How You Can Open A Locked Interior Door When You Lose The Key
If a lot of the interior doors in your home have locks on them, you are going to lose the key at some point or lock them in the room. This can be a major problem and you need to know what you can do to get back into the room.
When some people lock a key inside a room, they look at everything they can about doorknob assembly and lock picking. This is due to the fact that locksmiths can be expensive to hire and may not always be able to come out when you need them. This is why you need to know what your other options are when it comes to getting the door open.
If you have a simple push-button doorknob, getting it open will only require a paperclip. Most of the time, you simply have to place the paperclip into the hole then hit the locking mechanism. If you have a doorknob with a slit on the outer handle, a butter knife will also do the trick.
Keyed locks are going to be a bit harder to get open. The best and easiest approach will be to get a tension wrench and a paperclip. If you do not have a tension wrench, you should look for a very small hex key. The diameter of the key should be around the same as the paperclip. You should then take a hammer and flatten one end of the paperclip as much as you can. This will create a makeshift lock-picking tool that you can then use on the door.
You should then insert the flattened section of the paperclip above the tension wrench. Push it until you hit some resistance as this is generally the lock’s first pin. Push up on the pin with the paperclip to try and get it out of the way. When this works, the tension wrench will start to turn a little further. You should hold the tension wrench in the same position and apply pressure to the pin does not drop back.
You then have to take the paperclip out and push it back in. The next bit of resistance will be the next pin which will also need to be pushed on. When it moves, the tension wrench should also turn. You will need to repeat this process until all of the pins have been done and the lock opens.
If you have a lever-type doorknob, you can often use a credit card to get them open. To do this, you should simply slide the card into the crack in the door where the lock it. The card should then be tilted so the side close to you is almost touching the doorknob.
You should then push the card until you feel it slide in more and then bend it in the opposite way. This will force the lock to go back into the handle and you have to quickly open the door. It is recommended that you lean on the door while you are doing this because this can help the lock pop open.
If you are feeling in a MacGyver mood, you should get your vacuum, some dental floss and a piece of paper. Instructables has a step by step guide that you can use to help you unlock the door with these materials.
Of course, there are times when the lock will not move. At these times, you should look at removing the entire assembly. You can do this by sliding a butter knife into the area where the door meets the knob and pop the collar. This should reveal the screws which should then be removed causing the doorknob to come apart. You should then be able to easily slide the mechanism hold the door closed.
If everything else fails, you should get your hammer. You should hit the doorknob a few times until it is dented. You should then insert the claw end of the hammer under the collar of the doorknob. You should try protecting the paint on the door with cardboard and over the knob with a towel. You should then pull the hammer down hard and repeat until the screws snap.
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