A bedroom door is a gateway between your private and public space. However, it can be an easy target for burglars and theft.
How can you protect your bedroom door from burglars? Some people use doors with complicated locks requiring keys or codes to open. Others prefer cheaper alternatives like a deadbolt lock or a strong wooden bar across the door frame.
1. Install a Digital Keypad Door Lock
Using a digital keypad for your room doors is far more comfortable. This way, you won’t have to worry about losing your key anymore. This lock system requires a numerical code to access your room or property instead of a key. It would give you peace of mind knowing that only you have the passcode to your room.
Digital keypad locks have a different hardware design than other types of locks. It does not have cylinder mechanisms, so it cannot be picked or bumped. (1)
Something to take into account is that crime rates are increasing. So before something terrible might happen, wouldn’t it be wise to invest in a digital keypad door lock?
2. Purchase a Door Security Bar
This method is ideal if you want to secure your bedroom without making any permanent changes or dealing with the installation.
A security bar is an affordable and adjustable device that secures your bedroom door from the inside. Plus, it does not require installation, making it the easiest to ensure your bedroom.
Most security bars are durable. A pivoting ball joint at the end of the bar ensures the foot is constantly in full touch with the floor, which can prevent unauthorized entries into your room.
However, poor-quality products may give you a false sense of security. So be extra careful when purchasing security bars for your room door.
How do security bars work?
Step 1: First, place the padded foot of the security bar on the floor. These devices are adjustable, so it fits in most doors.
Step 2: Put the top of the security bar under the doorknob. And this will hold and add more security to your door.
3. Acquire a Strike Plate for Your Door
These devices might not be your traditional door chain to secure your room door from the inside. But they can be installed quickly and without much hassle.
The strike plate is a small plate that inserts into the door jamb and secures the lock or plunger. This piece guides the latch into the hole in the door jamb without having to spin the doorknob or lever. It keeps the door in place until you turn the doorknob which releases the latch.
It also serves as an anchor point, supporting the door frame by engaging the deadbolt to secure the door. Therefore, a strike plate provides more security to your doors by keeping them in place and holding them when they are unlocked.
4. Install a Keyless Security Door Lock
If you are worried about someone getting inside your room without permission, a keyless security door lock is a simple solution.
These devices’ function is pretty straightforward. After completing the installation, you can lock and open your bedroom door with a single motion. This way, you can secure your bedroom door without using any key.
It is also a great option if you don’t want to use a standard lock on your bedroom door. If burglars get near your room, they cannot pick your door lock easily.
5. Invest in Door Barricade
Door barricades can withstand enormous impact with the floor’s strength. It prevents kick-ins and forced entry too.
A door barricade is usually installed against the door. This is to prevent access from someone who might otherwise be able to access the room by bypassing regular locks.
These devices are quick and easy to install. And it allows you to secure your room from the inside in an emergency.
6. Use Peepholes
If you have a security chain, don’t count on it to protect you.
The issue with security chains is that they have a weakness. If you leave your door unlocked, an intruder can quickly push their shoulder up against it and snap the chain, allowing them to enter your room.
Install a peephole instead. With this, you can view who is at your door without letting them know you are home, protecting the safety of your room.
7. Invest in A GE Personal Security Door Stop Alarm
It may look like a typical doorstop, but it weighs only four ounces and contains a built-in 120-decibel alarm. This door jammer does more than keep burglars or intruders out; it also sounds an alarm, giving you extra time to react. (2)
The GE Personal Security Door Stop Alarm is easy to install: you won’t need any cable or wires, and single 9-volt battery power it. Place the device at the bottom of a door to install it, and the Door Stop Alert’s alarm will ring when the door opens.
This doorstop alarm is tiny enough to carry with you wherever you go. It is also very easy and hassle-free to install, making it the best doorstop alarm.
8. Make a DIY Lock for Your Door
This method is compatible with those who do not want or do not have enough budget to invest in securing bedroom doors.
How to secure your bedroom door with a fork and pliers:
Step 1: Separate the fork’s tines from its handle
Step 2: Bend the fork tine’s points
Step 3: Claw it to the latch after you bend the fork’s tines.
Step 4: Then, close the door.
Step 5: Finally, insert the fork’s handle in the middle of the holes of the bent fork tines. It should be able to hold the door locked.
How to secure your bedroom door using a screwdriver and a shoestring:
Step 1: Loosen the screw of the doors plate using the screwdriver
Step 2: Loop your strings in half and tuck them under the plate
Step 3: Put the screws back in to trap the shoestrings. Do not forget to tighten the screws.
Step 4: Grab the shoestrings and close the door.
Step 5: Tie the shoestring around the handle, and the door will lock.
How to Select the Right Locks for Your Bedroom Doors?
It would seem self-evident that the first thing you should do is lock your doors and use the locks you have. Any lock is preferable to none.
On the other hand, some locks aren’t any better than leaving your door wide open. If you want any protection, you will need the correct type of lock on your door.
However, poor-quality products may give you a false sense of security. So be extra careful when purchasing locks for your room.
Why Aren’t Knob Locks Good Enough?
A burglar only needs to saw off the doorknob, knock it off using a hammer, or twist it off with pliers. Once that is out, they can quickly screw open your door.
A door with a knob lock may be possible to kick open because the latch is so short and does not reach deep enough into the striking plate to hold strong when applied force.
If your door only has a knob lock, you can add a second layer of security by installing a deadbolt lock 6–8 inches above or below your doorknob. In this way, you can increase the security of your door.
Is Your Door Strong Enough?
An interior door is most commonly found in a bedroom or bathroom. These doors are often constructed of a thin veneer with a hollow center intended for privacy rather than security.
You can install the best locks on a hollow-core door, but it won’t help; even a 12-year-old can kick through it in weak areas.
Replace your hollow-core exterior doors with metal-insulated or solid wood doors. These will be far more resistant to burglary.
References:
(1) cylinder mechanisms – https://www.britannica.com/technology/piston-and-cylinder
(2) decibel – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/decibel