Keeping your home safe and secure this winter

D BURGESS • November 28, 2022

Ensuring that your house is protected during the darker months

Keeping your home safe and secure is always important, but never more so than in the winter. More hours of darkness means there are more opportunities for break-ins and burglaries. It’s also easier for intruders to tell when homeowners are out, as it’s more noticeable when the lights are on or off.

As the days get shorter and colder, there are some key things you should take into consideration in order to keep your home protected.

Check your windows

All of your windows, especially those at ground level, should be lockable with a key from the inside. Most home insurance companies require all your ground-floor windows to be lockable, but beyond that, it can provide peace of mind that your windows are secure. If your windows aren’t currently lockable it’s a good idea to get some durable and good-quality locks fitted sooner rather than later.

Check your exterior door lock

Your main exterior door is often the door which is targeted by intruders. If the lock isn’t secure enough it can leave your home vulnerable. Installing a double lock or upgrading your current lock is a great way of adding to your home’s security.

Exterior lighting

Exterior lighting provides a good deterrent to potential burglars as they can easily be seen as they approach and leave the house. Obviously, leaving exterior lights on all night isn’t ideal, especially when energy costs are rising. Having your exterior lights come on with a motion sensor means you can save energy and also be immediately alerted to the fact someone is approaching your home.

UPVC doors and windows

UPVC doors and windows are brilliant and very common throughout the home, but they undergo a lot of wear and tear over years of use. This wear and tear can lead to breakages and mechanism failures if left unnoticed. Getting your uPVC windows and doors repaired means you can inexpensively make sure they’re good quality without having to replace entire windows or doors.

Check your outbuildings

Garages and sheds are often afterthoughts when it comes to home security, but ironically they are often where some of the most expensive equipment in your home is kept. Garden tools, lawnmowers, barbeques and even cars can be accessed in your outbuildings if your security isn’t up to scratch.

Get a spare key

Locking yourself out is too easily done! When it’s cold and dark and you find yourself locked out, the last thing you want is to be stuck waiting outside. Getting a spare key to give to a trustworthy neighbour will bring peace of mind and help keep your home accessible in an emergency situation.

Close the curtains

As it gets darker earlier, it gets easier for onlookers on the street to have a good look through the windows without being seen. Keeping your curtains closed when it gets dark is a simple way of making your home less tempting to potential thieves and harder to judge whether it’s empty.

For more help in keeping your home safe and secure this winter, get in touch with us today. Whether you’re just looking for more information or to get your locks updated for added protection, we’ll be happy to help you improve the security of your home.

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My Front Door Won't Open, What Should I Do?

By D BURGESS • June 19, 2026

Finding that your front door won’t open can throw your whole day into chaos. You might be rushing to get to work, collect your children or attend an important appointment. Or perhaps you want to get home and sit down after a long afternoon. Whatever the situation, when you can’t open your front door, you need to solve the problem quickly. The good news is that these front door problems are usually quite simple to fix. Just try these easy ways to open a stuck door, and you should be able to get your day back on track. And if that doesn’t work, call DB Locksmiths on 07772 962 247 for 24-hour emergency locksmith services in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas. Why won’t my front door open? If your key broke in the lock , for example, you’re facing quite a clear problem. And there are a few steps you can take to prevent your key from breaking in a lock again. But one of the most frustrating things about a front door that won’t open is that it’s often hard to understand why the problem happened in the first place. This can happen for a few reasons, such as: Internal wear on the latch can keep it from moving back fully when you move the handle Broken springs inside the handle can leave the latch stuck in place A dropped door might cause the latch to catch on the frame rather than release Hot weather can cause your front food to expand, putting pressure on the lock Dirt or corrosion can stop the handle or lock mechanism from operating smoothly A damaged gearbox could prevent a multi-point lock from disengaging properly Finding out why your front door won’t open doesn’t solve the problem, of course. But understanding the cause can make it much easier to carry out our quick fixes. What not to do when your front door won’t open When your front door won’t open, it’s tempting to use force - especially if you’re locked out of your house at night . But this can make the problem much, much worse. So before we look at how to fix a front door that won’t open, be aware that you: Must not kick or shoulder the door, as this can damage the frame, hinges and lock Must not force the key if it feels stuck, as this could make your key break in the lock Must not use a screwdriver, knife or other tool to force the mechanism, as it could break Must not pull aggressively on the handle, which could cause it to come off in your hand A professional local locksmith can repair most front door problems quickly and affordably without replacing your door handle or the locking mechanism. But if you cause unnecessary damage, it’s just going to cost you more money - and it won’t get you into your house safely! Quick fixes for a front door that won’t open It’s most likely that your front door won’t open because of alignment, wear or a partially engaged locking mechanism. Try these quick fixes in order to get your front door open again: Push or pull the door gently as you move the handle, as this can free a latch that’s catching on the frame Move the handle up and down (or left and right) several times to return a stuck latch to its normal position Lift the door slightly by the handle as you try to open it, which can correct a door that’s dropped and catching on the frame For a uPVC door, lift the handle fully before trying to open it again, as some locking points might be holding it shut If your door key won’t turn in the lock , try a spare one in case your first is worn or damage Remove and reinsert your key to engage the locking mechanism properly before trying to open it again Apply a small amount of graphite or silicone lubricant to a stiff lock to reduce friction between moving parts In most cases, these simple solutions will free up your handle, latch or lock, helping you get back inside. Hopefully, this was just a one-off problem. But if it happens again, it’s a good idea to call a trusted local locksmith to fix the underlying problem. Otherwise, your front door could stop working completely at the worst possible time! What to do if your front door still won’t open If you’ve tried these basic checks and quick fixes but your front door still won’t open, it’s time to call a locksmith. Professional locksmiths can easily spot what causes a stuck front door. And we usually solve the problem with a few simple repairs rather than full replacement. At DB Locksmiths, we provide 24-hour emergency locksmith services across Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas. So no matter why your front door won’t open or when the issue strikes, you can always rely on us for a fast, affordable fix. Call us today on 07772 962 247 to get your front door working properly again.