Winter may be great during the holidays, but once the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, the snow and cold quickly turn from cheery and delightful to annoyingly frightful. Between the biting chill, constant snow shoveling, and icy roads, we can all agree that winter is best in small doses.

None the less, winter is here and will be around for weeks to come. So while we’re in the heart of winter, it’s important to be prepared for anything this icy season can throw at you, such as a frozen car door lock. If you’re fortunate enough to have a garage to store your vehicle in overnight, you may not encounter this problem when leaving your home. However, after hours in a parking lot at work, the movies, or the store your car’s lock may still be vulnerable to freezing temperatures. Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks to help get you back in your car and reunited with that blessed seat warmer.

• Do NOT Use Hot Water – Before we dive into what you should do, there’s one thing to avoid: hot water. Just like defrosting your windshield, using hot water to melt the ice on your lock may seem like a good idea, but it’s a solution that has many drawbacks. Namely, while the hot water may do the trick of defrosting your lock, the boiled water can end up damaging your lock once the water cools. If the temperatures are low enough that it will freeze again, you’ll find yourself stuck with the same problem.

• Use an Aerosolized De-Icer – This solution probably works best for those who are at home or near a store, but if you have already stocked up on a can or two of de-icer spray then you can spray the frost away and unlock your car. Simple as that.

• Heat Your Key (Carefully!) – First, don’t try to put your key in the microwave. Just don’t! Second, if you do attempt to heat your key in order to open the lock, remember to handle the warmed metal with your gloved hands to prevent any burns. Try using a match or lighter to warm the metal of your key can help to penetrate the ice of the frozen lock. Handling the keys with a tong can help to keep the warmed metal and the fire away from your fingertips. If you don’t have a lighter or matches on hand and have access to a kettle, you can also try submerging your key into boiling water. Scoop the key out with a set of tongs and then carefully dry it off in order to avoid getting any water into the lock.

• Use Hand Sanitizer – Chances are you’ve gotten in the habit of keeping a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you to clean your hands in a pinch. Now that sanitizer can come to your rescue in another way. The alcohol found inside hand sanitizer has a lower freezing point than water and can melt the ice around your lock in no time. Simply coat the metal end of your key with sanitizer and then gently insert it into the frozen car. Be careful not to force it into the lock order to avoid snapping the key or breaking it inside of the car. Instead wiggle it gently until your key slides in, and then just leave it for about 30 seconds to let the alcohol melt the ice.

Now that you have this helpful information, we hope that you’ll feel a bit more prepared to face the winter. And if you live in the Silver Spring, MD area and have been looking for solutions to your commercial or residential lock concerns, be sure to turn to Sure-Fit Security by calling 301-585-4595 or visiting our website to learn more about our services: http://www.surefitsecurity.com/