9 Tips to Avoid Home Lockouts
As a homeowner, lockouts can be frustrating. At best, home lockouts can be inconvenient, and at worst, they can seriously threaten people's lives. There will likely be times when something falls through the cracks as you go about your busy life. However, your house keys should never be one of them. Millions of people lose their keys, have them stolen, or have their locks broken every year. Despite these staggering numbers, you can avoid these. Here are a few tips for preventing the all-too-common problem of home lockouts.
Tips for Avoiding Home Lockouts
Always Check Your Keys
Prevention is easy. Always double-check your keys before leaving. Check your pocket, purse, or wallet for keys. Over time, this will become a habit, and it will be easier to keep track of your keys and never forget them.
Get Duplicate Keys
Getting duplicate keys is a safety plan that helps you to prevent lockouts in the event of a misplaced key. It is advisable to hire the services of a locksmith to make duplicate keys immediately you move into a new house or rent a new apartment.
Always Lock From Outside
As far as avoiding being locked out goes, the best advice would always be to lock a door from the outside. Without keys, you won't be able to lock the door, which is a good reminder that the keys are still inside. Locking doors manually after exiting is a great strategy when it comes to preventing getting locked out. Additionally, homeowners should check their doorknob locks before closing doors behind them; in case keys go missing, they can simply go back inside and retrieve them.
Check Your Keys and Locks for Wear
Lockouts arise from a number of reasons. One of such is wear on the keys or lock from frequent use, which may cause the key to become stuck or break in the lock. To prevent this, check for wear and tear and have the keys or locks replaced if necessary.
Use Key Holders
The design of keys is such that they are easy to be misplaced. Consider attaching a key holder to reduce the risk of losing your keys. Key holders are handy and come in various designs and functionality to help you hold on to your keys and find them easily when misplaced.
Get a Key Buddy
Key buddies are an easy way to prevent home lockouts. A key buddy will exchange spare keys with you and provide them in the event of a lockout. However, ensure that the key buddy is a trusted person.
Maintain Your Locks
Many locks become stiff and eventually jammed because of a lack of care. Many owners simply carry on with their lives as long as they can lock their doors on their way out. However, this is wrong and will result in a lockout soon. Hiring a professional locksmith service is an excellent way to guarantee that faulty locks are replaced by qualified lock and key specialists. When changing defective locks, many locksmiths provide work warranties that homeowners do not obtain when purchasing and installing locks from hardware shops.
Install a Smart Lock
Losing keys can be eliminated with a smart lock that allows digital entry. With keyless entry doorknobs and locks, you can choose a passcode to lock and unlock the doors. You can even use a fingerprint reader to operate some smart locks. You can create passcodes for family members and guests and a master code for overriding the system. As a result, you will not need to carry physical keys to enter your home, and you'll increase the security of your property.
Know Your Local Locksmith before You Ever Need One
Often, homeowners make the mistake of looking for a locksmith in the event of a lockout. As a homeowner, you must look for and establish a relationship with your local locksmith long before you ever need one. An emergency locksmith can arrive at your home anytime in case of a lockout.
Conclusion
No one intentionally plans to be locked out of their homes. However, sometimes despite following the tips above to avoid these situations, they occur regardless. If you need help to gain access to your home after a lockout, Columbus Locksmith Pro provides excellent lockout service to get you back in your home as fast as possible; no matter what time of the day. Call us today for all lock and key-related issues.