After years of wear and tear from locking and unlocking your door, it is possible that your key will break off in your lock. If this unfortunate event happens to you, be sure to do these 5 things.

Assess Your Situation

Take a close look at how much of your key broke off in your lock. Is any part of your key sticking out past the flush surface of your lock? Was your key completely inserted when it broke off? You may not be completely out of luck if the answer to either of these questions is yes.

Try Turning Your Key

Even if the key has broken off in the lock, it is still possible that you can turn the key to unlock your door. Try using the jagged edge of your broken key on your keychain to keep turning the lock. You may be surprised that you can still get the door to unlock even though the key is in two pieces. If the key had a clean break, this may not be possible since the surface is so smooth.

Try To Remove Your Key Using Pliers

Is any part of the key sticking out past the lock's surface? You can use needle nose pliers to try to extract the key from the lock. Rotate the key back to the starting position, and jiggle it slightly as you pull back on the key.

Replace Your Doorknob

If you were able to get into your home before your key broke in half, you can fix the problem quickly by just replacing the doorknob. There is no need to replace the whole locking mechanism yet, especially if your concern is to get your door to lock again for security purposes. Head to your local home improvement store and purchase a new lock set, but just swap out the handle.

Hire A Locksmith

In either situation, you will need to hire a locksmith to repair the problem for you. If you are completely locked out of your home, a locksmith can remove the key and unlock your door for you. If you needed a temporary replacement doorknob, a locksmith can fix the locking cylinder on your old doorknob so that you can retain the same locking hardware that matches your home. If you need a new doorknob and locking cylinder, a locksmith like those at Rahn's Best Lock Service can match the key to the other locks in your home so everything still uses a single key.