What items in your life would you really miss if they were stolen or destroyed? The list is most likely not a short one, which is why we take safety measures to protect our valuables.
Banks, safety deposit boxes, home security systems and home safes all help us rest assured that our valuables are protected. A home safe is a brilliant security measure
for plenty of items like birth certificates, spending money, jewellery, property insurance and many others.
There is a variety of different types of safes on the market and some are rated for specific uses. However, there are several things that your regular home safe shouldn’t contain.
More Money than Your Safe can Carry
If you don’t want to have to run to the bank every time you need some cash, a home safe is a great place to keep your extra spending money. Nevertheless, you should always be careful not to put in more money than your safe can hold.
This isn’t an issue of maximum capacity; rather, it is
an issue of Eurograding. The Eurograde system describes the different qualities of safes and the recommended cash or item value that a safe should hold. It has to do with a safe’s quality versus the acceptable risk of loss. The less integrity a safe has the greater the risk, which means lower values should be kept in low Eurograde safes. A Eurograde 6 safe is very sturdy and incredibly difficult to crack, so the amount you can keep in them is high.
A home typically doesn’t require a Eurograded safe as high as a business or political organisation that handles a lot of money each day, but knowing your safe’s Eurograding and not exceeding the recommended amount is important. If you do, insurance companies may give you trouble as you are trying to get covered for the values stolen.
Pearls Should Not Be Stored for Long
If you are going on a holiday for a week or two and you want to put your fine pearls in a safe don’t fret. Pearls can be kept in safes for brief periods of time. However, if you lock you grandmother pearls in a safe for a long time you might be unpleasantly surprised by what you find when you finally take them out. Safes are perfect for items like documents and cash money because they are kept free of moister as well as safe from theft. However, extremely dry conditions can ruin pearls by drying them out and causing them to develop cracks on the surface. Remember, pearls are from the ocean and they need moister.
Photo Negatives Need Cold Temperatures
Photo negatives are made of thin, sensitive plastics that can easily deteriorate when they are not taken care of properly. The temperature inside certain safes may be too warm for long-term negative storage. Again, it is okay for short term use if you need secure storage in a pinch. Though, if you have an outdoor safe or a safe in the garage you should not use them for negatives even for a short amount of time. Younger film is more durable, but old negatives need cool and even cold storage to prevent melting and deterioration.
Be Careful with Stamps
Stamps can be as valuable as they are delicate and any serious stamp collector knows that handling and storing them is a sensitive business. Some safes are rated for the storage of stamps and other sensitive materials but many typical home safes accumulate small amounts of moister. This moister it usually safe for most documents and paper products but delicate stamps may be harmed.
