Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

So this is a bit of a random question, but does anyone know of a non-destructive device (or thing, not sure the right word to use) to keep a door locked,
1. Without changing the door knob/handle AND
2. Without causing any permanent damage to the wall?

I'm going to be living in a place where the two bedrooms are attached by a bathroom. And while you can lock both doors from in the bathroom, you can't lock the room from the bathroom, so the other room could just come in when you're sleeping or whatnot.
Unfortunately, I can't drill or hammer anything into the door frame or wall or change the knob (and please don't suggest doing it and then doing repairs later; trust me, I cannot do anything to these), so I need something that can help me lock the door from the room (or at least keep it from opening) without causing damage.

Any good ideas?

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Stick a length of wood or metal up under the doorknob and brace it back against the floor in a triangle. Preferably with something fairly heavy wresting at the end that goes into the floor so it won't creep forward if smacked hard.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Put a chair or table or something like that under the door handle? Never tried it myself, but they do it in films...

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Nem and Rich are right; wedging something large and heavy between the floor and doorknob is pretty effective and hard to brute-force. If you have two large heavy objects to spare, like two desks or something, you could put one on either side of the door, and some firm beam or metal or wood between them across the doorway.

Actually, in retrospect...does the door open inward (i.e. towards your room) or d (towards the bathroom)?

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Toward the room. And it would be kind of annoying to have to move a desk each time I need to use the bathroom. :-/
But just something heavy might be the best solution. I had certainly thought of that it just seemed... low tech.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Just a regular door with a regular lock? Why can't you just turn the lock around so that it locks from the bedroom side and keep it locked? Super easy to do, I did it at my girlfriend's apartment because she had the same issue. So you are not really changing the lock, just flipping it around and flip it back around when you leave.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Pay a fat guy to sit by the door, blocking it.

...

Hey, whats with the funny looks?!? :lulz:

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

This is school housing. I think I'd get flak for that. That's why I really can't do any modifications.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

You could lock the other guy's door (I'm assuming he can't lock from his side, either) and keep the restroom for yourself =p

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Is it a dorm or rental housing? If you're having a security issue and the housing is provided by the school, ask the school to make the modification.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Best thing would be that it would actually work...

Just stick a pie sticker on the door and they will never leave.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Bringing it up with whoever owns the property could help, maybe they have a suggestion, allow some modication or do it for you. Turning the doorhandles around could do the trick and shouldn't leave any damage. If all plans fail, wedging a pipe between the handle and the door at an angle, so the handle can't be moved down, should work. Or try wedging something under the door (triangular shaped door stopper).

Followed by blocking the door with a desk or other heave object that can easily be moved sideways (with fixed wheels) but not forwards and backwards.

Edit: Got any pictures of the door? ANd are we indeed talking about a proper door handle or some silly knob (in which case it would be... tricky... to use some pipe or bar to block the doorhandle). Just wonderi since you're speaking of a doorknob, yet didn't rule out the "use some metal pipe" suggestion as brought up my Nem fir instance. =p

Edit: Lol, I just googled and stumbled across this: An 3 lock (phone + 2 manual point sof operation) door lock/unlock system:

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

That's such overkill, but freaking awesome! If I had the time....
You could try one of those rubber door props, and wedge it under the door.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Best suggestion so far i think.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Yep, that is what I was refering to when I mentioned a triangular shaped door stopper. We just call them "deurstopper(s)" (doorstopper[s]). =p

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

:rofl:

Just buy a door wedge.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Oh my bad, didn't mean to steal your idea. :) What language be that, deurstopper?

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Good idea. Even with the little rubber ones, it requires some force to open. I imagine with that beast it would be impossible.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Well in that case you'll be pleased to know that they (quite who 'they' are is unknown) have made some great strides in the field of plasma window technology. By confining plasma within a magnetic field across the doorway, very little shall be able to pass through it - intact, anyway! It'll be like your own personal force field from Star Trek!

The cost may be prohibitively high, your electric bill shall be astronomical, and the problem may be a distant memory by the time you have constructed and installed the necessary equipment, but at least you'll be sure of one thing...

... it's not low-tech, and it could be lethal!

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Lol, Dutch.

Deur = door
stop = stop
stopper = stopper/blocker
wig = wedge (we don't call it Deurwig though)

Doorstopper, door stop, door wedge... all the same. =p

The material the floor is made up from also affects the (in)activity level of these things. If their is no grip the wedge might simply slide all over the floor. :lol:

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

O I C. I was thinking Deutsch, but then realized it wasn't...:Puzzled: I'm attempting to learn it...

I seem to remember something about it being a dorm, they tend to have sort carpet, at least the ones I've seen.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

They actually have doorstops that have a little battery-powered alarm. So if the doorstop recieved pressure, an annoying beep sounds.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Good point. My only experience with them is on carpet.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

The problem with wedges is that they will move backwards until they dig into the carpet at which point you can jimmy the door open by moving the door forwards and backwards slowly. I wouldn't rely on a wedge as a security measure.

I'd go with wedging something under the handle as a stopgap until the owner of the building puts a lock in there for you. As you say, it's low tech but it's still probably the most effective option available. Never ignore effective low tech options just because they are low tech. :)

It's not exactly a unreasonable request to have a lockable door to your room so I can't see any reason why your landlord wouldn't be willing to do the work for you, especially if you offer to pay for it.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vantage (Post 5368812) I'm going to be living in a place where the two bedrooms are attached by a bathroom. And while you can lock both doors from in the bathroom, you can't lock the room from the bathroom, so the other room could just come in when you're sleeping or whatnot. Unfortunately, I can't drill or hammer anything into the door frame or wall or change the knob (and please don't suggest doing it and then doing repairs later; trust me, I cannot do anything to these), so I need something that can help me lock the door from the room (or at least keep it from opening) without causing damage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Menace (Post 5368869) Just a regular door with a regular lock? Why can't you just turn the lock around so that it locks from the bedroom side and keep it locked? Super easy to do. So you are not really changing the lock, just flipping it around and flip it back around when you leave.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vantage (Post 5368874) This is school housing. I think I'd get flak for that.

I was faced with exactly this same problem when I was in college. The locks were even situated in the same manner. My solution to this predicament was to take a screwdriver, and simply turn the knob around so that the lock was on my side. This solved my problem greatly, even after I was discovered and reported. Like most other legal issues, you can argue your way to victory, if you know what you are doing.


By national law, you have the legal right to secure your home, as well as the legal responsibility. Even though the dormitories are technically school property, you are paying your tuition, the same as paying rent in an apartment. As such, your room qualifies as your legal home, and is legally your property. This means that you have the same property rights as you would anywhere else. With this in mind, you do have the legal right and responsibility to secure your dorm room.


By presenting national law to the school board, they finally relented. I won, and was able to retain all of my security modifications for the entire duration of the time in which I was living in that room. You can do the same if you know your way around your nation’s legal systems.

Re: Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

There are wedges that have rubber strips on the bottom to prevent such incidents.

Knowing your way around as in knowing how to make the system work for you or how to cheat it?

Locking a door without changing the door knob?
 

Don’t cheat. That is just dishonest. Furthermore, if you cheat, you will eventually get caught.


Stay honest, and know your legal rights. Make the system work for you. Unless you know what you are doing, do not attempt this alone. Your best option is to seek the advice and assistance of an attorney.