Sometimes you need to lock a lockless door. The easiest solution concerning how to lock a door without a lock is a DIY door lock. If you are curious about how many different DIY door lock methods exist, keep reading.
A DIY door lock is limited by your environment. Consider your options, your door, and these explanations to arrive at the best approach.
Fork
Go 1/4″ above the handle and bend the tines 90° with pliers. Bending all the tines is more secure but risks more markings in the door frame. Sever the handle and set the tines along the strike plate. The fork’s other end should point towards you while its tines catch in the plate.
Averse to unsightly scratch marks? Wrap duct tape or fabric around the head, keeping the tines unblocked. Close the door over the fork and stick the severed handle through its tines.
Barricade
You can either use the back of a chair or just load the door with enough stuff that it cannot move. The former method involves wedging the top of the chair’s back under the door handle; the latter method involves piling many heavy things up against the door; while time-consuming and laborious, this method withstands better than a chair.
Wedge
This approach works if you have a door-stopper or something that can be shaped into a wedge. Wedges guide a door’s path further off the ground than it can manage, making them slightly better than barricades. Because a wedge can force the door into an odd position, the only way to continue is to break the door.
Tying
This method works for doors that open either way. All you need is something sturdy and immovable, a door with handles that turn when either handle moves and something sturdy to affix to the door.
Variety #1
Tie one end to the door handle and the other to either your study object or you can unscrew the strike plate, tie around one of the plate’s screws, then screw the plate back into place.
Variety #2
Tie one end to your object and the other end to the door handle’s tip; when someone tries to open the door, the handle will be kept from fully turning.
Sock
Fold a sock, stick it along the door’s top, and close the door. This is sufficient to jam the door. When you want to unlock, just pull the sock away as you try to open the door.
Coins
Insert coins between the frame and its closed door, ensuring that they still stick out for retrieval; four to 10 coins should do. Undoing this just requires extracting the coins.
From Scratch
If you have access to a 3D printer, the necessary filament, and the relevant files, you can just print locks. Alternatively, you can do wonderful things with cardboard, plastic sheeting, papercraft, and some creativity.
Summary
If you are in a situation where you need some security or privacy but the doors available to you are a joke or compromised, know that you have options. Whether you have a chair, spare change, your shoelaces, a hangar, or even a sock, you can lock your door.
