It's late. It's dark. You trudge through the snow to your car and discover the locks are all iced up. Don't panic! There's
a clever way to solve this problem. Just apply a glob of
hand sanitizer to the key and wiggle it gently into the lock.
Why does this work? Hand sanitizer's primary ingredient is alcohol, which melts ice clear away in seconds.
I love this tip, especially since I usually keep a travel-size bottle of Purell in my bag anyway. Another plus: hand sanitizer is much easier to come by in a pinch than specialty de-icing products. After all, even if you aren't carrying any Purell yourself, you can probably borrow some from a friend or passerby, right?
A few more clever de-icing ideas:
Use
a cigarette lighter to heat the tip of the key. It may take a few attempts, but the hot key should gradually melt the ice.
Spray a little WD-40 into the lock. Just remember WD-40 is highly flammable. If it doesn't work, don't try the cigarette lighter method afterwards -- at least not on the same lock!
If your car is parked at home you can also try breaking out the
hair dryer.
A blast of hot air should be all that's needed to get that lock finally de-iced. If you don't have a suitably long extension cord, try pouring some
very hot water over the lock. Hopefully you'll be on your way in no time!
More cool ideas:
Top 10 DIY Car Hacks
All About Locks
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Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
To the 3-4 "HOT/COLD Water Freezerers" to you all just want to braid each others hair or go waxing at the salon or plan a day trip to Target for maxi-pads? Who cares! Bill(ie Jean King) Nye, the Science Goobers. I do know yellow snow is warmer. Yellow Snow rubbed on your ass helps with frost burn and vasoline warmed helps with rug burn. Another tips, is, if you lock your keys in the frozen car a rock helps to penetrate.
ReplyWarm Dog (or Cat) Urine will disolve that tricky ice lock problem.
ReplyI am in Maryland which presently has 46" of snow. Dont have to worry about deiceing locks.....LOL
ReplyTry licking the lock with your tongue
ReplyHAHA! I luv this one!
PhysicsPolice's dissertation is complete BS.
ReplyHere's what works for me every time. Carry a plastic drinking straw with you. Breath deeply in and out a few times through your mouth (to dry moisture from your throat and mouth) then blow through the straw into a lock (door, gas cap, etc.). The lock will thaw enough to move and open.
Therck
If only everyone owned Jaguars and just used the built-in keylock heater whenever the need arises .. Insert key in slot, turn it to the right, hold in that position for 30 secs, and the lock mechanism is defrosted ..
In Omaha during an ice storm my husband came out of 2nd shift to discover his locks were frozen. He just " whipped" it out and peed on the door lock. Walla!!!!
ReplyGloria had it right. Piss on the whole thing.
Its a play on words. Hot water does not freeze faster than cold water. It freezes at a faster rate. I know that might be confusing but is true. Cold is the condition created when heat is removed. Everything is an energy. Heat is an energy. Cold is not ! Therefore, hot water has more energy [heat] to be removed.
ReplyOkay, about the hot/cold water freezing thing. The heat loss rate is proportionate to the temperature differential between the water and the surrounding ambient temperature. So, it is true that hotter water will lose heat faster than cold water because of the greater temperature differential. That is, until the hot water reaches the same temperature as the cold water. Then, both waters will lose heat (and freeze) at the same rate. But, it took longer for the hotter water to reach the temperature of the cold water.
ReplyTherck
@ Jeff Betts...LMAO!
ReplyWhy did we get a long discourse on "does hot water freeze quicker than cold water "? ......The subject is supposed to be about frozen car locks in the winter time. By the way, I liked the one about the guy peeing on his door lock----it is an application of a warm fluid.LOL
ReplyLeave it to guys. :-)
This leads to the next question for discussion: which produces more pee, a big oui oui or a small oui oui?
I would NOT recommend putting WD-40 into any car door keyhole .. Over time, the WD-40 will attract dirt into the lock mechanism. If there are any electronic contacts or microswitches directly associated with the key slot - as there usually are with late-model cars - these will in time get fouled-up with that dirt and gunk as a ressutl, leading to malfunctions of that circuitry.
ReplyInstead, to keep the loch mechanism properly lubricated and from freezing up in winter, apply some powdered graphite to the key and insert a few times in the lock. You can get some in a small tube container at any locksmith shop or key-making place.
"whipped" it out???
ReplySo THAT'S what all that laughing from the ladies next door to ya was about .. :-x)