4 Easy Things To Try When Locked Out Of A Room

As you reach out and jiggle the handle on your locked bathroom or bedroom door, you might feel the urge to instantly call a professional locksmith for assistance. Although a locksmith can be a valuable ally in this situation, calm, calculated actions may help you out of this bind within just a few moments.

After you exhaust all of your smart attempts to get back inside that room, you can rest easy knowing you did your best, as you call for professional assistance. Here are four tactics to try if you ever find yourself suddenly locked out.

Push for Easy Entry

As you turn the doorknob, or press the button on the handle, and find it locked tight, you might feel overwhelmed with frustration and notice a cloud of panic closing in. Brush those feelings aside and try the handle or knob once more. While turning or pressing the activator, give your door a solid push.

Oftentimes, when you accidentally lock yourself out, you may find that you did not close the door all the way behind you. If the bolt is sitting right at the edge of the strike plate, the door will swing open when you push on it. Although this maneuver seems incredibly simple, when struck with feelings of panic, it's common to experience jumbled though patterns that cause you to overlook the obvious.

Credit Card Trick

If your door is only locked at the knob, you may be able to unlatch the door using a credit card. The credit card trick only works for lock mechanisms featuring a doorknob bolt that is cut at an angle on the end. To perform this trick, you must firmly hold the credit card in one hand and slide it toward the strike plate. The edge of the credit card should gently push the bolt away from the strike plate, causing the door to slowly creak open.

Remove the Door

If you have access to a screwdriver set, you may be able to remove the entire door without unlocking it first. The money you save on hiring a professional, and paying for replacement parts, may be well worth the time and effort required for this maneuver. If not, you can simply throw in the towel and schedule an emergency visit from your locksmith.

For this maneuver to work, your door must have exposed hinges. You will need to carefully hold the door steady while removing each of the screws to avoid damaging the threads, hardware or hinges.

Lubricate the Knob

If the doorknob itself feels stuck in place, you may need to apply lubricant to get the door to open. Choose a lubricant product that comes with a tiny application straw to get the liquid deep inside the internal parts. Do not be shy about the amount of lubricant you spray around the base of the doorknob. If the internals seized together due to metal parts binding together, you may need to alternate spraying a copious amount of lubricant around the doorknob and jiggling the handle to break the parts free.

Seek Assistance After Exhausting All Efforts

Once you exhaust all of the above options, you may need to face the sad reality that you are definitely locked out of that room without any hope at getting back in on your own. Luckily, you can call up locksmiths like Aegis Locksmith to quickly come to your home and open up the door. Your locksmith will usually forcibly remove the doorknob or deadbolt to regain entry. You can choose to request the service on an emergency basis for immediate assistance or elect to wait until a locksmith is scheduled to visit your area to potentially save a bit of money on the instant service fee.