Take deep breaths and don’t panic
Losing your keys, whether this is your first time or 100th, is stressful and panic inducing. While that’s very understandable, we want you to remember that you’re not alone and that people lose their keys every single day while rushing around completing daily tasks. While sometimes you can find your keys, that isn’t always the case and by acting fast, you can help keep your belongings, family, and home safe.
Retrace your steps
If you haven’t locked and shut the door to your car or house yet, it’s important to take deep breaths and retrace your steps. You never know, your keys may have fallen under the seats in the car or were left somewhere in the house. By taking the time to carefully retrace your steps, you should be able to remember where you last saw them and hopefully find them without too much panic and stress. If it comes that you have retraced your steps but you still can’t find your keys, you can take steps to escalate the search.
Contact your insurance provider
Car and home insurance policies will typically cover locksmiths to come and help you safely get into your car or home if you’re unable to. Whether your keys are lost or stolen, informing your insurance company will allow them to help you and provide you with information on what to do in the circumstances that your keys are gone for good.
File a police report
If you suspect that your keys have in fact been stolen, you will want to contact the police as soon as possible. Your insurance company may request a police report for their records and if any of your personal belongings such as a wallet or purse were also stolen, having a paper trail in case of identity theft is incredibly important.
Change the locks
Whether or not you lost your keys, or they were stolen, the next logical step is to contact a local locksmith to come and replace or rekey your locks as soon as possible. Not only will this give you new keys with which to access your property, but it will also give you the peace of mind knowing that no one else potentially has access anymore.
Keyless entry
If you’ve got keyless entry locks such as smart door locks, you can just change your keypad’s code rather than changing the entire locking system. Since many of these also have keys, getting a new copy made will also work.
Automatic/electronic car locks
If you lose your car keys and they are based on an electronic car fob system, these key locks are a bit more complicated to replace. As each electronic car key/fob is programmed to the individual car, they will need to be replaced and reprogramed by your car dealership to suit your car specifically. As electronic car keys are becoming more common in modern cars, some more advanced professional locksmiths may be able to reprogram a new car key/fob in line with the dealership.
Prevention
Did you know that on average, humans lose up to 9 things a day and can spend over 15 minutes trying to find them? Everything from your house or car keys to your phone and glasses can cause incredible amounts of stress and panic when we cannot find them. As we mentioned above, not panicking goes a long way to helping us calmly search for our keys which may be in the same place we left them but gotten covered by a bit of clutter or mail. So be sure to double-check the area where you normally leave your keys and the areas surrounding.
Hiding in clutter
Research has shown that our brains automatically focus on the cleaner areas when searching for something even if we’ve already determined the item we’re searching for isn’t there. By focusing on the most cluttered areas, you may be surprised to find your keys much quicker.
Smart key finder
If you regularly lose or misplace your keys, it might be a good time to invest in a smart key finder. The technology has advanced so much to the point where you can use a connected app to find not only your keys, but your phone too through the great voice control features available. Some apps even have a share function so that your family or friends can help you search using their phones as well.
Establishing set areas for where to leave your keys such as a basket or key rack out of sight can help you to set up a habit of leaving things in the same place every time. If you’re prone to misplacing things, this will go a long way to helping you establish a routine that’ll save you a lot of stress in the long run. While it may be tempting to have your keys left in the entryway or on a hall table, creating your space in a hall closet or further inside the home somewhere will reduce the likelihood of someone seeing the keys and taking them. Remember, many thieves are after quick grabs and will try to get in and out as quickly as possible.
By keeping your home clean, it will not only help you find things easier, but you’re bound to notice the stress relief and not feel so rushed to gather everything up when you head out of the home. You can also get replacement keys and store them in safe places in case you lock yourself out of your home or car. Don’t be afraid to add some colour or bling to your keys! Not only will this help to brighten up your day, but the colours will help the keys/keychains to stand out.
Be nice to yourself
As we age, our memories can face extreme challenges. We increasingly force ourselves to multi-task as we tackle multiple responsibilities together. Forgetting is completely normal, and everyone forgets things, so be nice to yourself and patient when searching for your keys. Remember, the more frustrated you get, the less likely you are to find what you’re looking for.
Call for a professional when you need help with replacing lost keys
If you’ve exhausted all these steps and need to call your local locksmith, give Ambassador Locksmiths Newcastle a call. We offer 24/7 emergency lockout services and services all Newcastle and Lake Macquarie suburbs with our mobile locksmith. Give us a call on 0407 452 424 or (02) 4942 2202 to request assistance whenever you need us.