What to Do to Prevent Lockouts

Maybe you’ve been through the experience before: you reach for your keys, only to come up empty. You retrace your steps, looking everywhere you remember being, but your keys are nowhere to be found.

However, it doesn’t have to happen if you take preventative measures to avoid a lockout from manifesting. Even if you already feel like you’re careful about your keys, it pays to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to reduce the risk of locking yourself out. You may think it will never happen to you, but so does everyone else—until it does. All it takes is a few moments of distraction, and nearly everyone is vulnerable to that. By following these tips, you can lower the possibility of a lockout in your future. 

How to Prevent Lockouts 

Establish a Routine That Involves Checking Your Keys

During transitional periods in your day when you’re going from one place to another and locking doors behind you, you are the most vulnerable to forgetting your keys in the wrong place. Establish a habit of checking step by step that you have your keys on your person before you lock your door. These extra few seconds a day may seem like a nuisance at first, but the habit pays off in the long run when you create a routine that prevents you from ever locking yourself out or losing your keys. This is the kind of habit that can last you a lifetime. 

Make Sure You Always Have Spare Keys

You should have a set of spare keys made for every important set of keys you own, including those for your car and home. If you’re really prone to losing keys, multiple spares are not a bad idea. Most keys are easy and inexpensive to duplicate, especially compared to the cost of dealing with an emergency lockout. All spare keys should be kept in a safe location, like with a trusted friend or family member or in your purse, so that you can access them without too much trouble if you’re faced with a lockout.  

One caveat: it’s important to be very careful with spare keys. Don’t let your spare keys fall into the wrong hands, as that is giving unlimited access to whomever picks them up. If your keys get lost or stolen, make sure to have those locks changed right away. Even if the keys are returned to you, unless you’re absolutely sure about the motives of the person who found them, you never know if they made a copy of them to use later. 

Make Your Keys Easy to Remember

If you’re someone who is prone to misplacing their keys, make it more difficult. There are numerous small devices that make it so you can attach your keys to your belt loop or purse. You can also put loud, bright key chains on your keys that make them easy to spot. If you leave your keys behind or drop them on the floor, they’ll bring enough attention to themselves that you won’t ever forget them. 

Communicate with Other Members of Your Family

If there are other adults or teenagers in your family who come and go from your house at different times, and maybe have different sets of keys, make sure to stay in communication with them. If you’ve realized that you’ve forgotten your keys in the house, contact the other members to make sure that they are aware and can help you out. 

Fix or Replace Old Locks

If your locks are older than 15 years and have visible signs of wear, you might consider replacing them before they cause you trouble. This is especially important if your key sticks in the lock or you have difficulty locking or unlocking the door. Not only are old, worn down locks a security issue as they are more vulnerable to being forced open, but they also present the possibility that they could make you locked out if the key breaks off in the lock or the lock becomes so warped that it doesn’t fit the lock anymore. This can happen with normal usage, so any lock is vulnerable over enough time.