Lost your keys (and not only)? Here is what you should do!

Let's be honest, we all have lost an important item someday in our life.

Studies have shown that home or car keys are at the top of the list among the items lost every day, moreover, according to research, on a yearly basis, over 20 million keys are lost in the United States alone. Have you ever been in a situation when you needed to pay for something, but couldn't find your wallet, or found yourself standing in front of your home or car door trying to remember where you have last been? 

Oh, wait. What do you do, when you go out of your home, close your door and realize, that you forgot your keys at home. That's the real panic!

Let's imagine, that you lost your keys. What should you do? What is next? Here are some tips and tricks on what to do if you weren't able to escape this.

Don't panic.

When we appear in a frustrating situation, especially the ones mentioned above, we start panicking. Just STOP. Panicking is the enemy in most cases. Well, it's a natural expression of our brain to frustration and uncertainty. There were so many times when we haven't noticed something laying directly in front of our eyes just because we were in a panic. Panic will not help us to concentrate search.

Just keep calm, take a deep breath and try to look for your keys, if you think they are somewhere near, or try to remember where you might have forgotten them.

Ask a professional to help

Calling for help is the best thing you can do – be it family, neighbours, or locksmiths. Being alone in a crisis only makes things worse, so we recommend calling trusted neighbours and family.

You may try to find a solution on your own, but it will not guarantee success. To get a speedy and foolproof solution, call an expert to help you. In different countries, different official bodies are responsible for helping people in this kind of problems (911 in the USA; emergency or rescue services in some other countries).

How much does it cost to get a lock changed?

Hiring a locksmith to change a door’s locks can costly varying between 30 and 300 bucks, depending on the lock type and the time of service. Some locksmiths will charge extra on the weekends and holidays. In most cases, the average cost is around $150.

Prevent it from happening again

After this hassle, sit down, take a deep breath. You need to think about one of the most important things – how to avoid being locked out of your house or car again. Or how to ensure that you never lose your house keys again. Consider one or more protective measures described below to prevent it.

1. Hide Spare Keys

The first step you should take to avoid being locked out of your house is placing a spare key strategically. We recommend having two duplicate keys of your original house keys:

• Give one spare key to a trusted neighbour or family member who stays nearby.
• Hide one spare key outside your house in a secure location where nobody else could find it.

Keeping a couple of spare keys, each in a different location will ensure that if you ever lose your house keys, you have reliable backup to get inside.

2. Go Smart & Keyless

Why not take the cause of the problem out of the equation? What about switching to keyless locks?

You could consider installing an electronic lock system on your house door for eliminating a physical key. Alternatively, you can opt for an automated lock that can be remotely unlocked using an app on your smartphone.

Installing electronic or automated locks can seem expensive at first glance, but the long-run benefits you will derive far outweigh the initial investment cost. Convenience and safety are of utmost importance, especially when it comes to your home!

3. Change the Lock

It is not wise to continue to keep the same lock after losing its key. To prevent any uninvited guest from gaining access to your home, we recommend you to change the locks on your house door.

Changing locks can cost you about a hundred dollars on average, but it will be worth it. If you do not want to change the locks, you can opt for rekeying them. Rekeying a lock rearranges the pins in the lock cylinder, rendering the lost key useless.

4. Get a Smart Key Finder

In this technologically advanced era, most problems found their solutions with the help of technologies. Tracking and finding things is not an exception. You can consider buying some tracking devices, usually called “Smart finder", “Smart tracker", “Key finder" or “Item finder".

Simply get a Key finder and attach it to your keys and connect it to your phone via Bluetooth. With the help of smart trackers, you can track and find your keys directly from your phone, what is more important, you will be notified each time you get separated from your keys.