How to Open a door When You've Lost the Key   

Losing the key to your door is frustrating and opening that door without it's key can be even more frustrating! It may seem complicated at first but with a few tools which you can craft from simple household items - you can open the locked door. Simple items like a paper clip, safety pin and credit cards can open a range of door locks. So, before you opt to call a locksmith in London, try the following tricks and try to open the door yourself. What's the worst that can happen....

If your doorknob is just an ordinary push-button type, all you have to do is get a paperclip, straighten one end, insert it in the hole and thrust it on the locking apparatus. A thin knife can also be used to open a doorknob which has a small opening on the outside handle.

Keyed locksets however, are much harder to open than push-button types and the "picking" method is the most widely used in opening these kinds of locks. If you do not have a lock picking set on hand - and unless you're burgaling the place - you shouldn't, a small hex key (as in torque wrench) and a paper clip should be a good substitute. But before you get to work, flatten one end of the paper clip with a hammer and fashion it like a pick.

Place the torque wrench on the lower part of the keyhole and the flattened end of the paperclip on the upper part of the keyhole pushing it in as far as it can go. When you cannot push the paperclip anymore it can only mean one thing – it met the first pin of the lock. Thrust up on this pin with the paperclip and apply just enough pressure to clear it out of the way. You should hear a faint click and the torque wrench should turn a bit further when you are successful. Maintain the position of the torque wrench so that the pin won’t drop back and lock again.

Pull the paperclip out and insert it back again, but this time you will work on the next pin. Push up on the pin applying adequate pressure until it moves out of the way and the torque wrench turns. Go over this process with the remaining pins until the lock is opened.

Doorknobs of lever-types are much easier to open. All you need to have is a thin sheet of plastic card that will fit in the gap between the door and the doorjam. A credit card is the most popular item used by many for this trick.

Position the card to where the lock is and slide it through the gap in the door. Lean the outer end of the card going towards the doorknob and push it until you feel it go in. Tilt the card to the opposite direction going away from the doorknob. This action will force the lock to release. Act fast and open the door. Leaning in opposition to the door while doing this task will help in putting more force to open the lock.

When all else fails and you really don't want to call a locksmith, you can use the good old claw hammer to get the whole doorknob assembly out of the door. And when you purchase a new door lock, ensure to have extra keys made and then leave them with a friendly neighbour - if you can find one in London, that is!

Now, you have a broken lock. Well, call Serviceteam. We provide alock fitting service in London.

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