My Key Broke in My Lock, What Should I do?

There are few things in life as horrifying as a broken key in a lock. You literally go through many stages of freak out. The disbelief, the sinking feeling in your stomach, the panic and helplessness (“Oh my God, I’ll have to break my door down”). It’s perfectly normal. If you’re thinking, my key broke in my lock, don’t panic just yet. But please don’t do anything. Take a breather. Try to remain calm. Whatever you do, DO NOT push the broken piece further in.

Your priority should be to extract the broken key. If you’re dealing with a situation where “my key broke in my lock”, let me walk you through the following steps.

The success of these steps depends on how deeply seated the broken key is. If you’re thinking, ‘my key broke in my lock,’ these six methods we are about to discuss will help get you out of your situation. You’ll have to be patient as some of these methods need to be repeated. So look around you, what do you have on you that could help with the broken key extraction? Let’s get to work.

Do Not Use Your Key

Yes, it’s the right key, but right now, it’s the wrong tool. If you’re dealing with a situation “where my key broke in my lock”, do not try to reinsert the key hoping it would somehow align with the broken piece and open the lock. This is what happens: it pushes the broken piece further in, thereby increasing the difficulty during extraction.

Don’t throw it away either, the locksmith will need both pieces to cut a new key. Just put that piece in your pocket for now.

Do Not Hit the Lock

I get it you’re frustrated, you probably blame the lock for being too tight today, and that’s alright. But avoid hitting the lock. It doesn’t help the situation as it only drives the broken piece further into the lock and makes extraction difficult. If you’re saying, ‘my key broke in my lock,’ don’t panic—violence is never the answer.

These methods we are about to go though will actually HELP you get out of situation. So, pay attention

Step 1: Lubricate the Keyhole

You’ll need to use a lubricant if “my key broke in my lock” and you’re struggling to extract it. Line up the spray nozzle carefully so that it is inside the keyhole before spraying. This step is important as it makes extraction easier. Oil-based lubricants work, but as time goes, they may gum up the internals. And this would cause a problem with the lock. Graphite sprays work too, and they do not have the problem of gumming up the internals. But they stain surfaces easily, so you want to have a paper towel handy.

Step 2: Gather Available Materials

Look in your bag, look around what can you find that could help our extraction process. Here is a list of items you can find around you could use

• Button pin
• Bobby pin
• Safety pin
• Paper clip
• Swiss army knife
• Metal hair clip

Now you’ve done the above, you are ready to try out these methods to extract your key that we discuss in the next blog post.

Need reliable locksmith services? Whether you’re locked out or in need of security solutions, our team is here to help. Reach out to Alcatraz Locksmith for fast, professional service. We’re just a call away!