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Flipping Fixer Upper Homes


7 Common Items That Will Defrost Your Frozen Locks (Or Prevent Them From Freezing)

Winter brings many nuisances. The extreme cold can cause the locks on your home and automobile doors to freeze. You can spend a lot of time out in the cold trying to unlock your doors. If you force frozen locks, they can break and cause you to sit in the freezing temperatures waiting for a locksmith. If you often deal with frozen locks where you live, here are some things that you can use to prevent or locks from freezing or defrost your already frozen locks.

Magnets

Door locks attract magnets. Any magnet that you can stick on your fridge can stick to the locks on your car or home doors. Find magnets that fit over your locks. A flat one that is approximately the same size will work well. When you get out of your car, lock the door and stick the magnet on the lock. When you get back in, just grab the magnet and toss it in your glove box. Keep a magnet over your home door lock all of the time during the cold months. It will shield your locks and give them some warmth.

WD-40

Another way to keep your locks from freezing is by using WD-40. You don't need to use it every day. Just squirt a dab of it on your home and car locks once or twice per week throughout the winter.

Hand Sanitizer

As you probably already know, alcohol has a lower freezing point than water. Most high proof alcohol can go in the freezer without ever freezing. If you are dealing with a frozen lock, squirt some hand sanitizer on your key and then put it in the lock. It might take a minute, but it should defrost the lock and give you the ability to turn it. If it won't turn, try putting hand sanitizer on it a few more times.

Petroleum Jelly

If you have a tub of petroleum jelly, you should be able to unfreeze your lock. If you don't have any hand sanitizer, just stick your key in the tub of jelly, and then put the key in the lock. Don't try to force the lock. You don't want to break the lock mechanisms or the key. Let the key sit for a minute and then turn it slowly.

A Lighter

Of course, one thing that melts ice well is heat. Grab a lighter and use it to heat up your key. Once your key is warm, stick it in the lock. If your lock is extremely frozen, you might have to heat up your key a few times. However, the lighter trick should work every time.

De-Icing Spray

Of course, one great way to de-ice your locks is to use some de-icing spray. You can buy it from just about any store when the weather starts cooling off. Keep a bottle in your house and another bottle in your car. You might want to keep a bottle at work, too, in case you go to leave work and find yourself dealing with frozen locks.

Your Breath

Your warm breath is something that you always have handy, and you can use it to defrost your locks. Just cup your hands around the lock and blow the hot air onto the lock for a minute or so. Try your key and see if it works. If not, blow some more hot air on it for another minute. Keep going until your key works without force.

Don't break your lock by trying to force it with your key. It only takes a couple minutes or less to defrost your locks using any of these methods. If you do break your key accidentally, however, you can click here for more info on getting your key replaced.

About Me

Flipping Fixer Upper Homes

There is a lot of interest in flipping fixer upper homes, thanks in part to the various reality shows involving the subject that you can watch on TV. However, what you see on TV isn't always the reality of this type of work. My name is Mark Chavez and I have worked flipping fixer upper homes for over a decade now. While I love the work, there isn't always as much profit as they show on television and not every flip is successful. I decided to create this website to talk about the pros, cons and truths surrounding this industry. If you have been thinking about buying a home to flip, I hope my website educates you so you have a real idea as to what you can expect.