How to Lock a Bathroom Door Without a Lock?
If you’re living in a house with multiple family members/roommates and no bathroom door lock, you should read a few tips on locking a bathroom door without a lock.
The feeling of someone entering your personal space sucks, so it’s probably better to do everything you can so it doesn’t happen to you. Of course, you could change a lock and all that, but sometimes this just isn’t possible, so you need to improvise.
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How to Lock a Bathroom Door Without a Lock?
How to Lock a Bathroom Door Without a Lock? To successfully lock a bathroom door without a lock is to use the tools like a transportable lock, serrated bar, door jammer, two-door wedges, or a home chair. All of these methods will ensure that no one can enter into your bathroom and open the door.
Later I found some tools in the garage and started to improvise. With time, I got better and better and tried various options that really worked. You’re about to read the descriptions of the setups you can use when you want privacy when there isn’t one.
You can lock a bathroom door without a lock very easily following one of these simple setups with:
| How to Lock a Bathroom Door Without a Lock: |
|---|
| 1. Use a Temporary Door Lock |
| 2. Use Serrated Bar |
| 3. By Implementing Fork |
| 4. Use Door Jammer |
| 5. Use Two Door Wedges |
| 6. Block The Bathroom Door By Chair |
Without further ado, just pick one that fits you and enjoy your privacy! If you are interested in How to Install Motion Sensor Light in Your Bathroom, read this article.
1. Use Temporary Door Lock
A transportable lock provides a temporary way to lock the bathroom door. The lock itself is entirely mobile, and you can remove it when you’re coming out of a bathroom.
The lock can be fastened to the door in seconds and work to lock all bathroom doors, depending on the portable lock you use. There are different types of portable door locks that you can use to secure a bathroom door.
The one I suggest is Addalock (click: HERE). It works exceptionally well and is very affordable. You don’t have to assemble anything, simply add it to your current door and take it off when you’re done. It’s on Amazon too.
The Addalock is a marked portable door lock intended for doors without locks. It works by securing the handle of the door in place.
You can also use it at hotels, motels, and while traveling. This adds more security to any door, whether we talk about your bathroom door or any other door in your house.
I have also noticed that newer versions are a bit thicker than the old ones. If you purchase from a store and not from Amazon, see if they have any new stock on hand.
Here are a couple of things you can do before buying the lock:
1) Take a quarter coin and notice if it matches between the door and the frame where the lock is with the bathroom door in the closed-form.
2) If it is a latch where you want to fix the Addalock, then open the door, turn the handle to pull back the latch, and observe that it retreats into the door. Some older locks may not retract all the way into the door, so that little bit that sticks out can grab the hole in the Addalock and make it challenging to release it.
2. Use Serrated Bar
I had one of these and have used it when I needed to secure a property while having the lockset re-keyed. Practically, it is a small 2-piece device that has (1) a serrated bar that slides only one way through the (2) housing that conveniently has a spring-loaded release button.
You can see that this bar has the right angle bent and that it perfectly fits in the strike plate. As I remember it, these were popular with people who traveled and stayed in motels.
Go to Home Depot and get it for $15. And the screw holes can be loaded with putty when it’s not required. Check it: HERE
Related Article: Sistering Floor Joists (Complete Guide)
3. Use Fork
This is not necessarily a quick project, but a lifesaver lock for a ~13 yr old boy whose parents do not allow a bathroom locking door. This is the kind of fork that works really well. You can purchase it for 20 cents anywhere.
I’ll guide you through the exact steps you need to take, so just follow me, and you’ll be fine.
Step 1: Purchase a fork that has prongs that are between an inch and 3/4 and 2 inches in length such as this one.
It is also helpful for the handle to taper like this:
Step 2: Now take the fork and place it in the latch hole. Then take a permanent marker and mark a line down the prongs. This shows the depth of the latch hole.
Step 3: Put the fork in a vise in this manner.
Notice the mark that we made on the prongs and have it in the vise to where you can just see those marks about 1/8 of an inch out.
Step 4: You will now take a hammer, and you will bend the prongs at that point at a 90-degree angle like this:
Step 5: We will now go ahead and cut the handle off about right here.
That’s it.
Here’s the finished product. Basically, have a handle here, and it needs to slide perfectly in the slots. It’s a little snug, and that’s actually not bad. One way is to use a grinder or a file. You can file the edges until it fits perfectly in the slot.
Here’s How it Works:
Step 1: Simply take the prongs of the fork and insert it into the latch hole like this:
Step 2: Now you will shut the door. And insert a handle through the slot on the fork.
That’s it! This locks the bathroom door from the inside perfectly.
4. Use Door Jammer
My girlfriend recently moved into a new apartment with her roommate. She found the deadbolt to be insufficient because her maniac roommate would always enter the bathroom even though the door was locked. We went to the hardware store looking for something to fortify the bathroom door.
We ended up purchasing this product (Check it: HERE), and I was initially unimpressed with its design.
The door Jammer height is adjustable and can be easily used to block the doorknob. So, after you place the snug under the door, you blocked the door and no one can come in. It would be best to replace the pin from the top piece with a sturdy steel bolt and put it at the desired height.
Try to push your way in again, and you’ll notice that it’s a much more robust and easy mod.
Don’t forget to place the stopper’s foot 12 inches from the base. (it is recommended 15 to 18 inches, but ignore that).
The reason for this is because you want to create a 90-degree angle when looking for strength and stability. Also, no tools are required! Simply fix the bar length using the release button, prop under the door nob, and easily modified as needed.
5. Use Two Door Wedges
Get a rubber door wedges and just plug into the bathroom door. Had to do this in college because our rent house had crappy bathroom door locks and I had jerks for roommates.
These are good standard hard rubber-like doorstops (Check it HERE).
Most people have wood floors and to block the doors you can use Door Wedges by putting it under the opening of the door. They work perfectly.
Door wedges are strong and a very good choice because they do not scratch surfaces. They are larger than the normal stops. If you also have a door mat there it’s even easier to keep the door closed when you want it.
The wedges from the link above are strong enough and have no slippage on the bathroom floor, so they hold well. You can say that the only drawback here can be slight damage to the bottom of the door. But it’s definitely worth it!
6. Block the Bathroom Door
The last, and possibly the simplest of these easy tips, is to block the door. The fastest way to block a bathroom door from the inside is by placing a chair under the door handle. You’ve likely seen this maneuver done in the TVB series, but we’ll help you manage it independently.
To block the bathroom door like this, you will need a chair. The chair needs to be the perfect size to fit under the door handle. If the chair is too large, it won’t have the proper leverage, and if the chair is too small, it won’t be able to reach the handle.
Once you’ve found a chair that fits under the handle, lean the chair on its back legs. Then wedge the back of the chair under the door handle against the door. If someone tries to open the door against the chair, the chair’s top will hit the door handle, making the chair sturdy as a barricade. You can also block the door by placing a broom in front of the door.
Unless you’re trying to prevent the Hulk from busting through the door, placing a broom in front of the door frame will likely prevent anyone from getting the door open.
Did you know that you can also use a door security bar to block a door? It works on a similar principle like placing a chair under the door handle. It is placed under the door handle and connects to the floor at an angle.
The angle stops the door from opening inward. Outswing door security bar is another type of door bar. This sort of bar is placed parallel to the room floor and physically pushes up against the door. When your mom or dad attempts to open the door, the door will collide with the bar. However, it won’t be easy to lock and unlock the door with an outswing door security bar.
Final Thoughts
In this article, you could find 6 different ways how you can lock the bathroom door without a lock. I hope we have helped you and that you will be able to solve this problem with ease now. If you are interested in something, feel free to leave a comment below.
