How To Unstick A Locked Door Handle

It s extremely aggravating to engage in a constant wrestling match with your door lock not only are you stuck outside in the cold but if you re not careful you could either break the key off inside the lock which can make matters much worse or damage the surrounding parts of the door making the entire lockset loose and unsafe.

How to unstick a locked door handle. If you can hear squeaking this means that the hinges need to be oiled. To do this you ll need access to the inside of the door so hopefully you have another way to get into the house. The door latch is not extended before rotating the knob. Once the door is open try to actuate the door latch with the handle.

The idea here is to remove your door s handle and trying to pull the latch back from within the latch mechanism to get the door open. The handle or knob must be jiggled to unstick the latch. If all of the doors remain locked the issue may be with the remote lock or a damaged lock itself. The culprit could be just a loose part of the lock assembly a sharp burr or ridge on a new key or a bend in an old one.

This usually means the barrel is wedged against the jamb. Once the graphite has distributed through the lock it will begin to clear away the gunk that s been hindering the lock s movement leaving you with a fully functioning hassle free door. Try lifting on the handle as you turn the key. Ensure that the door is unlocked before doing so.

Forcing a key can cause it to break off in the lock so take a deep breath. This is a short video to demonstrate how easy it is to remove a door handle view what s inside and repair the failed latch. Listen to the sound the door makes as you open and close it. A stubborn sticky door lock can definitely be a nuisance.

If the lock still feels a little sticky hit it again with a few more blasts of powdered graphite. It can also help to run a piece of heavy stock paper around the door when it s closed. Start by removing the door handle. If that doesn t work you re going to have to remove the keyset to expose the lock mechanism to free the barrel.

This can be done with a screwdriver flat or phillips to remove all screws of the door handle s plates. Lubricate the hinges with petroleum jelly. If you can t open one door try another door to see if it opens. To figure out how to unstick your door you need to find out what the issue is first.

Simulating opening the door without the latch extending into and retracting out of the strike plate. Disclaimer this video was crea.