When was the last time you lost your home keys? This can be quite an inconvenience, with you having to stand outside your home and find ways to get in. A study says that about 20 million keys are lost every year in the United States. That means, there is always someone or the other losing their keys at any given time.
The problem is not with losing the keys. Many people realize they have lost their keys when they reach home. This is because many people become absent-minded as they always follow the same routine. If you do not remember where you have kept your keys, you can-
Find your spare key
This is the easiest solution. If you live in a rented home, your landlord or property manager may have a spare set of keys. If you live in your own home, chances are your wife has hidden a spare key somewhere outside the house. If a spare key isn’t available, here is what you can do.
Try getting in from another door/window
Usually, all your doors and windows should be properly closed. In the event you lose your front door’s rekey locks, you can check all the other windows or doors which you can use to enter your home. In your desperation to enter your home, do not break the window- this could make people think you are a burglar, not to mention the costs you would incur to fix the windows later.
Try to circumvent the lock
You need a lot of patience to manipulate a lock that offers the least resistance. There are many ways this can be done, you can use a credit card, paper clips, or other easily available tools. For this, you need a certain level of skill and the right state of mind. However, not everyone may be able to do this.
Consult a professional locksmith
When everything above does not work, it makes perfect sense to call a professional locksmith who can open the door with the least amount of damage. However, ensure he is licensed to avoid any damages to your locks later on.
Finally, you can now enter your home. To prevent such an incident from occurring again, you need to-
Change the locks
If you have tried to manipulate the lock in your effort to get in, it is time you change the lock itself as there is a chance it can be compromised. This is in case you have installed an older version lock.
Rekey the locks
Another option you have is to rekey the locks. Here, the pins of the lock are changed so the old keys cannot be used again. It is almost like replacing the locks again.
Get new keys made
You could also get new key copies made of the same lock-this is if you are sure no one is going to access your lock again besides you. This can easily be done by a licensed locksmith.
Install keyless locks
Another way to keep your home safe and to not face the I-lost-my-keys scenario, you could install keyless locks which need a password to enter. This is much safer and better where the chances of being locked out are slim.
To be on the safer side, you should also get home insurance that covers all costs in case you are locked out. If you are somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona you could count on the Desert Locksmith who would professionally solve this.