Diversion Safe- A Tutorial

I don't know if you guys know what a diversion safe is but here's the basics. A diversion safe is any thing that appears to be one thing but is actually a safe to hide things- like money or other valuables you don't want stolen- in. You can purchase all sorts of diversion safes, from 10$-20$ and up. A diversion safe can be almost anything from cleaners to drinks and surge protectors to clocks to wall electrical outlets. I've seen diversion safes made to look like just about anything. The most common is usually a hollowed out book- these usually look pretty obvious and I think we've all seen the hollow rock for your spare door key. Those also look pretty obvious to thieves walking up to your house- so avoid those. Some diversion safes are even functional. The bottle of coke actually has real coke in the top part of the safe, cans of pringles actually have pringles in them, etc. I've even seen a bottled water diversion safe that appears to be just a bottle of water- it's probably the coolest thing I've seen....well, the safe made to look like a head of lettuce is pretty darned cool too. The idea behind a diversion safe is for it to appear like something no one would think to look for valuables in or steal. Who is really going to break into your house and steal your bathroom cleaner or a can of dog food? No one.




Aren't those neat? Just Google diversion safe and then hit images and you'll see what I mean. The most common things to be stolen by a burglar when entering your home are cash, electronic equipment, gold, silver, jewelry and guns. The easier and smaller to move the better. A burglar is also most likely to enter your home through the front door or other door and the first floor window. Don't think it can't happen to you. I live in a small tight knit quiet town in the south and even we have burglaries. The burglar is also going to be (most likely) in his mid to late teens, not a professional. The odds are definitely in your favor when speaking of the chances that he's going to recognize a diversion safe on sight. 

Burglars are also going to grab the easiest targets so leaving a jar of change in plain sight is a good way to get him to grab that and go, quickly. The average thief isn't going to spend long looking through your house for stuff so the best thing you can do is have an item (like a small jar of change) lying out in plain sight for easy grabs and hide anything of value like the above mentioned items. Remember, they're in and out quickly to try to avoid getting caught.

I wanted a diversion safe to protect my savings and jewelry from thieves but I don't have ten of fifteen dollars that I can just throw down on something that I could very easily make. So, I decided to make one myself. Here's the finished project, can you tell which one is fake? Nope, I didn't think so!



The first thing I did was remove the label and lid off of a jar of Alfredo after I was finished cooking with it. Then I washed it out very well and dried it. Be careful removing your label so that it goes back on easily. Once dried I put the first coat of paint on, which was kind of streaky, and very obviously paint. I wasn't discouraged though. After the first coat dried I put on another and came up with this:

It was starting to look awesome. I then took some tacky glue and glued my label back on. Once that was dried I screwed back on my lid and placed it in the cabinet to get a good look at it. It doesn't appear to be empty at all- it appears to be a jar of Alfredo, and I love it. The best part is that I didn't really pay anything for it.

What do you guys think? It even fooled Brandon who saw me making it more than once. This technique could be used to make just about any type of diversion safe, as long as you're careful to match the color. A pink or orange jar of alfredo is going to stand out- and as far as my capabilities go (for now) I'm not sure how to make an operating diversion safe like the can of coke.

More Diversion Safes: