Residential Lock Maintenance Checklist

Keeping Your Home Locks Functioning Properly

Our home locks are a safety and security measure that we often do not think much about. They are there to help prevent intruders from getting into your home. This makes them an essential part of every home. We typically take them for granted and assume that they will do their job flawlessly. However, this is only true if you properly and regularly maintain your home locks. Most people do not know how to maintain their home locks and that is okay. We are here to help you. Here is a simple lock maintenance checklist for you to follow:

• Clean the Locks: Keeping your locks clean is an easy and important way of preventing damage to your lock. Dirty locks can seize up and wear down more quickly. Regularly clean your strike plate, hinges, latch, deadbolts, and door thresholds. Avoid using harsh cleaners or rough cloths to clean your locks as they can damage them. 

• Lubricate Your Locks: Your locks are a complex system of small metal parts that are always mobbing against one another. This creates a lot of friction which can damage these metal parts. Lubricate all metal moving parts once a year to keep them performing well and protected from the damage caused by friction. You should use silicone-based or oil-based lubricants such as WD-40.

• Align the Stike Plate: Having difficulties getting the door to latch properly? That may be because your strike plate is not properly aligned anymore. The strike plate is a rectangular piece of metal with a hole cut in the middle for the latch to catch onto. The wood of the borehole may wear down over time which causes the plate to become misaligned. Simply take a screwdriver and retighten the screws. You may also have to use a metal file to remove any wood that may be in the way.

• Tighten Door Hinges: Hinge plates tend to become loose over time. All you need is a screwdriver to retighten the screws and that should do it. If you notice the screws coming loose often, you should replace them with new screws that are at least three inches long.