In this blog entry, the professional Chicago lock installation team here at Chicago Locksmiths will detail the important things to know about portable door locks and child safety locks.
Child Safety Locks
Every year, there’s millions of emergency room visits for nonfatal injuries for children under 14, with falls being one of the leading causes of injury. It’s essential to have proper child-proof locks on cabinets with heavy or dangerous objects, or locked gates on stairwells in order to help safeguard against falls. Child safety locks prevent babies, toddlers, and small children from accessing harmful items in areas like cabinets, drawers, or appliances like fridges and washing machines.
Child safety locks should be easy for an adult to use – as if they are difficult, they will likely keep it unlocked, which defeats the purpose. There are two main types of child safety locks:
- External Child Safety Locks– These locks are applied onto a cabinet handle, and latch on an adjacent handle. They don’t work on U shaped drawers or appliances, which are better served with external adhesive-attached child safety locks.
- Internal Child Safety Locks– These aren’t visible externally, and don’t detract from the aesthetics of a cabinet or appliance. They are applied with adhesive, or screwed on to the interior of a cabinet, and are unlocked by pressing a button or lever, or with a magnetic key. However, it’s important to note that magnetic keys can be lost or potentially swallowed by a child, presenting a choking hazard.
Button or lever locks can also be potentially opened by small children who figure out the mechanism, or who can accidentally punch their fingers in the opening while trying to open it.
Portable Door Locks
Portable door locks are fantastic for dorm rooms, vacation homes, hotels, motels, AirBNBs, or any temporary dwelling. They are ideal for when you’re staying in any property where multiple people including owners, cleaners, or prior guests might have the combination to the lock or a copy of the door key. Portable door locks can prevent unwanted people from entering even if they have the key to the property. They can be carried in a backpack, pocket, or purse. Portable door locks are very easy to install, and can be applied and removed in seconds – and are very affordable. You can even opt to buy a door stop alarm which slides beneath the door, making it difficult to be opened, and activating a loud high–decibel alarm sound when the door is forced open – which can be controlled with a switch.
Ask the professional team here at Chicago Locksmith for more information about child safety lock installation or portable door locks.
