Things To Know About Caring For Your Home's Locks

Without working locks, your ability to effectively secure your house would be eliminated. While locks are likely on every exterior door, homeowners can be prone to taking them for granted. Learning more about the basics of residential locks will make it possible to care for this vital part of your home.

How Can You Prevent The Exterior Portion Of The Lock From Becoming Tarnished?

Due to the exposure that the locks will experience, they can be at risk of becoming tarnished. This can ruin their appearance. Considering that the doorknob and locks will be among the first parts of the house that your guests see, this can be rather embarrassing. Furthermore, it can also lead to mechanical and structural issues due to the tarnished metal being prone to rust. Regularly cleaning the exterior portion of the locks and doorknob will help to avoid this potential problem. In the event that you notice minor tarnishing developing, you can use a tarnish remover. If some sections of the tarnish are very difficult to clean, leaving the tarnish remover on these spots for several minutes before wiping it away may prove to be more effective.

What Should You Do If Debris Gets In The Keyhole?

Dirt and other materials getting in the keyhole can render your lock unusable from the outside. Luckily, these substances can be easily removed with a can of compressed air. By repeatedly blowing the compressed air into the keyhole, you will be able to loosen and remove these materials. When doing this, protect your eyes as the materials coming from the keyhole may be traveling at a high velocity.

Is It Possible To Tell Whether Someone Has Tampered With Your Home's Locks?

Homeowners will often have an intense concern about the risk of someone tampering with their home's locks. While it can be very difficult to tell whether someone has attempted to pick your locks, there may be some warning signs. In particular, unexplained scratches around the lock can indicate that an attempt at picking the lock was made. Additional dents in the door or the lock may be a sign of someone attempting to bump the door open.

Are Digital Locks Reliable?

Modern technology has made it possible for homes to utilize digital locking systems. These locks can use a variety of mechanisms for releasing the locking mechanism. Many digital locks will utilize numerical combinations or passwords and others may require fingerprint scans. In addition to being highly reliable, these locks may also be more secure than traditional locks as they will be more difficult to pick or circumvent using traditional means.

Contact a locksmith service for more help.


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