If you think candlelight dinners are expensive then think again. A locksmith callout might cost you a fortune if you’re in a dire situation.
Now, locks are supposed to hold off thieves and other mischiefs. But sometimes, regular people also lock themselves up.
At this point, there might be three reasons that you’re here. Either you locked yourself up or someone close is locked or you’re just curious.
No matter what your reason is, it’s important to know how to pick a lock with household items. Because again locksmiths are expensive.
So, let’s jump right into the details-
What’s Your Lock Type?
Before jumping straight to the steps, let’s clear some air. There are different types of locks out there. However, let’s assume that you’re at home and your locks are privacy door locks.
So, most probably your locks have two types of mechanisms. It’s either a twisting one or a pushbutton one. Why does this matter? Well, we have three methods here. And all of these don’t work on all the lock types.
Now, check if there’s a regular hole or a keyhole on the outside doorknob. If you think there’s a keyhole, then go straight to method 3 in here.
If not, then any of our methods will work for you.
Method 1: Leveraging the regular hole
As we said earlier, here your doorknob has a regular hole. Now, you might be thinking about how to leverage that. Well, guess what! That hole is there for emergency situations like yours.
Lock makers know that people might lock themselves up. And in those situations, it’s important to have emergency access. As a result of that thought, we have a hole in the outside knob.
Now, let’s look at the steps-
Step 1: Find something to pick the lock
In this step, you will learn how to pick a lock with a hairpin. Keep three things in mind when you start looking for the picking object.
- It has to be long.
- It has to be small enough to go through that hole.
- It must be sturdy enough to handle some pressure.
Now, we understand that in moments of emergencies it’s super hard to work around our heads. So, here are a few objects that are perfect for this job-
- A hex wrench or a small screwdriver
- A hairpin
- A paper clip (heavy-duty)
While using the paper clip you’ll need to open it up. This way you’ll get a long straight metal.
Apart from these, you have some other options too. But these depend on your accessibility.
If you can access the kitchen, then you might try to grab a bamboo skewer from there. Or if you can access a cotton swab, then you can use that too. Just remember to remove that fluff from one end of the swab. You don’t want cotton to tangle up inside that lock.
Now, if things are really bad and you can’t find anything from our list, then get to the last resort. Look for a pen around you. Use up that ink cartridge. Even if there isn’t a pen around you, don’t fret. Look for a toothpick. You can even use that.
Long story short, you’ll end up finding something.
Step 2: Insert and pick
Now, take up that object you’ve gathered, and start inserting it into the hole slowly. At one point, you might feel some resistance. Give a bit more push and your lock will open. Now, this will happen if your lock has a push-button mechanism.
If it has a twisting mechanism, then you must be more discreet. After inserting the object sweep it carefully in a twisting motion. Keep on doing this till you catch onto something. Once you’re at that stage, apply a bit more pressure and hopefully, the lock will open.
However, twist the object in the other direction before you discard this option.
Method 2: Unscrew the Lock
This is one of the easiest ways of picking a lock. But for this, you’ll need access to regular screwdrivers.
The idea behind this method is simple. Regular privacy doorknobs are held together with two screws. So, if we can unscrew these, we can open up the door.
Most of the times these screws are visible. But your knob screws might be hidden under a collar. So, open that collar with a screwdriver. And then unscrew the knobs.
Method 3: Using two Pins
This is the most effective way. You can unlock even the mortice locks with this method. However, this is also the most complex method here. So, let’s stop wasting time and get to the point-
Step 1: Prepping the tools
Here we have two things to make. First is the lock-pick and next is the fashion wrench. So, let’s get going-
The lock-pick
If you follow these steps carefully, then you’ll have a lock-pick in no time. So, first, take a bobby pin or a hairpin, or a heavy-duty paper clip. Open up one of the ends till it gets straight.
Now bend up the last 1/8th of that end at a 20 degrees angle. You won’t have to be super accurate but try to be close.
However, shake off any plastic from your pick. Use pliers if needed. You can use the same method to unlock the bathroom door twist lock too.
The tension wrench
Take a strong pin (bobby pin or hairpin or paperclip) and bend it at half point. Shape it like an ‘L’.
Step 2: Pick the lock
Let’s get straight to the action here.
At first, insert the wrench into the bottom part of the keyhole. Start rotating it as if you were rotating the original key. Here the goal is to hold up the tension. So, keep on the pressure till the end.
Now slowly wiggle the lock-pick through the upper side of the keyhole. You’ll hear a series of click sounds instantly. And at one point, your tension wrench will rotate all the way just like a key. This will open up your door.
Bottom Line
Now you know how to pick a lock with household items. Just make sure that you’re not using this skill for something illegal.
Also, remember to dispose of the tools safely after using those. Good luck!
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