Three Ways To Avoid Locking Yourself Out

Locks are made to help keep your home secure against potential intruders and keep your belongings safe while you aren't home but can quickly turn into a nuisance for you if you forget your keys someplace or even somehow manage to leave them inside. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to greatly reduce the risk that you will experience a home lockout in the future.

Replace Old and Worn Locks

While it's a good idea to replace your locks every time you lose a key, just to be sure that you're the only one with a set of keys to your home, you should also consider replacing older locks or locks that have trouble operating. Older locks are at a much greater risk of physically breaking or failing, even if you do have your key, effectively preventing you from gaining access to your home until you contact a locksmith. On the other hand, locks that you have to struggle to lock or unlock may have experienced excessive wear and use: in some cases, a simple cleaning or lubrication can get them working again, but if not, you should replace the entire lock mechanism to ensure that it won't fail on you in the future.

Spare Keys

Though it may seem obvious, it's always a good idea to have several spare keys made for your locks, especially if you are the forgetful type. Keeping spare keys in your car, your purse, and even hidden in out of the way areas in your yard can help ensure that you always have access to your home if you forget your main spare of keys. However, be sure that you store your keys in a secure place where they won't be easily found by someone accidentally, since leaving a bunch of spare keys lying around in plain sight can make it much easier for someone to gain access to your home.

Eliminate Keys Entirely

In a similar vein to the above point, you may want to consider replacing a traditional keyed lock with an alternative mechanism that uses a keypad a fingerprint scanner, or some other technological method of locking your door. This way, you won't have to remember to bring your keys with you everywhere, and can simply remember a code (or nothing at all, if your lock can scan your fingerprints) in order to enter your home. 

Contact a commercial locksmith for more help.