already use in your pantry.

We have SPAM on our top ten canned food storage, so it can be a clever way to add a small storage cache in your pantry.

Here are the specifics:

• Dimensions: 3″ x 3″ x 4.5″

Pop off the bottom to access the small stash spot.

It should fit fine in any non-vegetarian pantry as a clever hiding spot for bills, keys, and other valuables.

2. Fake Sharpie

One of the smallest diversion safes out there, this fake Sharpie can only fit a folded bill or other small item inside. It’s quite literally a hollowed-out Sharpie with a working head that screws on.

This is one of our favorite hiding spots because you can carry it everywhere with you if you want. We’ve looked at many writing utensils in our survival pen review, and this false Sharpie is a unique take on those.

There is also a fat Sharpie model for a few bucks more if you are looking to store something a bit bigger, although those are less common to see every day (and a bit more suspicious).

1. Canned Food Stash Safe

Statistically speaking, the pantry is one of the best places to have a safe if you have room. Even if you are installing a larger security safe, pantry and laundry rooms are preferred over bedrooms and closets where thieves look first.

Even if you don’t have room for a full safe, you probably have room for a can.

There are many different canned food options to pick from:

• Whole kernel corn

• Roast beef hash

• Chili beans

• Sliced beets

• Beefaroni

• Stewed tomatoes

• Beef ravioli

• Sliced peaches

They are all 3″ x 4.3″ like standard 16 oz cans.

Make sure you pick the type of can that wouldn’t look out of place in your pantry. Roast beef hash may look odd by itself in a vegetarian’s pantry.

Rock Hide-a-Key

We’ve already hit 10, but we’ll include the hide-a-key as our eleventh diversion safe. Plenty of folks know to look for the rock next to the door to find the spare key- even burglars.

So, we don’t suggest that you keep one next to your entrance with keys in it- but a fake rock is still a great stash for plenty of other outdoor caches.

Here are the specifics:

• Interior storage: 2.3″ x 1″

• Updated to look/feel more ‘rock-like’

• Weatherproof and windproof

With enough concealment behind bushes or under mulch, this rock looks like the real deal.

If you’re stashing a key in one of these, you’ll want to be sure it’s not close to where the key is used and hidden very well.

Homemade Diversion Safe

One unique kitchen tool we can’t get enough of is the smooth-edge can opener. With one of these inexpensive can openers, you can turn any can into a diversion safe since it makes the can lid easily nest back into the can.

It’s not ‘secured’ like many of the stash safes we show above, but with a little bit of ingenuity or just tape- you can keep the lid closed.

We’ve reviewed can openers for survival kits and long-term food storage, where you can find our favorite smooth-edge opener.

Sources and References

Here are the sources and references we make in our guide. We always strive to provide references and clarity to our readers on how we get our information from reputable sources to combine with our experiences.

• Buldoc, M. (2012). Focus on Searches: Characteristics and Implications of Diversion Safes. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Volume 81, Issue 8.

• Fagan, M. (2017). Not-so-hidden signs of teen drug use.

• Laliberte, L. (2022). This Is the First Room Burglars Check for Valuables. Readers Digest.

The Final Word

By using everyday objects as hiding places, diversion safes offer a layer of security by diverting attention away from the true nature of their contents. It’s important to note that while diversion safes can be a useful deterrent, they are not foolproof, and it’s still essential to exercise caution and implement comprehensive security measures to safeguard your belongings.