Most homes have privacy door locks on interior doors, which are easily opened should you get locked out. Simply insert the provided tool or a similar object into the small hole in the center of the knob, and the lock is opened. However, some people have a regular key lock, and that can be a bit trickier to deal with if it gets locked with you on the wrong side of the door. There are a few methods you can try or opt to do if you really want to avoid calling a locksmith, but you may find that to be the best option in the end.
With a paper clip and a tension wrench or small hex key, you may be able to pick the lock. It is a tedious job if you don’t have any experience with doing it, but it can be done. Another trick that can work well if you have a lever-type doorknob is sliding a credit card into the crack in the door. If the hinges are on the outside (rarely the case, by the way), you can remove them to open the door enough to squeeze in and disengage the lock. You can also dismantle the doorknob by popping the collar off and then removing the screws.
If these fail, from here you are on to more drastic approaches. You can take a hammer to the doorknob until it falls apart. You’ll need a new doorknob, of course, but you’ll have gained satisfaction at what has caused you so much trouble. You might replace it with a privacy doorknob to avoid this happening again or at least get plenty of keys made for the new one. Another drastic measure is kicking in the door, keeping in mind you’ll need to do some carpentry work and your damage to the door and/or doorframe could cost more than it would have for a locksmith.
In nearly all these cases, it will take you much longer than if you just call a locksmith. Don’t worry about feeling embarrassed because a locksmith has seen this sort of thing hundreds of times before. If it has been a while since you’ve had your front door lock rekeyed, take care of this at the same time to save yourself money.
