How To Quickly Handle Frosted Locks

Are your car or front door locks frosted over? Find out a few smart tips on how to handle frosted locks on your vehicle or home during the cold season.

Living in a northern state with long, cold and snowy winters is all fun and games – that is, if you are a kid enjoying daily ice-skating, snowmobile adventures and sled rides. If you are a grown-up who needs to drive his car to work every day, run errands and constantly shovel the heavy snow, wintertime is a whole different thing for you. Add a frozen lock problem on your car every now and then and you get the picture. If we can't do much for you concerning the snow shoveling and slipping and falling risks, we can teach you how to rapidly fix a frozen or frosted lock.

We know fewer things are more disturbing and stressful than having to stare at a frozen car lock, unable to get in and drive to work on time, or arriving home late in the evening, tired and hungry, only to discover the lock on the front door has turned into an icicle.

Here are a few of the fastest and most reliable tips on how to fix a frozen lock issue or deal with frozen locks on your home or car, while making your iced doors fully accessible again.

Frozen Lock Solutions For Home Door Locks

  • You can start by trying to effectively remove as much ice as possible from the area around the opening of the lock cylinder. This will give you a chance to create a small space for inserting the key and trying your luck. Use the key itself or an object that will let you chip away the ice without risking any lock or door damage. You might just manage to turn the key in the keyway without having the key break in the lock in front of your eyes.

  • If this doesn't accomplish much for you, try heating up the key instead. Use a lighter, matches or even a blowtorch, if you have one in your garage. If you cannot find matches and the like, you can use your imagination and handyman skills. Pop the hood on your car and put the key on the heated radiator after starting the engine. Wear gloves to prevent burning your hands when picking up your freshly heated key. Insert the key into the frozen lock and watch the stubborn ice quickly melting in front of your eyes.

Tips For De-Icing A Frozen Car Door Locklighter

The good news is that car locks are usually easier to defrost compared to the locks on your home. Assuming you can access the inside of your home, you can use a variety of products that will melt the ice inside the lock and the surrounding area.

You can try the heated key approach, as it is one of the most reliable solutions, to begin with. Matches, lighters, boiled water – anything goes, as long it can get the job done.

You can also use a can of de-icer which you can easily find in any store up north and spay it straight into the lock to melt the ice and frost.

You can also grab a hair dryer – if you have a long extension cord. See if you can use an exterior electrical outlet that reaches the door of your car with the frozen lock on it. Do your best to prevent the wind and draft from dissipating the heat from the blow dryer. This way, you can obtain the maximum amount of melting power and defrost your car locks sooner and more easily.

Take Special Precaution Measures

Remember you may suffer small burns because of improperly handling a heated key, or damage the lock/door or the key itself in the process of having it heated using fire. While these solutions could work on the spot, if you are skilled or handy enough, these options may be too complicated to try on your own.

You could also risk ruining the paint job on your home or car door, igniting a small fire or simply fail at getting the job done. If you think you are capable of handling the matter of frozen or frosted locks on your own, our previous tips could come in handy.

If you wish to be extra careful, especially if there are small children in the area or accompanying you, we strongly advise you to use professional locksmith services. The professionals at 24/7 Locksmiths Near Me are a simple phone call away and they can immediately solve the problem using specialized tools and procedures and restore access to your home or vehicle. Store our number in your phone and get in touch with us as soon as you notice the smallest issue with your locks or keys. You never know when they could lead to a lockout or a broken key situation. We also handle new lock installation services, lock re-key or repair, duplicate key making, mailbox, and safe lock installation, peephole and alarm system fitting, including advanced, high-tech solutions, smart locks, keypad, and electronic locks and everything in between.

Whether you need help with your frozen car or home locks, stuck/frozen window locks and even frosted mailboxes, we can come to your rescue. If you plan on using some DIY methods, make sure you always put safety first and know when it is time to call for experts to come to your rescue.