It has been one of those days again. On your way home, you caught every red light, your clothes weren’t ready at your dry cleaners, and now—as you finally arrive home and are waiting to sink into your couch—you cannot get your key out of your front door’s lock. While irritating, it usually isn’t that hard to extract a key that is stuck, as long as nothing gets broken in the lock. The culprit might be simply a loose part of the lock assembly, sharp ridge or burr on a new key, or bend in an old key. Forcing your key may cause it to break off inside the lock; therefore, take a breath and give one of the following fixes a try.

Push the Plug

A keyhole plug inside a pin tumbler lock is merely one portion of a bigger locking cylinder. What is visible to you, the plug’s face, is the tiny circle that surrounds the keyway—and the stuck key. Now, if the plug is loose, it may slightly move inside the cylinder and keep the pin tumblers from aligning, making it hard to unlock the door or take out the key. Push the key in as far as it’ll go and then turn it so that the keyway slot is within the precise position it was in as you inserted your key; it’s the right position for the pin tumblers to align inside the cylinder. With the other hand, utilize the tip of your finger to firmly push on the plug’s face close to the key. The light pressure is going to keep the plug from shifting when you softly twist and pull out the key.

Lubricate Your Lock

If you stabilize the cylinder on the lock of your house does not work, it may not be a loose plug that is the cause of the problem. Imperfect copies and new keys are well-known for hanging on tumbler pins. Spray some lubricant such as WD-40, as it’ll make an excellent help as you attempt to retrieve a key that is stuck in a lock, and the majority of cans are available with a little straw nozzle for getting into crevices as snug as a keyhole. Hold its straw directly above the stuck key and aim it inside the hole. Next, wiggle your key to work it out of your lock. As it is out, use a file to smooth any sharp points or barbs on the key teeth to prevent any future sticking, or ask the key manufacturer to file them down for you.

If you are still stuck after attempting the above fixes, rest assured that you’ve given it your best shot—this task truly is one for the pros. You will have to contact a locksmith to either replace the lock altogether or extract the key.

For more information on what to do if your key gets stuck in your deadbolt, contact LocksmithMAN’s commercial locksmith services in Winnipeg.

The post My Key Is Stuck in My Deadbolt, What Should I Do? appeared first on LocksmithMAN.