42
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
Very few if any closets open inward -- which means the hinges will have their pins on the accessible side. Just drive the pins out of the hinges, and the entire door can be pulled out of the frame (...
- 9,790
29
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
I have added notches to the side of the key head in the past. One of the advantages to using this method is that you can find the correct key in the dark.
Start with this:
Take a file to the edge of ...
- 4,338
29
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
I've seen some people close little slips of paper in the doorframe (hinge and/or handle sides) that would fall when the door is opened, and/or stack boxes against the outside of the door in what ...
- 834
21
votes
Accepted
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
Since I have lots of different color permanent markers, but not lots of different colors of nail polish, I use my wife's clear nail polish.
Mark the key up with the sharpie - I usually put a dot on ...
- 326
19
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
In Dr. No James Bond placed a hair across his door closures which would fall off as soon as somebody opened it.
Of course you have to test if the hair will stay stuck for the time you are on leave. ...
- 4,726
19
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
I've often seen people solving this problem by using colored key caps.
But if you are like me and want to avoid extra weight/volume, you can use dot stickers. Stick one on each side for faster lookup....
- 391
16
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
Vintage locks employed two concepts, sometimes individually and sometimes together.
A warded lock has structures within the lock, called warding, which are designed to fit in notches carved into the ...
- 261
15
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
Coloring the keys is a good way to go.
For coloring I would suggest nail polish, which is quite durable. Other spray paint might be tried as well, but nail polish is really accessible and easy to ...
- 6,984
15
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
I should suggest trying a bobbypin or a smaller flathead screwdriver if you'd like to save it. From my experience, these types of locks are very easily opened, even with almost no skill in ...
10
votes
How do I stop my room's lock from being opened with a coin without unscrewing it?
At its simplest, a door hook on the inside of your door will do the job for about $2. at a hardware store. You twist the hook into one side of the door and the loop on the door frame (or vise-versa). ...
- 14.1k
9
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
Stick gum on several spots like light switch, door knob, drawer etc., whereever you think the intruder might touch.
Take a picture of the gum. When you return, if there is a finger print or if the ...
- 191
9
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
You could try to group them together in small clusters based on your daily activity, and even put them in a sequence based on step by step usage. Add a label rather than a color on each key, ...
- 191
8
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
1/4" Professional 36pc Letter & Number Stamp Punch Set
Amazon
- 291
8
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
I use order and memory.
Start by removing any keys you don't need on your keyring. They're just adding to the bulk from the off.
I order my keys by frequency of use and by direction where one way ...
- 2,145
8
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
As you're shutting the door, get it as closed as you can while still reaching your arm in, and set something on the floor (solo/dixie cup, nut, anything that will move easily when pushed by the door) ...
- 474
8
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
The original image of the key is interesting to me. You could just wander into the local locksmith and ask if they have a set of keys that might fit. There's a limited number of variants on these keys ...
- 216
7
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
As many people have seen Death note animation series so I am just taking about that scenario where he comes to know that someone has break his room and tried to come in. In chapter 16 of Death note ...
- 939
7
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
Other suggested methods of removing the hinge pins or picking the locks are good.
You can also try to depress the latch via a thin wire if the door opens out or a thin plastic card if the door opens ...
- 171
6
votes
How to remove laptop security cable without damaging the the laptop
Without a key, the lock is useless (unless you want to pay for a locksmith to make another key), so I will assume damage to the lock will not be an issue. This is what I did, and I did it back to back ...
6
votes
Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera
It's a variation on the existing answers, but perhaps a worthwhile one.
Attach a short piece of string to the top of the door frame, towards the handle side (as opposed to the hinge side). It should ...
- 161
6
votes
How to create lock on notebook?
Get a small padlock. Drill out or punch a hole through the notebook edge that is a bit bigger than the padlock's shank (the curving part, also called the shackle). You then can lock it at will. If you ...
- 225
6
votes
Someone locked their bike to mine - now what?
Can you use a "spare" lock to attach your bike to theirs with a telephone # or other contact information?
With your lock securing both bikes to the bike rack, you have a much better chance to meet ...
- 14.1k
6
votes
How to open car door when lock is frozen?
I hope this is obvious - but you don't mention it in your question: Try all the doors and the boot first. I've usually found that one of the doors will open in this situation. If you have to enter the ...
- 3,137
5
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
Since nobody has mentioned it: Split it up into multiple rings. E.g. you can put your work keys on one ring, your home keys on another, and the car keys on a third, then link all the rings together. ...
- 171
5
votes
Accepted
How to create lock on notebook?
You don't say what you consider expensive, but a quick search shows quite few locking notebooks that fall under $20 and some of them are less than $10.
Product Search: Locking Notebooks under $20
...
- 6,655
5
votes
I lost my closet key, how to open it?
Well, if you don't care about locking it again, I'd find my trusty old Fein multimaster cutter and just cut the lock open. Or if you want the gentle solution use a small hacksaw blade.
- 220
4
votes
How to create lock on notebook?
It depends on how secure it needs to be, if very high security is needed you must keep it in a safe, however this is expensive.
A chest with a padlock is the next option but is still probably out of ...
- 596
4
votes
What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?
I used Washi Tape and used not only colors but patterns. For instance, my mailbox key has a brown polka dot pattern and my apartment key has a light green squiggles. Worked better for me than having ...
- 41
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible