One of the most common things we do here at Accurate Safe & Lock is to let people back in to their homes after being locked out. While being locked out of your home is not the worst thing in the world, it is a major inconvenience! Whether you left your keys on the kitchen counter or in a jacket pocket, you happened to forget to grab them on your way out the door— or even that you just lost them entirely, our Seattle security specialists are here to walk you through what to do if you find yourself in one of these dilemmas.

1. Retrace your steps

The first step is to take a deep breath because losing your keys is stressful! Next, retrace your steps to recall if you happened to leave them somewhere, perhaps while in a rush. Call any recent businesses that you visited to see if they found any keys left behind. This will save you time so you don’t have to physically travel to each spot. If retracing your steps doesn’t end with you finding your keys, then move on to the next few steps.

2. Inform your neighbors

Although this may seem strange, telling your close neighbors that you lost or misplaced your keys can be very helpful. You may be without keys for a few days, so a neighborhood watch can give you a little piece of mind. Great neighbors can make sure that no one mysterious is trying to come into your home, and will keep an extra eye out for you. If you don’t know your neighbors well, though, it might be best to skip this step.

3. Change your locks

This is where things can get expensive. You need to have your locks changed in case someone does find your keys and tries to use them to get into your home. People usually keep all of their keys on one keychain, which means that your house keys are probably not the only ones you lost. You may need to rekey your car, and replace keys to any other building you have access to.

Yes, losing your keys is an inconvenience, and can be very stressful, but being prepared and knowing what to do if and when it happens is very important. If you have any questions, or want to learn more about what to do in this scenario, please don’t hesitate to give our Seattle security specialists a call today!

Sources: http://www.homesecurityadvice.com/tips/lost-keys.html

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We don’t really think about them too much, but keys are a part of our daily lives. Not only physical keys, but also the idea of needing a secure way to unlock something that is important to us. We need keys to access things like our home and cars, but even with possessions like our phone and laptops. You need a password, a key in a sense, to get into your devices. The concept of the key has definitely evolved over time, but where did it initially get its start? Our Seattle locksmiths offer you a little trip through the history of keys.

6,000 Years Ago: Keys were first seen at the same time locks appeared, which was in ancient Babylon and Egypt. The small wooden devices used small pins, and a wooden toothbrush-shaped key would be used to lift those small pins and unlock the bolt. Unfortunately wood was not the best material, considering that it was not only bulky and heavy, but also easily broken.

700 BC: The next major evolution of the key came in Ancient Rome, where inventors were able to make major leaps and bounds upon the design of the wooden lock. Wood as a material was thrown to the wayside, replaced with iron and bronze, which allowed for stronger and smaller locks, as well as lighter keys.

Aside from materials, another drastic change was the shape of the key. It went from a flat structure with pins on the end to what we would call a skeleton key today., a cylindrical shaft with a rectangular bit at the end. This design continued to be used for 17 centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire.

1800’s: Linus Yale introduced modern flat keys in the 1800s, using a more sophisticated way of regulating the pins, which allowed the design of the key to change drastically. The flat keys were easy to manufacture, and with the invention of key cutting, they could be duplicated quickly.

Today: We continue to use flat keys today, although the process and mechanisms have become sleeker and provide greater security. Keys with magnetic signatures have also come into play, but are mostly used in hotels and office buildings. As mentioned before, passwords and thumbprint recognition can also be seen as evolutions of the key.

Keys have changed drastically over time, but the one thing that remains the same is their purpose. They are used to keep what we deem important safe, and that will never change. Here at Accurate Safe and Lock, our Seattle locksmiths are just continuing to keep that history alive and well.

Source: http://www.historyofkeys.com/keys-history/history-of-keys/
Photo Credit: http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com/search/label/antiques

Here at Accurate Safe and Lock, we really focus on keeping your entire home safe. This includes those important family keepsakes, fine jewelry, and security documents. Although the perimeter of your home is secure with door and window locks, this does not necessarily mean that these small valuables are safe left out in the open. If you truly cherish these items, it is vital that you purchase a safe for you home. There are so many different sizes and kinds that our Queen Anne locksmiths offer these tips on what you need to know before buying:

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Most areas tend to see a significant spike in crime from the months of November through January because of the holiday season. Thieves are in and out of a home in less than 6 minutes, anything you can do to slow them down or prevent them from getting in completely, can make all the difference.

Here are 7 tips from our Seattle locksmith professionals to help prevent a break-in:

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The New Year is here, which means resolutions are being penned as we speak. It’s the time of year to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly in order to make changes and improve for the coming year. Most New Year resolutions revolve around 4 categories:

• Self improvement & education
• Health
• Money
• Relationships

Here at Accurate Safe & Lock our Seattle locksmith experts believe one of the best resolutions you can make for this year is to work on making your home as secure and safe as possible. So which category does this fall under? All of them.
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