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How to Unlock and When to Unlock

Author
Kevin Wong
Published
15 June 2025
Reading
1 min
Filed under
Practice

First of all, never try to force open your locked door by kicking it open, or inserting a screwdriver or other object into the door lock, because this will worsen the situation and greatly increase the difficulty of unlocking.

In a most serious case, it may cost thousands of dollars to replace a whole new door or pair of doors. Also, you may injure yourself and need costly medical treatment. 

Generally speaking, if the door lock isn’t damaged, a professional locksmith will use lockpicking tools to unlock a door within 10 to 20 minutes.

If the door lock is damaged or the key is broken and stuck in the lock core, a locksmith will need to try different methods to remove the broken key first, such as using wire, lubricant, pliers, etc. 

The lock can only be unlocked after the key is extracted. In such cases, it may take more than half an hour.

Written by
Kevin Wong
Locksmith at Ketch Locksmiths Singapore. Writes from the field on doors, locks, and the trade.
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