Outside storage for spare house key?

[Gardenarian]

I use one of the key lock boxes that tradd describes. It's very simple to use, and easy to pass on the combination to another person if you need to.

[CathyA]

I know this sounds too simple but I think you just need to pick out a spot that isn't close to the door and no one would probably find, except you. And if you're visible from the street/other homes, don't make it obvious when you go to get it.

[Aqua Blue]

Reminds me of my Mom and her brother. She got to his house before he got home from work. He had told her the spare key was in a coffee can in the garage. When she stepped into the garage she was confronted with hundreds of coffee cans, she went out sat on the front steps and waited for him to come home from work.

[razz]

I was talking to one of my new neighbours and she advised that with her family, they installed a lock with a numerical code that also opens with a key if the numerical lock's batteries die. That way my family can use the keys and I have peace of mind. Seemed like a good solution to me. Some friends have my new key as well as a backup.

[reader99]

I've wondered about that, as I live in a condo with no storm door, no outbuildings that would be undisturbed, no rocks, etc. I thought about buying a doorbell that has an unusually large face surrounding the button, big enough to put a key behind it. I could carry a tiny screwdriver in my purse, or anyone could lend me one.

[Teacher Terry]

We use the electronic door pad so no need for a key. YOu can program more then one code for someone to gain access to your house & then change it. They are not very expensive either.

[Blackdog Lin]

I am the type of person to find perfectly wonderful places to hide valuables around the house.....and then I forget that I hid the whatever. This last spring I was furbishing a rustic plant holder on the front porch, placing new flowers on it and cleaning it up.....and out fell my spare house key that I had completely forgotten about. Because we never have a use for it as we have a garage door with a programmable numbered keypad. But I still would like to have a spare key to the front door.

(I also, this last year, in doing some decluttering, found some valuables I had hidden in the house. And forgot all about. Because I had hidden them so well?)

No more. My spare front door key is now taped securely to the back of a decorative plaque that hangs on the front porch. By the front door. I won't forget this one. Too obvious? Maybe. But I gotta do what I gotta do.

[early morning]

I have a rusty spare key in a tin can of junk in the shed. If someone found it, I doubt they'd think it was a useable door key. And it only works if you jiggle it just right. When we had hunting dogs, we always had a spare key in the dog run in a dog house. If you could get to the key unscathed, you were most likely family.

[befree]

I thought this was a good idea when I read it....haven't done it yet....hot glue or use liquid adhesive to glue the top of an old prescription bottle to a real rock (because the fake rocks look....well, fake) Drop your key in the bottle, screw the cap on, and dig a little depression in the ground where you want to place your rock.

[Packy]

Well, you can use a cup hook screwed into a tree or shrub in an inconspicuous place. Or even a piece of wire around a branch. Even though it's off the ground and shielded from rain,You might put a thin coat of oil on the key, just to keep it good.