Lock care and maintenance is an important aspect of being a homeowner that is often neglected. This can create a host of problems as it can increase the risk of a lock failure occurring or the locks otherwise becoming compromised.
Rekey The Locks Whenever You Lose A Key
If you ever find that you have misplaced one of the copies of your house key, you may want to have all of the locks rekeyed. This will prevent individuals that may find or have stolen the key from being unable to use it to access the home. Rekeying your locks can be a much quicker process than you may anticipate as an experienced locksmith may only need a few minutes with each lock to reset it. Although there will still be a need to cut the new keys, this should still be able to be completed fairly quickly onsite.
Use Compressed Air To Clean Out The Keyhole
If you allow the interior of your locks to become extremely dirty, the key may no longer fit it correctly. To avoid finding yourself unable to get into your home due to dirty locks, a can of compressed air should be periodically used to remove any of the dirt and dust that may have accumulated inside the lock. When spraying this air in the lock, alternate the angle to help maximize the amount of dirt that is removed.
Have Your Locks Serviced When Unusual Performance Issues Become Noticeable
Whenever your locks start to behave unusually, they should be professionally serviced as soon as possible. For example, homeowners may notice that their locks get stuck or the key has difficulty turning the lock. While these performance problems may not seem to pose a serious threat to the locks, they can indicate developing problems. Failing to have these issues repaired can leave you vulnerable to the lock eventually experiencing a sudden failure that could leave you unable to enter the home.
Consider Whether You Should Upgrade Your Locks
If your home has old locks on it, there can be strong safety and security incentives to upgrade them. When choosing new locks, you may want to evaluate smart locks as these will often be more difficult for criminals to circumvent. For example, many of these locks will require keys that have transponder chips in them. Without the signal from the chip, the lock will refuse to release, which can help to eliminate the threat posed by individuals picking the locks.
Contact a company, like Arapahoe County Security Center Inc, for more help.