Try hiding something in a sibling’s room. Those obvious locations become a little less obvious if they are looking for something specific to you. Note that this does not work if your parents do regular sweeps of the house for secrets. But if your sibling usually cleans her or his room that is not the best place to do it either. Tape things to the underside of your dresser or inside the top of the drawers. This keeps items from being discovered by a quick look under the dresser. [1] X Research source Another idea is if you have an old school backpack or an old bag, then you can hide things there, your parents won’t suspect anything!

Make sure to use things your parents are guaranteed not to use, move or throw away. Storing the item in a plastic bag or wrapping it in saran wrap can open up a few additional hiding opportunities. The bottom of a potted plant will go unchecked for months, and a proper liner can protect your items from water damage. [2] X Research source

Pull off the plastic head of a spray deodorant can and remove the cover to where the deodorant is stored (this comes off easily with the help of some basic tools). Put the plastic head back on (use this as a lid). Old bottles or food containers make for good hiding places and can easily blend in with your room. Combine with a good liner and store in the freezer for greater camouflage. [3] X Research source Note that what you can use as a stash container depends on what you are trying to hide. Some items will not fit in a bottle or deodorant can.

You can be more inventive with carrying items. If you wear the same coat every day, make hidden pockets like up the sleeves or on the inside of your collar. You can make pockets by sewing/gluing/taping a flap where you want the pocket. Tape things to the inside of your shoes. This works well at the end of pointy shoes, just past where your toes reach. Flat items such as notes, or money can be hidden underneath the insole of the shoe. Some shoes come with tiny compartments for storing things, such as on the back of the heel or on the tongue. [4] X Research source

These cavities occasionally house important parts of the appliance, such as an Ethernet plug or soft reset switch. Make sure that inserting something into the cavity will not damage the appliance.

Put the item in a garbage bag and cover it with old clothes you no longer want to better camouflage the item. Labeling the bag can help add to the disguise. For example, writing “Christmas decorations” on the bag will prevent the bag from being examined until the appropriate time of the year.

Make sure your stuff gets hidden properly or marked appropriately as yours. You don’t want someone to take your stuff.

A mini fridge for your room might can serve the same purpose as a safe and will look much less out of place if you keep it in plain sight. Look for a mini fridge that comes with a locking mechanism to keep just anyone from checking out your fridge. Safes and mini fridges can also be camouflaged. Tape some cardboard around the safe to create the illusion that the safe is simply a storage box full of your things. [6] X Research source

Keep an actual copy of the book you hollowed out in case your parents or siblings ever want to actually borrow that book. This same technique works with items such as old VHS tapes or DVD cases. Throw them in a box of old tapes or other junk to complete the look. Several websites offer services for hollowing out books, and can cut the storage area out to your specifications.

Make sure you put them somewhere very well hidden, so nobody will find them. The woods are a great place with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide things. Try hiding a few green carrier bags in a thick prickly bush, but make sure they are out of sight. The shed or garage is a good place to hide larger items. These areas are mostly used for storing items that are used only occasionally, such as the lawnmower or power tools. Make sure to properly mask the item you are hiding by placing it in a bag or other container first. Dig a hole and hide something there. Make sure the item is properly protected to avoid damage from the elements. Avoid digging in a spot that might give away your handiwork. For example, digging a hole in a grassy patch will leave a telltale bald area of fresh dirt. Large partitions under the house or patio also allow for storage without drawing much suspicion. If items such as the lawnmower are also stored there, be ready to move your stash when it comes time to mow the lawn. [7] X Research source

In Google Chrome, go to Settings, followed by the History tab to access History settings. You can also navigate Privacy settings here. [8] X Research source In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings and click on “Choose what to clear. ” You can choose from several different types of files to clear, including browsing and download history. [9] X Research source While it’s possible to keep browsers from tracking history altogether, your parents will likely notice this setting when they attempt to access their own history. If the browser supports multiple users, make sure that settings are unique to each user. Otherwise, it’s best to delete only particular pieces of browsing history.

Rename the file into something innocuous that doesn’t give away the purpose of the file. “Passwords. txt” is a bad choice! Files can also be hidden in file folders for existing programs that otherwise have nothing to do with your chat logs or passwords, such as the data folder of a game application. Files can be made invisible with the “hidden” property on Windows OS. You can find this option under the Attributes field in file Properties. [10] X Research source Hiding files in a similar fashion on Mac OX is a bit more complicated – it may be easier to physically hide the file in this case. [11] X Research source Cloud services such as DropBox or OneDrive can store your files while also requiring additional login steps to help reinforce your security.

Use a unique password this is difficult or impossible to guess. Use a combination of letters, number and special characters when possible. [12] X Research source Consider fingerprint unlocking if your phone supports the feature. This provides an extra layer of security to your phone. For additional security, apps such as Snapchat can help you delete texts and photos automatically if you don’t want them to be discovered.

Make a second, family friendly account if you are concerned about your family seeing certain activities, but don’t want to shut them out of your social accounts completely. Adjust your sharing settings. Facebook offers selective sharing options that can help filter out who gets particular access to your photos and posts. [13] X Research source

A few examples include, “I’m keeping that for a friend,” or “A friend grabbed my phone and took these pictures. ” Use a friend that your parents don’t know in your cover story. You don’t want your parents to give your friend’s parents a call and blow your cover.