Everyone has some crucial documents containing significant personal or third-party information they would want to secure and keep safe.
This is because unfortunate circumstances like ordinary burglary or natural disasters, among other factors, often strike unexpectedly and may usually threaten the safety of your documents.
As such, it is vital to ensure that you store these documents in a safe place where incidences like theft, fires or even flooding would not damage them. One such option is utilizing a fireproof safe.
What is a Fireproof Safe?
These are storage units specially crafted by respective brand companies with the sole purpose of protecting respective inside contents in case of a disaster, more so fires.
Despite the size, since some might be needed for large-scale industrial installation, fireproof safe designs often also protect your documents from theft and disasters like floods.
Documents to Store in a Fireproof Safe
Therefore, some of the vital documents that are commonly stored by the majority of fireproof safe owners in these storage units include:
Legal identification documents
- Passports
- Birth certificate
- Military ID
- Driver’s license
Vital personal records
- Adoption papers
- Citizenship documents
- Social security cards
Medical documents
- Medical bills and receipts
- Health insurance covers
- Vaccination/Immunization records
- Personal health history
Financials
- Account numbers
- Investment statements
- Cancelled checks
- Retirement plan records
- Transactional receipts
Property records
- Rental/lease agreements
- Insurance policies
- Mortgage statements and bills
- Property tittle deeds
- Automotive registration details
Estate planning records
- Wills
- The power of attorney
- Trusts
- Prenuptial agreements
Securely Store your Documents in a Fireproof Safe through the Following Steps
Storing of valued documents in a fireproof safe often requires adherence to several simple guidelines.
These will guarantee that the documents are safe and secure inside the safe without any risk of damage, even in extreme conditions like too much heat among others. They include;
1. Acquiring all the relevant materials
The first step is to ensure that all the materials that you would need to accomplish this endeavor are accounted for and within reach.
Therefore, you should gather all the documents that need fireproof storage and place them in one accessible location.
Afterwards, determine the best fireproof safe that would sufficiently accommodate all your documents while costing fairly within your budget range.
Also, before acquiring the safe, make sure it is of quality construction for maximal guarantee on security of your documents.
Finally, you should also gather other materials that would also be utilized to supplement the document’s security. Some of them include:
- Plastic page slips
- Binders
- Label maker, among others.
2. Properly position your safe
After obtaining all the needed materials, you should the determine a suitable area that you would place the safe. This should in an easily accessible area where you would get the documents fast when needed.
Subsequently, your safe should also be slightly in an elevated area, like a shelf, the wall or in a second floor where disasters like floods may not interfere with it and essentially the documents inside.
Nevertheless, most of these fireproof safes are usually waterproof too, except for some few brands/models crafted with holes on the top or the sides aimed at facilitating cooling or dehumidification of the safe. These must be elevated and another layer of protection added.
3. Add a Second Layer of Protection to the documents
Apart from the security offered by the fire-resistant walls, added security of your documents also often warrants that you utilize the materials such as plastic sleeve bags.
These ensure that the documents are protected from things like moisture inside the safe that could also destroy some documents after time.
For instance, some fireproof safes are usually made from fire-resistant materials that often release moisture upon exposure to overly high temperatures.
Therefore, to counter this moisture before the safe is retrieved from the fire, are these sealable plastic bags that will block any form of moisture or gases present inside the safe from destroying your documents.
Set up a Filling System
Your documents while inside the safe should also be properly and even logically arranged for easy access and sorting through whenever they are required.
Therefore, you should also divide your document in order of significance or group them with those they share some commonalities.
Afterwards, place each category in a separate binder and label them using a label maker or a marker pen.
This way, any clutter documents will be shredded and the inside of your fireproof safe will be neat and organized.
Thus, it would be straightforward to remove any document without having to go through the entire safe content.
Final Thoughts
It is ultimately easy to store your documents in a fireproof safe. However, many individuals often forget that proper guidelines should always be followed to guarantee proper storage, since most people just dump their documents inside the safe, believing they would be secure.
As such, you should go through the article thoroughly to ensure you understand the entire process of properly securing your documents in a fireproof safe while having easy access and not worrying of any possible damages.
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