There is a massive wave of emotion attached to receiving the keys to your first home. As a first-home owner, there are a lot of things to learn in the years ahead about how to maintain your property. Home security is one subject that should be at the top of the education list, so start with basic maintenance tips for door locks. Your door locks keep intruders out of your home, but they will not last long if they're not well maintained. Here are two tips to help keep them in tip-top condition.
Clean the Inside of the Lock Every Six Months
Unless you are moving into a brand new home, your door locks have seen a lot of action over the years. Most homeowners don't think to regularly clean door locks, but you can change this right now. The buildup of debris and dirt within a lock make it difficult to turn the key. When forcing a key to turn, you run the risk of breaking the key off in the lock.
Head to your home hardware store and purchase a can of compressed air. Choose a can with a long, thin tube attachment. Attach the tub to the can and place the other end into the lock. Give the lock a 5-second squirt of air to blow out the dust. Next, try the key in the lock to see if it turns smoothly. If it does not, repeat the process a second time. Clean out the door locks for all interior and exterior doors.
Have a Close Look at Each Door
Over time, interior and exterior doors move. While the shift is small in your eyes, the movement can impact the life of door locks. If the catch in the frame is not aligned with the door lock on the door, the two pieces grind against each other. Over time, this damages both components.
You can tell this is a problem in two ways. Firstly, when you turn the key within the lock, you will feel the grinding of the two metals. Secondly, close the door to the point where you can still see the two pieces and note whether they are still perfectly aligned to interlock. If they are not, move the catch plate higher or lower until the alignment is correct again. Moving the catch plate means chiselling out a small piece of the doorframe, so get help from a locksmith if necessary.
Take care of your door locks so they can keep your family and valuables safe from the outside world. If your doors are beyond the maintenance stage, then get a locksmith to replace them so you can start your home ownership journey feeling secure about the effectiveness of your locks.
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