I'm the lockiest girl in the world

April 5, 2006 8:59 AM

I need to lock my bedroom door

The doorknob to my bedroom has a lock on the inside. You know, the one that you turn and it locks. I have no more coherent way to describe it, but i'm sure you all have a doorknob with one of those switches on one site. The outside of the doorknob just has a hole dead center into it. I have no idea where the key is for this thing. Do I need to replace it entirely or can I just buy a key for it at Lowes or such? I haven't seen one of these type doorknobs since I was a kid and no one around me has any idea either. All of my google searching for keys and locks either lead me to locksmith services or how to replace a deadbolt. Bonus, I can go to Lowes at lunch if these are available.

posted by pieoverdone to home & garden (17 comments total)

You need to replace the doorknob. The kind you have is just a privacy lock for people who are in the room.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:01 AM on April 5, 2006

My doorknob use to have a similar hole. You can use a bobby pin or an other similarly-sized thing that will fit in the hole. Just push in and turn the knob at the same time.
posted by chiababe at 9:02 AM on April 5, 2006

If you stick a long nail in that hole, does it unlock it? Maybe you could get by with that as a key if you don't tell anyone.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:04 AM on April 5, 2006

...which can be opened with a screwdriver from the other side.

This type of lock is usually found on bathroom doors.

You should be able to find an equivalent that takes a key. All it should take to install it is a screwdriver.
posted by plinth at 9:04 AM on April 5, 2006

We always used the key you find on the outside of a sardines can... the one you insert into the can and twist to peel back the can's lid. It works perfect for those kinds of doorknobs.
posted by Witty at 9:05 AM on April 5, 2006

What problem are you trying to solve?

Did you accidentally lock yourself out of your room, or are you trying to come up with a way to keep people from going into your room when you're not around?

If it's the first one, a small flat-head screwdriver inserted into the hole and turned should open it. If it's the second one, you need a new doorknob.
posted by revgeorge at 9:07 AM on April 5, 2006

Get a new doorknob (that locks) at Lowe's or Home Depot. They are not hard to install at all. The salesperson can probably tell you what you need to have to do it - just a screwdriver I think, so you can probably do the whole project for under $15.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:15 AM on April 5, 2006

Ah, it's the second one. Guess I'll be making a trip to Lowe's at lunch.
posted by pieoverdone at 9:15 AM on April 5, 2006

Did you look on top of the molding around the door? That's where my dad always hid the key.

Second the small nail option. You just need something small enough to fit in the little hole and long enough to reach the trigger inside the knob assembly.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:18 AM on April 5, 2006

Yes, you need to replace the knob with one that actually uses a key. The hole-kind can be opened with a screwdriver or ballpoint pen, and I've done it (as a child, no less). I'm guessing that you are an apartment dweller with unscrupulous roommates. If this is the case, go buy a decent brand key-locking knob. It's pretty easy to replace, and I recommend that you save all the hardware from the old knob and the instructions from the new knob, so that when you move out you can keep your nice key knob and remount the old knob. When I was in college, I always added a locking knob to my bedroom door. You know what they say, good fences make good neighboors.
posted by MrZero at 9:19 AM on April 5, 2006

I'm a homeowner with an old doorknob and a squatter exboyfriend I want to keep out of my bedroom. I will check the top of the molding, but if he can get in with a bic pen then it definitely needs replaced.
posted by pieoverdone at 9:23 AM on April 5, 2006

Squatter ex-boyfriend? Perhaps you should change all the locks.
posted by MrZero at 9:32 AM on April 5, 2006

Yeah, he's moving out on the 14th. I already have a locksmith lined up to change everything.
posted by pieoverdone at 9:34 AM on April 5, 2006

Note that a simple lockset on an interior door is only a deterent to nosy people. It really only makes it inconvenient to get into a room, especially if the hinges are on the outside.

If you have any concerns about your safety or the safety of your property, I would work on getting him the hell out of your house. It's better to have a sturdy exterior door between him and you than a flimsy interior door with a shiny new lock.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:39 AM on April 5, 2006

And, just so you're not living in blissful ignorance after installing your brand new keyed door lock, have a peek at bumping! The video workshop is very interesting.
posted by Pressed Rat at 10:41 AM on April 5, 2006

When I was little my brother and I had locks like that on our bedroom doors. It wasn't long before we figured the needle opening trick. My dad eventually switched the door knobs around so that if combat was to be had they could at least intervene swiftly. This ensured, of course, that you had to be constantly carrying around an opening device lest you be locked in by your brother.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:24 AM on April 5, 2006

There should be a thin metal plate about a centimeter or two beyond the the hole on the outside. Take a stiff wire (an unfolded large paperclip) and push against the plate.

If you can't feel the plate, stab around a bit, to the left, right, above, below.

Once you find the right spot, it'll go click and unlock.

Alternatively, take a semi-stiff piece of material - old pre-magnetic strip driver's licenses or other laminated cardboard are idea - stick it between the doorframe and the door and use it to push against the curved portion of the bolt and push the bold inside the lock. Manually un-click the lock on the other side once you have the door open.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 3:05 PM on April 5, 2006