It’s important to keep your home secure by locking your doors. Unfortunately, locks that are built to keep intruders out can keep you and your family out of your house as well!
You never have to worry about losing your keys or running home to let a child into the house again with these tips.
Get tricky about where you hide a spare key
The easiest and most affordable way to make sure you can always get into your home is to hide a key outside. Many families do this, but they don’t do it well. If you’re just going to hide your key under a welcome mat or a flower pot next to the door, you might as well just leave the door unlocked. If a burglar is looking for easy access to your home, these are the first places he’ll check.
If you want to hide a key outside without compromising your home and your family, you’re going to have to get tricky. First, it’s not a good idea to hide a key within 15 feet of the front door. That’s about how far a thief will look when trying to get inside.
Your goal is to find a simple place where no one would think to look. Inside the end of a rain gutter, under the edge of your siding, or underneath the corner of the air conditioner are all good places to hide a key.
There are many products you can buy that will hide the key too. Lawn ornaments, false rocks, and birdhouses are all options, but our favorite is this fake sprinkler head.
Electronic door locks
Being smart about where you hide your key is important, but it isn’t foolproof. If you feel uncomfortable hiding a key somewhere outside your home, you might want to consider an electronic door lock instead.
Instead of using a key to unlock the door, you simply enter a code. Many of these door locks are extremely high-tech. Some are equipped with a slot for a key, just in case you only want to use the code in an emergency. Some can even be programmed with a one-time service code so you don’t have to worry about handing out keys to visitors or maintenance technicians.
Bluetooth enabled door locks
If you’re really looking for a convenient way to gain access to your home, a Bluetooth enabled door lock is the answer. Many of these locks are integrated into home automation systems, which means you can control the lock from your smartphone. Unlock the door for guests when you aren’t home, grant access for hours, days, weeks, or months at a time, auto lock the door, and more. The August Smart Lock system can even log who comes and goes from your home throughout the day, allowing you to keep tabs on the repairman, the cleaner, and the children.
Biometric fingerprint door locks
If the idea of a Bluetooth enabled door lock seems like a bit much, but you’re still looking for a high-tech solution, consider a biometric fingerprint door lock.
These amazing door locks actually record and store the fingerprints of multiple family members. Many also include password and key entries, if you don’t want to program the lock for a new fingerprint. You’ll feel a bit like James Bond every time you enter your home!
Think this kind of technology is expensive? Believe it or not, but this type of lock isn’t any more expensive than some of the other options on this list. You can get this one for just a little over $100.
With so many choices, there’s no excuse for getting locked out of your home ever again!
I really like what you said about getting tricky with where you hide a spare key in order to not get locked out. I also like what you said about the importance of electronic door locks, I’ll have to look more into how bad it would be to get locked out with them. I’ve also heard that it’s good to have a a locksmith you know and trust who you can call when you are locked out or in another emergency situation, thanks for the tips!