How To Lock A Door Without A Lock

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the door lock was broken or busted, but you still needed to keep your home safe? You may have seen some posts about making an emergency door lock from various materials, but what if there are no materials around? Well, it’s time for these quick and easy DIY door locks. The DIY door lock mechanism would help you quickly lock a door without a key.

So, how can you lock a door without a lock? Luckily, you can do this in several ways, and this blog post will go over all the hacks and ideas in more detail, so you know how best to protect yourself from being locked out of your home.

Ways to lock a door that doesn’t have a lock:

1. Lock a Door Through a Wedge

This is a standard method you probably have used at some point. The Wedge method is simple yet effective. If you don’t know what we are up to, check out these options to lock a door using a wedge:

• You can use a wedge-shaped stopper.
• You can make one for yourself at home.

Both these options are effective, but we recommend the first option to go with as it is more effective. However, you can make a door wedge by folding cardboard in a wedge shape.

Hows it works:

Keep your door shut and closed, but the wedge underneath the door, and you are good to go. You can apply this method to both interior and exterior doors.

If you don’t want to break your sweat or don’t like to use a homemade wedge, we have got you covered. We recommend you to use a rubber door stopper to lock a door as it stays in its place and will not slide like others.

You can also use a thick sock instead of cardboard to make a wedge. Take a thick sock and put it under the door. In most cases, the socks lock the door; it is not a permanent solution.

Similarly, the wedge itself is not a fool-proof way to keep the door locked. So please don’t use it as a permanent method. It is not an adequate replacement for an absolute lock. Use it for the time being and when you don’t have time to get a new lock for your door.

2. Lock a Door With a Fork

You might find it hard to believe, but a simple fork can be used for much more than dinner. You could use one in your home as an ordinary doorstop to keep intruders out of the house. So, how can you create a lock using a fork?

1. First, you need to change the fork as we use it on the dinner table.
2. Bend the fork a bit (up to 0.4 inches) from the end using an ordinary plier. If you cannot bend it using a plier, use the vise and a hammer.
3. Then cut the fork’s handle.

Your DIY two-part fork lock is ready to serve you. So now you can use it to the door lock, and here are steps for it:

1. First, open the door and hook the fork into the strike plate lock through a gap/hole. The doorknob of a strike plate lock makes it easy for you to modify the frame. 
2. Then it would help if you shut the door.
3. Now, put the fork’s handle in between the teeth.
4. Check if the door should be locked.

We recommend using the fork with a flat handle, not the rounded one, to get the desired results.

Again, this method is different from the actual door lock. It will prevent the door from opening, but anyone can open the door with some force, push or kick it.

3. Lock A Door With A Socks

It’s essential to lock a door in a sticky state. But it hits so hard when the door lock is not working. Still, you don’t need to worry because you can use many alternatives. You can quickly close any door without a lock through socks. 

You might not have heard about this method before, but we will make you familiar with this method. So, how to lock a door with socks? Let’s have a look at it. 

1. First and foremost, get winter socks. It is recommended to use thick socks. Take one sock from the pair. 
2. Fold it and try your best to fold it like a wedge. 
3. After folding it, pick up the water hose and place it close to the door. Try to be careful. If your finger pinches, it hurts the most. Put the socks at the top of the lock when it opens and closes.
4. Finally, pull both the door and socks simultaneously and unlock the door.

4. Two-Bolt Sliding Door Locks

You probably have heard of this method before, but it’s a great way to prevent intruders from entering your home. You don’t need fancy tools or know-how – find something heavy that you can brace against the door frame like a chair.

This is how it works:

First, put the chair’s back beneath the door’s handle.

This will ensure that all bolts remain in place, and the chair will prevent the handle from going down. The best part is you can use it from both the inside and outside.

We recommend using an office chair with an adjustable height to get the desired result. This is because you can adjust the chair’s height per the lock’s height. However, you can use home chairs if the height matches the lock’s height.

If it doesn’t, you will have to raise the chair by placing raisers or other solid objects under the chair.

However, this method’s limitation is that it only applies to the door lock with levers. It does not apply to locks with a knob.

Moreover, you can be creative and lock the door that has a doorknob using a chair. Here is how you do it.

The method will work only for doors that open up inside. Similarly, use a solid chair and rubber wedge when applying this trick. Place the chair and rubber wedge under the knob and keep it in place tightly. Position the chair so that only two back legs touch the ground.

Remember that it will not endure forceful pushes; hence, it is a temporary solution.

5. Use a Belt to Lock a Door

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “a locked door is better than an unlocked window.” This saying is trustworthy and applicable to your home’s security. Suppose you have an exterior door equipped with either a hook (like most bathroom doors) or a door closer. You can use a belt to lock the door.

This is how you do it using a belt:

Just stretch the belt between the hook and the door’s handle to keep your door shut and safe. This way, when someone tries to push down or pull up, they get an unexpected result. However, this method technique will not work without some sort of bar in between the handle and hook. And if there is no hook. So ensure to check the same.

Can you use the same belt for an auto door closer?

Some doors have an automatic door closer, especially in commercial places. If you want to lock those doors without a lock, you can do that with a belt. Tighten the bolt on the hinge to keep the door locked. This will keep both the door’s arms sealed and can withstand light pushes.

6. Portable Door Lock For Additional Security

No matter where you go, Portable Locks are the perfect solution for securing your home and belongings. They can provide an easy way of locking doors without installing a whole new set.

And you can also use them as extra protection to prevent unforeseen events while you are away from home. When you use the portable door lock as an additional security measure, no one can open the door even if they have a key.

However, portable door locks can only be used from the inside. They are perfect for adding an extra layer of security around the door. French doors are an ideal example of inward-opening doors. They provide natural light and good ventilation.

Furthermore, using portable door locks takes a few seconds, and the installation is mess-free. No screws, drilling, simple to install, and effortless to use. But reliable security for your door.

Moreover, you can use it on doors with a lock if you want additional security. And these are also suitable for doors that don’t have a built-in locking system, such as bathroom or bedroom doors.

Besides, you can also use a standard door jammer instead of a portable door lock. It will form a portable barricade to shut the door without a wave. 

Here is how to use a jammer in place of the portable door lock. Place one part of the jammer under the door and keep the other part flat on the floor. Remember that this method only works on solid surfaces, not slippery floors or tiles.
Nevertheless, it is a reliable method that you can use for inward opening doors with or without a lock.

7. Install a Door Barricade

Door Barricades are a great way to ensure your family’s safety and home security. The door barricade is an effective means by which you can reinforce that one entrance into any room or even an entire house in some cases.

What is a door barricade?

The working mechanism is simple; the door barricade utilises the strength and power of the ground. Hence it can endure strong pushes than the others.

WHY ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?

• These are the most robust solutions and offer reliable protection.
• The working mechanism is simple and easy to operate.
• Safe to use for residential and commercial places.
• Besides, you can also use them for double doors and inward opening doors.

8. Tie The Handles

Door Barricades are a great way to ensure your family’s safety and home security. The door barricade is an effective means by which you can reinforce that one entrance into any room or even an entire house in some cases.

How to Tie the Handles for Double Doors

Tying the handles for double doors is straightforward and more uncomplicated than tying a single entry. This is because it is easier to keep the two handles together than a single door, and this hack is more effective for double doors.

As mentioned above, the safety and effectiveness depend on your ability to tie a proper, sturdy knot and the rope’s strength. So, ensure the same.

Follow these steps to tie the handle of double doors:

• The first thing to note is that you have to leave at least 12 inches (30 cm) of rope dangling.
• Now, loop the remaining rope around the door’s handles. Follow the figure eight method. Ensure that the rope gets stretched as you loop.
• Now, tie the two rope-ends together and using a tight knot.

How to Tie the Handle of a Single Door

As mentioned before, tying single-door handles requires more creativity than linking the double-door handles. In this method, you will have to connect your door holds to anything robust and elevated. You can use things like:

• A stair railing
• A pillar/column
• A ceiling beam

Ensure that any of these remain elevated from the handle. This is because it will only stop the handle from being pulled or pushed down and prevent the door from opening.

To tie a single door handle, you need to follow these steps:

1. Tie one end of the rope to the handle. We recommend using a sturdy double knot.
2. Now, tie the other end of the rope around the object, such as the stair railing, pillar, column, or any other object that you are using.
3. Now, keep the rope straight, pull it down and wrap it tightly under the door’s handle. Ensure that your rope remains in place under the handle and cannot be pushed or pulled down.
4. Next, wrap the rope back up to the heavy object you are using and tie it with a double knot. Lastly, ensure that the rope is stretched under the door’s handle.

Lock a door Without A Lock FAQs