Have you ever considered getting a safe to protect documents and valuables in your home? Although having a home security system in Dallas can be a true lifesaver (this goes for business security systems as well!), there are many benefits of having a safe!

Obviously, the main function of a safe is to protect your treasured, irreplaceable items. This can mean protecting them from theft, but it also means protecting them from natural disasters such as fires, floods, and even earthquakes. Placing important documents in a safe can also save you lots of headaches simply because you’ll know where everything is, rather than having to sort through filing cabinets or desk drawers every time you need something. This last point can be particularly important in case of a sudden death, so the executor of the estate will be able to quickly and easily access all the information he or she might need.

Home safes come in a variety of styles, so you’ll want to take into account the types of items you plan to store inside the safe and the space in which you plan to keep the safe itself before making a purchase. Some safes are secured with a key, some have a keypad for typing in a code, and some employ both methods. Most are black, gray, or silver, but if you look hard enough you can find brighter color options, in case you’re hoping to match your décor. Some models are particularly designed to store file folders and paper documents, while others have plenty of space inside for safeguarding three-dimensional or abnormally shaped objects. Most of the available models can be easily identified as safes from their outward appearance, but there are other options disguised as common household objects, such as a book, that could readily blend in to an office, bedroom, or living room setting. A final consideration when choosing the kind of safe you want is maximum safe temperatures for the items you want to protect. A safe with a rating of UL 350 will not exceed an internal temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit during a fire, meaning it is safe to store paper. A safe with a rating of UL 72 will not exceed an internal temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and is a better choice for storing computers, disk drives, and other electronic equipment.

So what should you store in an in-home safe? Really, your only limits are the size of your safe and the collective size of the items you wish to preserve. Commonly, people use safes to store original copies of personal documents that don’t need to be used every day, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, Social Security cards, wills, passports, deeds, and contracts. Safes are also commonly used to preserve expensive jewelry, family heirlooms, and valuable collectibles. Other safe-worthy items may include copies of health records, copies of educational records, receipts from large purchases (perhaps from renovations or home furnishings), insurance information, financial information (including stocks, bonds, and other investments), and any other personal information that the executor of an estate might need in the case of an unexpected death.

If you’re an adult living in the United States, you almost certainly have a few things that would be better protected in a safe than outside of one, even if you don’t own any valuable jewelry or baseball cards. Even with a home security system, owning a safe is one more way you can protect your valuable and help keep things organized!