There are only a few things that are more irritating than getting locked out of your home or your vehicle at 2 AM. It can be extremely frustrating especially since you know that you cannot do anything about it.

People who have the traditional door lock may have a spare lock handy. Some people leave it with a neighbor that they trust while others would place it somewhere outside the house so that they can immediately enter.

It’s 2 AM and You’re Locked Out – What to Do-1

Calling A Locksmith

Calling a Locksmith after attempting a few items below is what usually happens, but keep in mind it’s 2 am, and things are hectic and stressful. Have you tried all of the methods that are mentioned below but you were not able to do anything? It can be hard when you are locked out of the house at a very uncomfortable hour and you may not have the right space to rest while waiting for daylight. At the same time, it is not safe to stay outside your house.

Call the right locksmith that can help you with your problems. A locksmith’s fees may be a bit higher during the wee hours of the morning but it is better to pay for their expert services than possibly ruining your different doors and other parts of your home in the process.

To prevent getting locked out, these are some things you can do:

  • Have a gadget that will allow you to hide your spare key from the prying eyes of your neighbors.
  • Make sure that you will not forget your key code.
  • Always double-check if you have your keys with you and make sure that you will place them in an area where you can always get them when you need them like from inside your bag.

It’s 2 AM and You’re Locked Out – What to Do-2

These are some of the things you can do when you are locked out of your home at 2 AM:

  • Call the people who are living with you – Even if they are asleep, you have better chances of entering your home if they wake up to let you in. It can be very inconvenient for them to ask them to let you in but it can be very uncomfortable for you especially if the weather is sweltering hot or extremely cold.
  • You can ask the owner of the apartment to let you in – Let us say that you are living in an apartment complex and the owner has all of the keys to the various apartments within the property. It can cause the apartment owner to grumble and say some things but you know for sure that you will be able to enter your home effectively.
  • You can search for windows that are unlocked – You can probably fit into some of the windows inside your home effectively. This can be good for you as an unlocked window can be a good entry point. Just remember that you should lock this unlocked window when you leave the house next time or it may attract some thieves to enter your home.
  • If in case you still have the traditional lock and key, you can use your credit card to dislodge the lock from the crack. You need to jiggle your doorknob in the process and some people wreck their credit cards trying to do this method but they usually fail. If you know how to do this though, this will be an easy way to enter your home.

To attempt credit card picking, this is the process that you have to follow:

  1. Place the card where the latch of the door is located.
  2. Try to insert the card in the small space and try to wiggle it.
  3. You can try to push on the card so that the latch will also be pushed away from the door. You may need to put your weight on the door so it will not be too attached to the frame.
  4. If you were able to open your door, this is proof that your current lock is not as strong against thieves and robbers as you initially thought. You may need to contact your locksmith immediately so that you can upgrade your current lock.

There are still other methods that you can do to try entering your home when you get locked out at 2 AM such as the following:

  • Remove your doorknob. The moment you remove your doorknob, you will be able to enter your home easily. The problem with this method is it is not too ideal to do at 2 AM especially if you do not have any tools with you. Some people can remove their doorknob with the use of a paper clip but if you have no idea how this is done, then do not push it. You may end up ruining your doorknob for nothing.
  • Use a wire hanger to try opening your garage door. Let us say that you would like to gain entry with the use of your garage door instead of your front door, using a wire hanger to open your garage door is possible. Just look for thin wire. It can make the whole process easier. You need to double up the wire hanger to make it sturdier. It needs to withstand the pressure that you will use on it to open your garage door. Follow these steps:
    • Direct the wire hanger towards the central part of your garage door so that it will disengage the lock.
    • Be careful not to scratch the soft molding around the door because this is harder to get rid of.
    • Once you can latch on to the release latch, you can yank on it so you will be able to disengage the lock and open your garage door. If you are successful, you can ask a locksmith to double-check your garage door just to see if you did not make any damage with your attempt.