Use A Glass Jar And Paper Towel Tube To Make Clever Hidden Storage For Valuables

Often, the simplest solutions to a problem are so basic that you wonder why you never thought of them. Take, for example, the many overlooked household storage spots you could use, or ways to hide valuables that most people will never find. While some people may know how to hide a safe in plain sight or stash the key to their lockbox in the freezer, why not consider a clever alternative that uses a glass jar and a paper towel tube in a way you probably never would have imagined? With this idea, you'll be storing your valuables inside the paper tube, which will be completely hidden by the dried food or decorative items surrounding it, creating the perfect hidden storage for your treasures that you can hide away in the pantry.

For this easy project, all you're going to need is a glass jar with a lid. You want a jar that's wide enough to fit a paper tube inside while still having space between the tube and the jar all the way round. A mason jar would be ideal, but try to use a lid that you can't see through. You'll also need an empty toilet roll or paper towel tube, a pair of scissors, your hot glue gun, and some dried food items that you would normally store in a jar. These could consist of rice, dried macaroni, beans, peanuts, or even Cheerios. This is actually a great way to repurpose those stale nuts you found at the back of the pantry while doing a regular clean-out. Just make sure that no one in your household will be tempted to eat them.

To begin, put a thin layer of the beans or rice in the bottom of the jar. Then, cut your paper tube to size so that the top is level with the top rim of the jar. Put some hot glue around one edge of the tube and position it in the middle of the jar. Once the glue is dry, fill the gap between the tube and the glass with more rice, beans, or nuts. Make sure you fill right to the top but without allowing anything to spill inside the tube. You could finish off with a layer of PVA glue around the top to keep everything in place. And there you have it — the perfect hiding place for your valuables is now inside that empty tube! Once you put your lid on the jar and place it on a high shelf, no one would ever guess that the jar of rice is actually hiding a secret.

To make this even better and more secure, you may like to put some cotton balls in the top of the tube so that nothing is visible inside it. You could even use this to hide a spare door key on your porch by filling the jar with colored pebbles and gluing a faux succulent onto the lid. If you have important documents that can easily be rolled, like your will or the deed to your mortgage, consider using a tall jar and placing the rolled papers inside the tube. If you like this idea, don't forget that there are other hidden storage solutions around your home.