The Best Door Lever Safety Lock

Buying Guide

Some of the biggest dangers that face your kids are in your own home. In fact, each year, approximately 2,000 children under the age of 14 are killed by accidental injuries suffered at home.

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to make your house safer. Installing smoke alarms and regularly replacing the batteries is a great first step, but gates and guards can go a long way toward reducing other hazards for little ones. You can get outlet covers and plates for your home’s electrical outlets and baby gates to keep younger children from venturing into dangerous areas like stairways.

As curious toddlers grow, though, you can find that the many doors in your home become easier for those little hands to open. Whether you store cleaning chemicals or pots and pans in your lower cabinets, you probably don’t want to give your child access to them. There are plenty of locks on the market that aim to keep cabinets inaccessible to your youngest family members, along with window guards to prevent access to decks and balconies.

Some of the most important areas to safeguard are your home’s doorways. Your entry doors could be easily unlocked by growing youngsters, and it’s impossible to keep an eye on your child every second of the day. Your interior doors can also become a problem, with children locking themselves inside rooms and, perhaps worse, locking you out. A spare key is vital, but you can also invest in a safety device that will limit those locks to only adult family members.

Many safety locks are designed to apply using 3M-brand adhesive that reliably sticks without leaving behind residue. That means when you’re ready to remove the lock, you can simply pull it off without worrying about damage to your doors or walls. It also means that installation is easy, not even requiring you to have tools on hand.

• Door handles in the lever style might look similar, but they don’t feature a universal design. Before you buy a safety lock, check to make sure it’s compatible with the type of handles your doors have.
• Safety locks come in a variety of formats, with some more obvious than others. Keep in mind the surrounding décor and find a lock that will blend. If you have white doors, you might like the many white safety locks available that won’t stand out.
• Kids are very observant of what adults do, so be careful releasing the security lock when they’re around. Many feature hidden buttons that are tough for little fingers to maneuver, but, as your children grow, you might notice they’re more easily able to deactivate the lock.
• Some safety locks have a decoy button that makes younger children think they know how to open the door. This can be a way to make your little one think the lock is something only grown-ups can deactivate.
• Plastic is the most popular design of these safety locks. Look for one made of high-quality ABS plastic to ensure you’ll get a lock that will stand the test of time.
• If your door has a rougher surface, you might have a tough time getting the adhesive to stick. Some safety locks are designed to work with both smooth and rough surfaces.
• You might want to remove the safety lock sometimes, such as when your children are away from home for weeks. Some locks make deactivation a matter of simply pressing a lever that will leave it disabled until you’re ready to use it again.
• For extra protection on your main entry doors, a deadbolt installed out of reach of your oldest child will likely be necessary, especially if the door leads to an area with a swimming pool.