Lockouts are part of locksmiths’ everyday routine. Probably, we’re unlocking a door while you’re reading this blog post. It’s our job, but we perfectly understand that such a situation causes you lots of stress, so we want to give you some tips to minimize the possibility itself. But you may ask “Is it even possible to avoid the possibility of being locked?” We are afraid no one can say ‘yes’ without lying. But there are some useful tricks to reduce the chances of being locked out.
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Always Check If Your Keys Are On You Before Leaving The House
Imagine you’re in a hurry, on your way to your friends. It’s Friday evening and you have plans, there’s no time to check for everything. But to check if the keys are on you before leaving the house is a must. That sounds like annoying and obvious advice, but usually, it is enough to prevent a lockout. Once you make this checking process a habit, you won’t forget them inside. The only thing that matters about this is consistency. No big deal if you forget to check it once in a while, but the more serious your approach is, the quicker you will get the result.
Have A Special Place For Key Storing In Your Home
Sometimes people lose their keys at home. That may sound silly, but such situations happen all the time. You come home after a long and hard day at work. The only thing you can think about is your warm bed. Of course, you will throw the keys somewhere once you enter the house. And no one can judge you for that, because we all do like that. That’s why we recommend you to have a special place where all the keys can be stored safely and in order. You can buy a key cabinet or board where you and your family can hang the key once they open a door and don’t need them until they leave the house next time. This board can be installed whenever you want it, so you can grab the keys quickly and go. But if you’re afraid of intruders, this item can cause you more worries than benefits.
The more secure thing is an interior safe. It is designed to be hard to spot, so only you will know where to search for your keys.
Get A Key Finder
If the key cabinets or special safes aren’t for you, you can try the key finder. It’s a small device perfect for people who forget where they leave the keys. Also known as a key locator, a key finder should be attached to your keys set (or any other thing you keep losing). Now you can use it via your smartphone. Some of them are even designed to produce sound, so you can find it without a special effort. But please take into consideration that this method probably won’t work if you left your key somewhere out of your house.
To Have A Spare Key
A spare key can be the solution that will spare you the stress of getting locked out. It’s a popular suggestion, but people usually give up on it once they try to hide it somewhere. Obviously, you better keep it somewhere it will be unhesitatingly safe. Your bag or jacket isn’t suitable for this purpose because you can wear something different. Here you can check our blog post for our best hiding places outside your house. Choose one of them or create your own and put a spare key there. So next time you get stuck outside, there won’t be any trouble entering the house. If you’re not the person who can leave a key in places like under the rock, you can get an exterior safe. It can be installed within the meter box to protect it out of sight. You can be 100% sure about such a hiding place because exterior safes work just like programmable keypads.
Moreover, by hiding a spare key outside, you should check its condition from time to time. Especially after winter because due to cold weather and high humidity the key can break easily.
Also, some issues can’t be solved even if you have thousands of spare keys. So, to have your reliable to-go locksmith is a great idea because then you’re not scared of any locksmith issue.
Maintain Your Locks
The biggest and most important lock maintenance is careful usage. Even if you’re angry, even if you’re in a hurry, don’t slam your door and don’t rattle the handle. No lock is designed to work properly and for a long time under such pressure. Except for that, you can do a lot of useful things such as lock lubrication and cleaning. You can find detailed information about maintenance you can provide to make your locks serve you as long as possible by reading our blog post on how to maintain locks. However, if you’re not a fan of such maintenance, simply don’t have time for that, the best thing you can do is lock and unlock it carefully and be attentive about how they work. And as soon as you’ve spotted something unusual, call a locksmith.
Get A Technically Advanced Lock
There are locks that don’t need a key you can lose. Today you can even open your door via your smartphone. Such locks have lots of advantages but to choose one may be a hard and long process. So, if you’re sure that you need a lock of this kind, better ask your locksmith which one is the best for you because without appropriate knowledge and understanding you probably will get a low-quality one.
Improvise
If nothing described below didn’t work or you’ve found this text too late, then you need to check our other blog post about what to do if you’re locked out. And remember, no matter what happens, a professional locksmith will be able to solve it effectively and quickly.
