How to Pick an Interior Door Lock
If your house has a lot of interior doors that are locked, sooner or later you will definitely lose the key, lock it in the room, or find that your little one is locked and cannot get out. Calling a locksmith every time is inconvenient (and expensive); instead, you can learn to pick your own locks.
If the doorknob in question is a simple button, you’re in luck. In most cases, all you have to do is insert a paperclip into the hole and press down on the latch. If the doorknob has a slot in the outer handle, then a butter knife is suitable for you.
Keyed locks are a little more difficult to open. But it can be done.
Paperclip and tension wrench method
The easiest way is to take a paperclip and tension wrench. If you don’t have a tension wrench handy, a very small hex wrench (or even the opposite end of a paperclip) will do as a last resort. The wrench maintains the tension on the lock while the paper clip breaks open.
WikiHow tells us what to do next:
First, insert the tension key into the bottom of the lock and turn it in the direction of the key rotation to unlock it to apply force to the lock. Maintain this tension throughout the entire process. Then slowly insert the pick into the top of the lock using a gentle up and down motion.
You should hear a series of clicks as the various pins in the lock are lifted. When you have successfully lifted all the pins, the tension wrench will suddenly turn freely and unlock the door.
Credit card method
Some lever-type doorknobs respond well to credit card handling. The trick, however, is to choose the right card. Don’t use your credit or debit card; it may get damaged in the process. Instead, wikiHow recommends choosing a less important and rigid, but somewhat flexible card, such as a grocery store loyalty card or laminated library card.
Then start collecting:
Take the card and insert it into the slot between the door and the jamb. Start right above the doorknob and slide the card down and in. You may need to wiggle it a little, but if you’re lucky, the card will press against the latch assembly and allow you to open the door.
In this case, lean against the door; by putting a little weight on it, it can open up.
“I have no options” methods
If you want to walk the entire MacGyver through a locked door – who doesn’t? – Get a vacuum cleaner, dental floss and a piece of paper. Use this step-by-step guide on Instructables to show this locked door who’s boss.
The author of the guide, Hackzorz, does give us a helpful disclaimer for this method, which is worth noting: “Please don’t use this to infiltrate people’s rooms. You will simply be caught; it takes a few minutes and is very obvious. “
Sometimes, whatever you do, the lock just won’t budge. In this case, it’s time to delete the entire assembly. Insert a butter knife under the collar where the doorknob meets the door, and loosen the collar so you can reach the screws holding the doorknob together. After the screws are removed, the door handle will separate and you can easily slide back the mechanism holding the door closed.
And if all else fails, the hammer will not fix anything. First, give it a good knock on the doorknob itself until it’s nice and dent. (It doesn’t help open the door at all, but it’s nice.)
Then, insert the tip of a hammer under the top of the doorknob collar. Place a hard piece of cardboard where the hammer meets the door to protect the paint. Cover the handle with a thick towel in case metal parts fly, then pull the hammer down hard . Do this a couple of times until the screws holding the doorknob snap into place. This way you can damage the door, so let’s consider this as a last resort.
When you go to a hardware store to buy a new door handle with a lock, be sure to have spare keys ready while you are there.
This story was originally published on 02/05/10 and updated on 07/26/19 to provide more complete and up-to-date information.