choosing a lock for a storage unit

Posted on: 11 January 2016

When potential criminals enter your home, they are likely looking for valuables like gold, jewelry, and electronics. One place that is rarely raided is the kitchen. The food pantry in your home is a great place to store valuables, keep them hidden, and add extra protection. Along with deterring criminals, proper food pantry security can help keep pets and dogs away from items in the home. By using the following four protection methods, you can properly protect a food pantry and any valuables that you may keep inside.

Floor Safes

When working with a locksmith, you can turn the bottom of the food pantry into a functional floor safe. These safes are great for holding valuables, extra cash, and other small items. When shut, the safe can easily be covered with food pantry items like bags or dog food or plastic bins filled with canned goods.

The safes are built right into the floor and when shut they can be hard to notice and nearly impossible to open without a key or combination. Depending on how much space you have, the safe can go a foot into the floor, creating a lot of room for plenty of items.

Cabinet Locks & Latches

Offer extra protection for a food pantry by limiting the access inside. A locksmith can install secure cabinet locks and latches that prevent the door from getting yanked open. A cabinet lock features the ability to securely shut the pantry and keep it locked using a key. A deadbolt installation into the frame of the pantry door can supply extra protection.

If you're trying to keep pets and children away from the pantry, then you can install a high-placing latch. When the latch is shut, it blocks the pantry door from getting pulled open. When you need to access the pantry, you can simply lift up the latch and open the door. This gives you quick access to items during everyday cooking and kitchen use.

Sensor Alarms

Along with locks, a locksmith can install sensor alarms to your pantry. That means that when the sensor is activated, it will make a loud alarm noise each time the pantry is opened. If you are home, this noise can quickly alert you. If you are away from home, it can help deter someone from going inside your pantry. The sensors can be installed in multiple locations and at multiple heights to help prevent tampering. Some modern sensors come with small electronic fobs that will automatically deactivate the sensor if it is just you trying to enter the pantry. This helps remove the hassle of disarming the sensor each time you need to access the pantry.

Diversion Safes

The food pantry is a great place for diversion safes. These small safes appear to look like ordinary objects, but they actually have a secret compartment that is used to hold small valuables like cash and jewelry. When choosing diversion safes, there are a number of different options that can blend well inside of a food pantry.

• Drinks & Bottles: Purchase a diversion safe that features the design of popular drinks. This includes cans of soda, bottles of water, and iced tea. The bottom of these containers screws open to reveal the safe area. Extra weight is often added to the safe to make it feel like a full can or bottle still.
• Cleaning Products: Hide valuables in a diversion safe that is made to look like a cleaning product. This includes bottles of bleach, air fresheners, and carpet cleaners.
• Food & Snacks: Money and jewelry can easily fit into diversion safes that are crafted out of potato chip cylinder tubes, peanut butter jars, coffee cans, and cans of dog food.

Keep the diversion safes towards the back of the pantry to prevent anyone from accidentally grabbing them and thinking they are real foods.

Talk with professional locksmiths or click here for info about installing safes and locks in your pantry.