Archive for the ‘Home Security’ Category

Treasure your Jewels in Luxury Jewelry Safes

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Small Jewelry Safe

Whether your jewels have monetary or sentimental value, they are treasures that you want to have forever. The best way to ensure this is to lock them up in a luxury jewelry safe. Overstuffed drawers, multiple hiding places, and unorganized pouches can easily lead to missing rings, tangled necklaces, and earrings without their match. Typical hiding places around the home do little to protect your gems, and bank security boxes leave them out of your reach when you are dressing. Safes for jewelry are a much better solution. Here are a few tips for keeping your pieces organized and easily accessible to only you.

  • Customize your set-up. Think through how you choose your jewelry when getting dressed. Do you prefer to have sets of items together or organized by category or color? Should casual everyday jewelry be kept more accessible than pricier pieces? You may decide the right solution is to keep your casual every day items in a conveniently located wall safe and choose from one of the better quality jewelry safes to secure the high value items.
  • Location, location, location. Where do you have enough space to hold your gems? Do you have enough dresser top space to showcase a jewelry box, a dresser drawer for dividers, or eye-level closet space? These places might be convenient but now take security into consideration – jewelry safes can fit in many convenient locations as well. Keep in mind how much light you will require to fully take stalk of your collection and match your jewelry to your outfit. Safes for jewelry can be configured with lighting. Also consider how once you have chosen the location and conceptualized the best way to organize your collection, you can purchase containers that fit your personal preferences. Consider a home safe that includes a jewelry chest inside.
  • Eliminate worry. Losing track of your grandmother’s pearls or the pendant your mother-in-law gave you can cause unending headaches. You can cure that pit in your stomach by investing in various degrees of protection.
    • To avoid losing rings in the bottom of your purse keep a small velvet pouch in your handbag so you can safely stow your items if you have to take them off mid-day. Also, place a small ring saucer by your bathroom sink for when you wash your hands.
    • When traveling, transport your jewelry in a protective pouch or case and lock it up in the hotel room safe if possible. Hint: Wrap necklaces and chains around small pieces of rolled up paper towel to prevent tangling.
    • If you have only a few precious pieces you can purchase a small jewelry safe and bolt it down to a shelf in your closet. This can be a relatively inexpensive option and will deter the average burglar or nosey construction worker.
    • For your more expensive pieces of jewelry we recommend keeping a file of appraisals and receipts. Put these items along with their appraisals in a high quality burglar and fire home safe.
    • Finally, think about splurging on a luxury jewelry safe. Instead of having to run to your bank deposit-box every time you want to wear your nice jewelry, keep them in an equally secure safe in the convenience of your own home. Maximum Security’s high quality luxury jewelry safes provide a solution to all of your jewelry nightmares. A secure fire proof safe will not only protect your jewelry from jealous hands but will also hold a luxurious chest to serve as an equally beautiful home for them.

For more information about keeping your jewelry safe visit Maximum Security Safes on the web or at our Southern California location.

10 Steps to Protecting Your Home During Summer Vacation

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Beach Scene

Summer is here and many of us are looking forward to getting away for a break from the pressure of work and school. Any time we are away our homes are more vulnerable to burglars. Knowing this certainly doesn’t help us to the transition from the stress of everyday life to a restful, relaxing vacation.

The good news is, there are a few simple things we can do to protect our homes and our valuables allowing us to more fully enjoy vacation. While securing your valuables in a quality home safe or gun safe is a good step in the right direction there are a number of other helpful things you can do to protect yourself.

Generally, making your home appear that there is someone living there is a big step in the right direction.

  1. Invite a trusted college student to house sit while you are away. Students often appreciate the opportunity to get away from home for a week or two and sweetening the pot with a bit of cash in exchange for watching over your home, watering plants and/or caring for animals is a great investment.
  2. Put your newspaper and mail on hold. If you are concerned about alerting the paper delivery person consider cancelling the paper and restarting it when you get back in town. Piled up papers in the driveway are a sure sign to a prospective burglar that this home is a hot target.
  3. Park a car in the driveway. Ideally one that will come and go. See if a neighbor is willing to park in your driveway at night when they come home from work.
  4. Install one or more motion sensitive lights around the exterior of your home.
  5. Put multiple inside lights on timers, going off and on at different times.
  6. Add a radio or TV on a timer as well, the sound will be an excellent deterrent.
  7. Make sure your yard is mowed while you are away. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, splurge and pay someone to do it for you while you are away.
  8. If you trust your neighbors, let them know you will be away with the dates you will be gone and a contact phone number in case something suspicious occurs that you might want to know about. Be sure to let them know if you expect anyone to come to your home while you are gone or they and you may be alarmed unnecessarily.
  9. 9. If you don’t already have one, consider a home security system that will notify you and local law enforcement if there is an unauthorized visitor enters your home.
  10. Secure your valuables in a quality home safe or gun safe as your last line of defense against burglary and fire.

At Maximum Security Safes we are concerned about the overall security of your family and valuables. We recognize that the home safes and gun safes we sell are just the last line of defense and that there are a number of other important security measures we all should take. Consider the steps above and before you leave home check out our educational information and selection of home safes and gun safes at Maximum Security Safes or call us at 800-538-0600.

What’s the BEST Jewelry Safe?

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Luxury Jewelry Safe

The one that has room for everything you want to protect, safely and conveniently. The one that looks the way you want it to look. The one that fits where you want to put it. The one that keeps out the bad guy who is stupid enough to break into your home. The one that protects your valuables from fire until the crew puts it out. The one that fits your budget.

Preparation will help you get the right jewelry safe for your needs. Before you go shopping take a mental if not paper inventory of the things you want to protect. Keep in mind you probably have additional valuables you will want to secure when you go out of town and you may acquire more valuables over the years. Think about where the jewelry safe will be placed so that it is convenient and you will actually use it. Take measurements of any tight spaces you so have an idea of how much space you have to work with.

There are many jewelry safes out there, but what you need is the best one for YOU. While it’s not rocket science it does help to talk with a safe expert. All jewelry safes are not created alike and you ought to know what you are getting. Don’t fall prey to the “great deal” that will provide a false sense of security rather than the protection that you need.

To make sure you get the best jewelry safe for your needs visit us on the web at Maximum Security Jewelry Safes
or call us at 800-538-0600 or locally at 714-550-4123. We ship all over the U.S..

The Best Location for Your Home Safe

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Safe Installation

Home safes are a great way to protect your valuables. Where you put your security safe is an important component of the security it will offer. But, there is not one best place. The placement decision should be based on the contents and how frequently you want access to them, the type of safe and how heavy the safe is.

Security safes that hold frequently accessed items should be placed as close to the point of use as possible. The safe won’t offer you much protection if you don’t use it because it isn’t convenient. A home safe used to secure jewelry or watches should be placed in the master dressing room, master bedroom, or possibly a close proximity office or spare room. You may want to secure the safe to a pedestal or reinforced shelf to bring it up closer to eye level for added convenience. If the safe will hold a gun for emergency situations you will likely want it in or near your bedroom. Small pistol safes are great for bolting under the bed, to the bedside table or the inside of the bedroom closet.

If the contents of the home safe are items you don’t need access to frequently then the location is less critical. An out of the way spot is likely your best bet, maybe a remote closet or the garage. Safes that secure guns for hobby can be placed in the garage, office, spare bedroom or even the family room or living room. A beautiful high gloss gun safe can be an attractive addition to your home décor. Security safes used for collections do well in a convenient closet or family room. Fire safes used to secure documents are well placed in an office or the garage.

The type of home safe may dictate where it will be placed as well. Some types are obvious; floor safes are installed into the slab and therefore belong in the garage or ground floor of a slab foundation home. Be sure your home doesn’t have post tension cables before you invest in a floor safe! Wall safes are designed to be discrete. Rather than give away any specific tips here for all to hear we can talk with you privately about ideas for discrete locations over the phone or in person.

The weight of your safe is a factor in placement. Generally safes under 1,000 lbs. can go to the second floor, if your stairs are maneuverable for the size of safe you have selected. Safes over 1,000 lbs. should be placed on the ground floor or in the garage. Carefully select placement of one of these heavy safes if your home has a raised foundation. Be sure to consult an expert to make sure you have chosen an appropriate location.

Call the experts at Maximum Security Safes today to discuss the best location for your safe. There are some additional tips we can share with you personally that are better not shared in a public setting.

Luxury Jewelry Safes – 5 Things to Look For

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Luxury Jewelry SafeWhere do you keep your jewelry?  If you are like many folks it’s in a bedroom or bathroom drawer, crammed in a too small jewelry box, or laying on your bathroom counter.  Maybe you are tricky, and even hide some special pieces in places a burglar would “never find”, or so you hope.

It’s not worth it.  The risk of your jewelry, with precious memories attached, left vulnerable to burglary and fire, just doesn’t make sense.  The thought, it would never happen to me, only works for so long.  The effort and investment required to protect these precious items and the memories they represent is well within reach…enter jewelry safes.

But not all jewelry safes are created alike.  In fact, it is easy to go to either extreme, buying a false sense of security or being scared off thinking jewelry safes need to cost many thousands of dollars.  Good quality, reliable luxury jewelry safes can be affordable and beautiful.

So, what to look for in your jewelry safe:
1)    Independently verified burglar protection, UL RSC labeled
2)    Independently verified fire protection, 1 hour labeled
3)    High security digital lock, UL rated
4)    Interior drawers with organizer sections and protective fabric lining,
5)    The right location to place your safe.

Webster’s definition for a safe is, a place or receptacle to keep articles (as valuables) safe.  Even a fishing tackle box meets that criteria.  I don’t think many of us would feel secure storing our precious valuables in that!  The well know testing agency United Laboratories, UL, tests burglary safes offering a Residential Security label to any security safe meeting the requirements of a quality home burglar safe.  Look for that label.

Fire protection is evaluated based on the minimum amount of time the interior of a safe will stay below 350°F.  A common question is, how long does a typical house fire burn?  Years of attempts to get statistics from fire authorities and fire personnel have brought me no closer to a firm answer than when I began. There are just too many variables involved to get an average or a statistic that can give us comfort.  After 16 years in the jewelry safe business my personal place of comfort is a minimum of one hour of independently verified fire protection.  UL, Mercury and ETL are all highly reputable testing authorities that test safes for fire protection.  This independent testing gives me the confidence that my luxury jewelry safe will perform when put to the test. Look for a 1 hour fire label from a reputable third party testing agency.

There are lots of options available when it comes to locks.  First, be sure you select a jewelry safe with a high security lock.  UL tests locks and verifies their quality.  For your jewelry, don’t mess around with any lock that isn’t designated high security by UL.  High security locks come in three primary styles, the traditional tumble style combination lock, the digital lock and the biometric fingerprint lock.  Any of these three will provide you the security you need.  The digital lock is just so much more convenient than the tumbler and more affordable than the biometric.

Finally, be sure to select a good placement for your luxury jewelry safe.  You want it to be secure so that no one can carry it out.  And, you want it to be convenient so that you will actually use it.

Now, what are you waiting for?  With a little help from the experts at Maximum Security your luxury jewelry safe can be selected and installed in days.  Come on in or call us at Maximum Security Safes, or visit our Jewelry Safes page on the web, and let us help you get your jewelry protected now.

Gun Owners Face Criminal Charges

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Boy with Shotgun

A six-year-old boy found a loaded shot gun under his parent’s bed. His older brother, 12 years of age, saw the younger brother and attempted to take the gun away. The gun accidentally went off critically injuring the younger boy. Why wasn’t this gun securely stored in a gun safe?

These stories are in the news much too often. While this time the setting is Salinas, CA, similar situations occur in cities all across the country, more often than we want to imagine. Adding to the tragedy is the possibility that one or both of these parents could be criminally charged and if convicted and given the maximum penalty could spend three years in prison.

According to the law, a person commits the crime if any loaded firearms are kept around the premises with the knowledge that it is likely within reach of children and could cause them death or great bodily injury. An inexpensive but effective gun safe could have made all the difference for this family.

This heartbreaking situation is completely avoidable. Guns should be kept securely in a gun safe, especially a loaded gun. There is no reason it should be unsecured and within reach of a child, or any unauthorized individual for that matter. In this case the local police department even provides free gun locks, but these parents didn’t take advantage of the offer.

Police departments across the country offer similar gun-safety recommendations:

  • Properly store firearms in locked containers (gun safes).
  • If possible, make sure stored guns are unloaded.
  • Be sure you speak to your children about safe handling of guns and the dangers they pose.

For information about how you can protect your guns call or visit Maximum Security Safes today!

Maximum Security Safes
(800) 538-0600

Security Risk in the Dorms – Consider A Burglary Safe

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Laptop Security Safe Under Bed

Is your son or daughter headed off to college this fall? Have you considered a burglary safe? The dorms are great fun but can also present a security risk. In the midst of the new and exciting social environment students often leave their doors open. New friends and acquaintances stop by and visit and spontaneous gatherings occur. It may not be until hours later that they realize an iPod or digital camera is missing.

College kids these days have a collection of valuable electronic devices; laptops, iPods, iPads, cell phones, digital cameras and maybe even an eReader. In addition students often have some cash, jewelry or other valuables that are put at risk in the dorms. An effective, yet inexpensive security safe can provide a solid solution to this vulnerability.

Look for a burglary safe that has an easy to use, programmable electronic lock. The old fashioned tumbler style locks are time consuming to open and significantly decrease the likelihood that the security safe will be used. The lock should have a key back up in case your student forgets the combination or the batteries run out when the door is locked. Encourage your student to set the custom combination as soon as they get their electronic safe. They should select a combination that is easy to remember but not easy for others to guess. Birthdays are NOT a good idea.

Look for a security safe that provides an easy way for it to be secured to something permanent. Often students use a tether cable to attach the safe to a bed or desk. The burglary safe should be easy to access so that your student will use it. Stowing it in a difficult to get to location, like deep behind the dresser, will deter use. There is no point in having an electronic safe unless it is used!

Look for a burglary safe that is large enough to fit their laptop computer as well as other electronic devices and miscellaneous valuables. We offer one that is just right for this purpose the Laptop Safe fits just about any laptop computer with plenty of room to spare, yet can easily be tucked under the bed or desk. This electronic safe along with a cable lock will give you peace of mind well worth the cost.

College is expensive enough as it is, nobody wants to absorb the cost of replacing a stolen computer or other valuables. Provide your student with a convenient way to secure their valuables and you will all have a lot more peace of mind as they go off on this exciting adventure. Call or visit us at Maximum Security Safes today, we are ready and able to help you get the peace of mind you desire.

Gun Safe Buyer – How Big Should You Go?

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Gun Safe - BF7240

A common complaint of folks who have purchased a gun safe is they wish they bought a bigger one. Home safes are like closets, we fill them up quickly. Most folks will keep their security safe for a very long time, in fact your safe may very well out-live you. Security safes don’t wear out, they just get too small. To make the most of your investment, buy your home safe at least one size bigger than you think you need.

Most of us are concerned about cost. What you will likely find is that as you move up in size within a line of gun safes, the price differential is relatively small. Most times the better values come with the larger sizes. Consider carefully what size home safe you will invest in.

Besides cost, the size decision will be based on two primary considerations; what you expect to put into the gun safe and how much room you have for the safe. It is worth your time to make a list of what you plan to put into the home safe. List out all the items that will stay in the security safe long term, then add the items that will go in and out with regular use, next add the items you will store in the gun safe when you travel and finally keep in mind extra room needed for valuables you will acquire or inherit in the future. Most gun safes are used for a variety of items, not just guns. Once you have a security safe in your house you will find it is a valuable storage place for birth certificates, insurance records, photos, jewelry, a stash of cash, and the list goes on. When your list is complete it is time to consider whether or not the size gun safe needed will fit in the location you had in mind? Some folks find they actually need two home safes.

Two security safes provides the opportunity to put the long term storage items in an out of the way location and a smaller safe, with the items you need more regularly, in a easy to access location. A conveniently located gun safe will be more likely to get used. If it’s not easy to put your items securely away in your home safe you may have a tendency to leave them out and vulnerable. This two security safe approach also makes it easier to have more secure storage space with room to grow.

Selecting the most appropriate size gun safe is as important to your decision as what type of safe. To ensure you get the most out of your “safe” investment consult an expert. At Maximum Security Safes we have expert consultants who are ready to discuss these questions with you. But don’t delay, you don’t want to be the next statistic we read about in the news.

Jewelry Safes and 8 Other Tips to Protect Your Jewelry

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Diamond ring for jewelry safe
Jewelry safes protect personal jewelry from damage, theft and fire. The key characteristics of a home jewelry safe include an interior that provides well designed, velvet lined organization for your jewelry and a safe itself that provides verified burglar and fire protection. Third party verification by a reputable testing agency ensures that the protection that you expect is indeed the protection that you are getting with the jewelry safe that you purchase.

In addition to jewelry safes there are several other tips to consider to protect your jewelry. Damage to jewelry is very common, but fortunately proper attention and care can limit if not eliminate the likelihood of damage.

  • Remove jewelry before playing sports, swimming, gardening or doing difficult chores around the house. Be sure to put it in a safe place, your jewelry safe.
  • Don’t leave your jewelry on an open surface such as a counter, near a sink or in a public area.
  • Jewelry should never be put in your pocket, it just isn’t worth the risk. Instead take the time to put it in a safe place, your jewelry safe.
  • Be careful when removing gloves as jewelry can easily become snagged or lost.
  • Personally inspect your jewelry regularly for missing stones or damaged prongs, especially immediately after you bump or catch your jewelry.
  • Periodically have your jeweler inspect your jewelry, especially the items you wear often. A jeweler can detect and repair small problems like a loose prong or faulty clasp before something is lost.
  • Consider insuring your pieces of most significant value. You may find that the cost to insure is reduced if you store your jewelry in a quality jewelry safe.
  • Using a home security system is always a good companion to jewelry safes. The sign on your lawn or window may cause the thief to pass by your house and if they do enter they will know their time is limited.

My daughter’s friend recently found her mom’s diamond, lost 2 ½ years ago, in the backyard at their house. It had already been replaced, at full cost. I had two of my mother’s rings stolen years ago when our home was burglarized, they were never found. Family heirlooms lost forever. The moral of the stories is take precautions with your jewelry before this happens to you. At Maximum Security Safes we have a full selection of jewelry safes and safes of all types and sizes with most items in stock for quick delivery. Check out our jewelry safes on the web or at our Santa Ana showroom this week!

Home Jewelry Safes – Which Lock is Best for You?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Diamond NecklaceHome jewelry safes are an excellent place to securely and conveniently store your jewelry.  First, select a good quality safe that’s the right size to meet your needs now and in the future.  Then you will likely have the opportunity to select the type of lock you want.  There are several things to consider as you select the lock for your home jewelry safe.

The three most common jewelry safe locks are the traditional tumbler style combination lock, the electronic/digital lock and the biometric or fingerprint lock.   The most important consideration is that the lock be listed by United Laboratories as a high security lock.  Anything less will not provide the level of security warranted for a home jewelry safe.

The high security combination lock looks very familiar.  It is the one you see most often in the movies where the thief turns the dial slowly listening carefully, sometimes with a stethoscope, trying to hear the correct combination.  These locks have the solid, traditional look that many people like.  They are however, cumbersome to open.  They are not like the old high school lockers that many of us remember, where you can dial in your combination with minimum precision, give it one good kick, and it opens every time.  With a high security tumbler you need to be very precise, dialing the lock four times one direction, three times to the other direction and then  two more times to the third number.    As we get older most of us will need to pull out our glasses to be able to accomplish this.  If you are off by just one tick mark you start all over again.  The traditional combination lock provides reliable, secure protection but not the most efficient access to your home jewelry safe.

The high security electronic or digital lock is currently the most popular lock on home jewelry safes.  These locks provide convenient, quick access.  When your home jewelry safe arrives you will receive easy to use instructions guiding you to set the combination of your choice.  Rather than a factory combination as with the traditional combination lock that requires a locksmith to change, you are able to select an easy to remember number that you can change yourself at will.  These locks are designed to prohibit a burglar from sequentially trying different combinations, hoping to get lucky.  After 3-4 incorrect attempts it locks out for a period of 10-20 minutes.  Following the lockout, if an incorrect combination is entered even once more, the lockout period begins again.  Batteries are typically of the common 9-volt variety and easily replaced from the outside of your home jewelry safe, in the faceplate of the lock.   The electronic locks provide convenient, quick access to your home jewelry safe at an affordable price.

The high security biometric lock is commonly known as the fingerprint lock.  The biometric locks offer all of the same conveniences as the electronic lock with the distinct advantage of not having a combination to remember.  While they are becoming much more reliable, as with any newer technology they are still a bit pricey.  Generally these locks allow several different fingerprints to be stored so numerous users can have access to the home jewelry safe.  The primary user or administrator is able to add and delete fingerprint users at anytime.  While the biometric locks are gaining ground they are still out sold by the electronic locks due to worries of reliability and price.

The locking mechanism is one of the key security components of your home jewelry safe.  While locks can be changed at a later date it is more cost effective to make the right selection up front.  Call or visit the experts at Maximum Security Safes and we would be happy to discuss this decision with you!