Essential Tips from a Seasoned Locksmith

If you haven’t yet been locked out of your home, car, or office, there will come a time when you will be. Locksmiths are your best friends in such times. However, you need to treat with caution when hiring a locksmith, since there are scam-artists abound. Here are some handy tips from a seasoned locksmith to make your home, car, and office a lot safer.

Locksmith tips for your home

• Always change the locks when you buy a new house: This is common wisdom, and yet, it needs to be included here. When you enter a new house always try to have two sets of keys as this will keep you secure during an emergency.
• Do not trust the locks installed by contractors: According to most locksmiths, contractors do a lousy job of installing deadbolts. Unless a deadbolt is properly installed, it won’t provide you much security. Always consult a professional locksmith for the job.
• Secure your door better if you have windows near it: If you have a window close to or on your door, make sure you get a double cylinder lock for the door. Double cylinder locks require a key on the inside to open them. Thumb-turn dead bolts won’t do much good here, since the window can be easily broken, and the lock turned easily.
• Never leave your key in the vicinity of the door: Under the mat, in the pot, or in the mailbox are obvious places to hide a key. Think a little creatively when keeping a key for your partner.

Locksmith tips for your car

• It is important to keep your car lock clean: Car locks are probably the most ignored of all places in a car when it comes to cleaning. However, with time, and moisture, they can rust and collect a lot of debris, leading to key jamming. In order to clean the lock, wrap a small piece of cloth on the tip of a screwdriver, and insert it in the lock. Once inside, move it in circular motions. Repeat the procedure a couple of times, and lastly with a clean cloth. This will get rid of the debris. Once the debris is out, lubricate the lock with a silicon spray solution. Use spray straws for easier access to the interior of your car locks.
• Never mention you are at a strip club: If you have been locked out of your car at a strip club, skip the last part when calling a locksmith. The moment you mention an activity as futile as visiting a strip club, the locksmith doubles its fee. Of course, if you are too drunk, you are going to say it anyway.

Locksmith tips for your office

• Safeguard against your cleaning staff: You don’t want your cleaning staff to have access to every nook and corner of your office space. Make sure you don’t give them keys to the most sensitive areas of your work space.
• Lubricate your key for jamming troubles: Often, office keys can get stuck in a lock, refusing to turn. In such cases, locksmiths advise to spray the key with a silicon solution in order to lubricate it. Silicon solution is any day much cheaper than service charges of a locksmith.

Bonus tip
If you have a housekeeper that comes in every two days or so, you could have locks on the doorknob, and a dead bolt. You could give her the key to the doorknob, while keeping the key to the deadbolt yourself. Thus, she has access to your place only when you are around. 

Hope the above mentioned guide help you to choose the best locksmith. Do you want to know more? Let’s have a look more useful information.