Lifehacks Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [locks]

Hacks related to padlocks and other locks, such as those on doors, cars, etc.

Hacks related to padlocks and other locks, such as those on doors, cars, etc.

24 questions
32
votes
12 answers

Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera

I will be on leave so as a precaution I want to see if somebody has entered my room with the door being locked from outside.
temp001
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24
votes
12 answers

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

I have a number of keys on my keyring - screen door, main door, garage door, some random key that I don't know where it goes, etc. When I purchased the house, the previous owner placed different coloured zip ties on each key for identification and…
Adam
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24
votes
12 answers

I lost my closet key, how to open it?

I lost the key to a closet and I need to open it. I don't need for the lock to remain operative after the operation, so I accept "radical" solutions. The key is of this type: I have no experience of, nor tools for lockpicking. Any ideas? Edit: I…
Guillermo Vasconcelos
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20
votes
5 answers

Someone locked their bike to mine - now what?

I park my bike every workday in a relatively busy UK city street where bicycle theft is fairly common. I use a very sturdy lock and always chain it through both wheels and a bike rack. Even so, I lost a bike last year a few blocks away, and a…
l0b0
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18
votes
4 answers

Open a suitcase with a numeric lock when you forgot the key code

I have heard that there are ways to open a numeric locks commonly found in suitcases even when you have forgotten the code. This could be ways to open the lock (without breaking it obviously) and other ways of of solving the situation of the…
skv
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16
votes
8 answers

How can I keep my door locks from freezing during a winter storm?

My house has a detached garage and occasionally the lock gets frozen during a winter storm so that I cannot insert my key to unlock the door. I have plenty of methods to open the lock after it is frozen. I have used graphite powder to free up the…
liebs19
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8
votes
6 answers

How to open a frozen padlock

How can I open a frozen padlock? Spraying WD-40 didn't help and I don't have access to deicer spray at the moment. I'm not sure what else to try.
Mooseman
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6
votes
3 answers

Unlock a suitcase with a possible broken lock

The lock of my suitcase works by having a bar through the holes of two zipper sliders, and having a lock controlling if the bar can be moved away from the sliders. When I unlock the lock, I first rotate the lock to give it the pin number so that…
Tim
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6
votes
4 answers

How to create lock on notebook?

I keep a personal journal, and I would like to lock it. There are several personal journals with locks on the market, but they are too expensive. How can I lock a 5-subject ring notebook?
Rhonda
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5
votes
3 answers

How to remove laptop security cable without damaging the the laptop

A friend of mine has a laptop with a security cable whose keys have been lost and now the laptop is locked at his home. Unfortunately there is no locksmith in his village to unlock the security cable. How can we unlock or remove the cable without…
vladiz
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5
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3 answers

How do I open a door that has a chainlock from the outside?

I have a door that has a chain lock, like this: Sometimes, my roomate locks me out with this thing. How can I be able to open it from the outside?
Kaz Wolfe
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4
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6 answers

How to open a privacy lock doorknob without the key?

I have an interior door with a twist lock. It locks from the inside and on the outside takes this type of key: However, I lost the key, and seem to have locked the door before my last exit. What can I use to access the room without damaging the…
Mooseman
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4
votes
7 answers

How do I remove this lock?

I accidently locked a master lock Street Cuff to our bed's headboard. The funny part is I lost the keys to unlock them. The headboard does not come apart. Any idea to get it off besides using an angle grinder? In YouTube, I could see one guy…
Webster
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3
votes
5 answers

How to open car door when lock is frozen?

I went to another country by train and I left my car in a parking space at the train station. Yesterday I came back at night and my car was frozen. My car has a manual key system where you have to turn it left or right to open it (not auto opening…
YumYumYum
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3
votes
3 answers

How to open a lock if key broke into the lock?

If you are in hurry an the key broke into the lock of a door or closet an key maker is not available, then how to deal with such an emergency situation saving the door?
Anum
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