TIP: Have a sticky lock? Here’s a very easy way to solve the problem

I hesitate to call this a Tuesday Tip, but the alliteration trips off the tongue doesn’t it? I just don’t know how long I can keep up with these series sort of posts so just bear with me haha!

It isn’t a beauty tip today, but then most of you would be used to my flitting about by now, and this is a very handy life tip I learned, nonetheless, that I felt I just had to pass on.

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Now, how many of you have faced a problem with a sticky door lock? I recently found that I was having a very sticky problem with the lock on my door. My keys would not slip in and out easily, but would catch and stick, so it was a problem to lock and unlock the doors. There were even occasions when I wondered if I might be locked out of my house because I just could not seem to get my keys to slide into the lock properly.

It was frustrating. But thank God for Google and the plethora of information out there! If you’ve ever faced this situation, especially with these sort of pin-tumbler lock systems, then you might find this trick useful – and it’s best of all, free and solved with items available in every home! 😀

My first instinct was to grab a bottle of lubricant or WD-40 and squirt it into the lock. But I didn’t have a bottle, and I was not so keen on using this technique as my keys would then get greasy and dirty my key holder.

It turned out, my instinct (albeit a vain one) was correct, for what I read is that this sticky lock problem is sometimes caused by dust getting into the lock and clogging it up, so the key isn’t able to slide in properly and smoothly. Using lubricant gives you immediate relief, but it can potentially clog up the mechanism even more, as dust will stick more easily to a greasy surface.

Instead, the answer turned out to be something simple – graphite.

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Yes, the lead in our pencils. Apparently, you can buy bottles of powdered graphite at hardware stores, but I figured, why not try using a pencil. After all, a pencil lead is made of graphite, and it was essentially free, since I have pencils lying around.

It’s very easy.

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How to solve a sticky lock problem

• Grab a pencil, and run it along the grooves of your key a few times, making it a little powdery.
• Then, take your key and insert it into the sticky lock. It might stick a little.
• Remove, and reinsert the key until it feels smooth.
• If it doesn’t, run your pencil along the key again and try to get more graphite powder on the key, so it will lubricate the lock.

That’s it!

Have you encountered a similar sticky lock problem? Have you tried this trick?

I’m happy to report that ever since I used this trick, my lock has remained smooth and I haven’t faced any panic attacks from being locked out of the house LOL! 😀 Let me know if this helps you!

Paris B