How to Hide

Whether you’re playing hide-and-seek or trying to avoid an annoying person, or just want to prank your friends, sometimes you need some stealth skills. A hiding place is a place that can be completely covered, such as behind a sofa, under a pile of clothes, in a closet, or a similar space. Once you have chosen the perfect hiding spot, you must be quiet, try not to move and shrink as small as possible so as not to be seen and to avoid detection.

Table of Contents

Hide yourself effectively

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Keep out of sight of searchers. People often glance from left to right when looking for something, so you need to choose a position higher or lower than eye level. That way, you’ll find a less visible hiding spot, and if there’s movement, you’ll be harder to spot.

When entering a hiding area, notice where your gaze will naturally go to avoid the area.

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Make people as small as possible. As soon as you find a place to hide, crouch, crouch or sit down and bring your arms and legs close to your body. If you’re hiding in a tight space, stand up straight and let your arms hang close to your sides. The less space your body takes up, the less visible you will be. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Minimizing is still a good idea even if you’re hiding in a place that covers your entire body. Assuming you’re hiding behind the sofa, you’re less likely to be spotted if you curl up like a ball instead of straightening.

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Do not move. Hold still as you get into a miniaturized position. You can imagine yourself as a statue or a piece of furniture. Try your best not to move until you know the other person is already a safe distance from you.

Try not to scratch the itch or fix your hair or clothes no matter how uncomfortable they make you.
The human eye has the ability to detect movement before anything else, especially in the dark. An untimely movement will inadvertently expose the position you are hiding from.

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Keep silent. While hiding, don’t make any avoidable noises. Try not to cough, sneeze, clear your throat, or make any sounds that could expose you. Even the rustle of clothes can reveal your hiding place. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Breathe softly by opening your mouth and breathing deeply and slowly. This makes breathing much less noisy than gasping for breath or breathing through the nose. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Don’t talk if you’re hiding in the same place as someone else. Not only will you make noise while talking, you can also be distracted and not realize if someone approaches.

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Camouflage with surroundings. You can’t always hide in the closet or under the table. When you’re in a situation where you’re out in the open and you don’t have anything big to hide behind, lie down, grab whatever is around, and cover yourself. The overlay on you will temporarily keep you out of sight until you find a better place to hide. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can hide under blankets or dirty clothes if you’re hiding in your bedroom, or snuggle up in a pile of leaves while outdoors.
The things you find may provide temporary cover, but are not a solution to long-term hiding.

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Be prepared to leave your position if there is a risk of detection. No matter how good your hiding place is, there is a chance that someone will come across it sooner or later. If you have a hunch that the game will end where you are hiding, wait for a convenient opportunity to run away or move to another hidden location. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Moving can alarm someone looking for you, so wait until they’re far enough away to not hear your footsteps.
Instead of rushing to another cover, move as slowly and gently as possible. It doesn’t make much sense, but by doing so you will make less noise and avoid the risk of slipping or hitting something.

Find a place to hide in the house

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Crawl under the bed. If you’re in the bedroom and need to disappear quickly, crawl under the bed. Lie on your stomach or back under the bed and don’t move. When peeking into the room, the person looking for you will not see anything unusual.

If it is a bed with high legs, the other person may see you or your shadow.
Hiding under the bed is a familiar tactic, so be prepared to run away if you are discovered.

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Hide in the wall cabinet. Wall cabinets are really reliable hiding places. It’s large enough that almost anyone can easily get in, plus sometimes a coat and other clothing can cover you up. Since the closet is rarely opened, it’s likely that the other person won’t think to find you there. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Open and close the cabinet doors softly so as not to make any noise.
If you’re playing hide-and-seek in the heat of the moment, don’t hide in a closet, unless you have no other choice. Wall cabinets are quite predictable hiding places.

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Hide behind the sofa. If you hear the other person coming into the room, crouch behind the sofa and kneel down to crouch. Maybe the other person will just glance at you and walk away thinking you’re not there. Remember that the sofa you are hiding should face the door so that you are not exposed. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can also curl up behind a double chair, armchair, or mattress if there’s no couch available.
The back of the sofa is completely empty, so it’s not a good choice for long hiding.

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Get behind the curtains. Squeeze into the space between the curtains and the window, then drop the curtains in front of you. Stand up straight and keep your arms at your sides so the person looking for you doesn’t spot any suspicious clues behind the curtain. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Your feet will often be exposed at the bottom of the curtain, so consider switching to another cover after a short while.

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Jump into the tub. If the tub has a hard door, close it. Otherwise, lie down to hide behind the side of the tub. If the person is just looking around to see if they can see you, this might help.

Don’t jump into a freestanding tub with a clear glass door, as it won’t cover anything.
Be careful not to knock the bar of soap or spill the shampoo bottle in the tub; If you’re not smart, you can easily get caught!

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Spleen into a narrow space. If you’re small, look to see if there’s a cupboard, alcove, or bookshelf nearby that you can get into. Almost every home has at least a few nooks and crannies in hidden places, so you’ll have a few options if you’re a little cramped. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Some clever hiding places are storage chests, cardboard boxes, and laundry baskets.
Never hide in a locked container or have to remove the latch to open it. You run the risk of being locked in there and suffocating, especially when you are alone and no one hears your cries for help.
Never try to get into a space that’s too small for you. If you accidentally get stuck, your problem is bigger than being found.

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Go to the attic or down to the basement. These areas are often filled with boxes, old furniture, and nooks and crannies that make great hiding places. Usually no one wants to bother looking behind, under, and around each item, so you probably won’t be discovered.

Many people are afraid to go up to the attic and down to the basement, which also means they don’t even dare to go in there to find friends.
Basements and attics are often very dusty, so you should breathe through your mouth to avoid sneezing.

Hiding outdoors

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Climb the tree. Look for plants with thick foliage – they will make a good cover. Since your cover will be much higher than the average person’s line of sight, your hunter will probably be busy scouring the ground to guess where you’ve gone. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you’re sitting on a low branch, don’t let your legs hang where the other person can see you.
It’s the same rule when you’re hiding in a tree: keep quiet and don’t move. The rustle of leaves can indicate your hiding place.

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Hiding in the bushes. You don’t have to go into the bushes. In most situations, you just need to crouch and hide behind. Just like hiding in a tree, you need to avoid sudden movements that could shake the bush and expose it.

Beware of bushes with thorns or sharp leaves. If you are not careful, you can get scratched when climbing in and out.

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Hide in the garage or shed. These places are often dark and a bit scary, which also means that the other person probably won’t dare venture inside to find you. And the best part is that there are often tools, vehicles and machines around that you can hide.

Don’t hide in a garage or shed on someone else’s land. You could be in trouble if you’re detected.
Don’t hide under cars or trucks, it’s not a good idea.

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Hide under the porch. In many homes, the area below the front or rear steps has spaces built into it for storage. Find a way under the porch of the house you’re trying to hide. You can see a small door or gate, or you can squeeze in through a gap in the side of the house.

Watch out for dangerous creatures as you hide under the patio. The dark and damp voids are often a haven for snakes, spiders, rats and other scary animals. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Lying in a pile of leaves. Fallen leaves are an excellent natural camouflage. You can crawl into the pile of freshly raked leaves and add more fallen leaves on top until you are completely covered. Your friends won’t suspect a thing – unless you decide to jump out and scare them off! ^{[12] X Research Source}

Throw a rock or stick a stick into the pile of leaves before getting in to make sure no wild animals are hiding in it.
Leaf piles can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, especially when wet, so avoid covering your face and don’t stay in it for too long. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Hide in the dark. Darkness is the last refuge. If you have nowhere else to hide, rely on the cover of darkness, where you will become invisible to hunters. Even if it’s not completely obscured, you can still sink into your surroundings and sneak around from place to place. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Wearing black clothes is also a way to blend in with the environment more.
If the other person is looking for you with a flashlight, try to find a large object to hide behind when they approach.

Advice

If you’re playing outdoors at night, don’t go too far into the woods. Beware of getting lost!
Use decoys to fool your stalkers. You can place some pillows under the covers on your bed to pretend you’re sleeping, or create an improvised mannequin by hanging a few pieces of clothing on a coat rack.
In general, “If you can’t see them, they can’t see you” is a good experience. There are exceptions, though, so think carefully when choosing where to hide.
If possible, you should scout the situation first to identify possible hiding places.

Warning

Never hide in dangerous places such as a washing machine, a clothes dryer or the trunk of a car. If something goes wrong, you could be trapped or even injured.

Steps

Hide yourself effectively

Find a place to hide in the house

Hiding outdoors

Advice

Warning

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