How to Fix a Door Lock

A Couple Shots of Graphite Lubricant is often all that’s Needed to Fix a Door Lock

By Mark J. Donovan

If you’re having a difficult time inserting or turning the key in your door lock you may be able to fix it with an inexpensive tube of graphite lubricant. Simply squirt in a couple of shots of the graphite lubricant and then reinsert the key and turn it a couple of times. Often that is all that is necessary to fix a door lock.

If the locking button on the door lock is the problem, where it won’t turn easily or only partially, then you’ll need to do a bit more work to fix the door lock. To fix a door lock with this type of problem, remove the screws that hold the door knob handle to the door. Then remove the door knob handle itself to expose the internal parts of the door lock and handle. Again, a couple shots of graphite lubricant on the movable internal parts of the door lock are all that are typically necessary to resolve the door lock problem. Make sure to apply graphite lubricant to the door lock column and to the inside pieces of the door knob handle.

Then reattach the door knob handle back onto the door and test it to see if you’ve fixed your door lock. With any luck your door lock problems are history.

One final note - do not use WD40 as a substitute to the graphite lubricant. The WD40 will attract dust to the door lock and in short order you’ll have a sticking door lock again.