Rubber bands are some of the most common items we see at home, school, and the workplace every day. These reliable small loops can hold together bundles of paper, keep your hair manageable during workouts, and more.
However, those basic solutions are far from the only ones. For more advanced applications, the question of “Why wrap rubber bands around door locks?” becomes relevant.
Let’s explore how you can utilize this item for your door locks and other related topics.
Rubber Bands and Door Locks
Whenever someone asks why wrap rubber bands around door locks, a couple of answers correspond to such inquiry, such as:
Door Silencer
The unexpected bang of a door is surprising at first, but it rapidly becomes bothersome if it keeps happening. Fortunately, it’s usually a relatively straightforward problem to resolve.
Usually, the most apparent cause of a slamming door is an unintentionally heavy-handed household member who uses more force than required to close it. In some cases, the airflow is the possible reason.
When the air moves from within your home to outside, the pressure change might create enough air movement to slam the door inadvertently. You won’t have to purchase a magnetic doorstop if you have some rubber bands.
While it will not completely eliminate the noise coming from a slamming door, it may reduce some decibels. You can try this method by tying a rubber band around one of the handles.
Stretch it around the edge until it reaches the other handle. Once it’s on the other side, carefully tie it until you’re confident that it’s locked in place.
While stretching the rubber band, ensure it’s above and below the door’s latch. If done correctly, it will form a bumper that will cushion the impact whenever the door makes contact with the frame.
This DIY method may not be applicable for all doors, but it’s still worth trying the rubber band as a silencer since it won’t cost you anything.
Disabling the Lock
If you have a door that inadvertently closes itself, it could be convenient or cumbersome. It might be helpful during those times where you forgot to close it.
However, it can be quite vexing whenever you’re unloading the stuff from outside, and you have to go back and forth a few times.
Usually, putting a chair can eliminate the inconvenience, but it will take up some floor space. You can easily trip since your focus is the things you’re carrying.
Using a rubber band around a doorknob will make it easier to use the door when your hands are holding something. Next, loop one or two rubber bands around your door handle. Then, twist and loop it over the adjacent door handle.
Make sure that the rubber band is completely covering the latch so that it is disabled. And there you have it, the door is free from unintended locking.
You will be able to quickly unload things from outside to inside or vice versa with less effort.
Alternatively, use the rubber bands as ropes by looping them on one of the knobs and hooking the other end to a nearby sturdy object. Regarding the question of why wrap rubber bands around door locks, these two functions are the most common answers.
Other Rubber Band Uses
Since we’re on the topic of creative ways of using rubber bands, here are a few other methods you can try.
- Cord-Saver
Charging cords will eventually wear out over time, especially if you’re using them regularly.
Wrapping a rubber band across the cord may help slow the process down. It will safeguard the weak points and prevent further fraying of the wires.
Many have attested that it has significantly prolonged their charging cords’ service life because of the clever use of rubber bands.
- Lid Sealer
When transporting food, the danger of spilling is always there, especially when traveling on rough roads. You may use rubber bands to secure food container lids to minimize such incidents.
If your lid has a knob in the center, thread a rubber band around the knob and across each side to effectively seal its contents.
- Paper Gripper
If you’re working in an office, counting or sorting a large stack of papers is common.
To make this job easier, wrap a few rubber bands around the tips of your fingers. The rubber bands will help you grip the papers easier while protecting your fingers from cuts.
The Danger of Rubber Bands on Door Locks
While there are practical and ingenious ways of using rubber bands on door locks, it might be applicable for nefarious purposes. Let’s explore the story about a person who found rubber bands on her door after an unknown person failed to enter the property.
The Viral Facebook Post
Kim Fleming Cernigliaro, a woman from Texas, posted a story in 2016 that went viral. She shared her experience that worried most people who read her post.
While being on the verge of being the next home invasion victim is traumatizing, it was not the most disturbing part.
Cernigliaro recalled hearing an aggressive knock on the door at home one day. She considered the person who was knocking was in desperate need of help.
However, in her story, she mentioned not being the type of person who would open the door when she is by herself. She assumed that the person grew tired of waiting and went away after the forceful knocks stopped.
After Cernigliaro felt it was safe, she checked the door to see any signs of attempted forced entry. A rubber band is placed on the door lock and stretched across the handle, to her surprise.
Rubber Band as a Bad Sign
Cernigliaro suspected that the rubber band was there to prevent the door from shutting the next time the latch releases. She was afraid at this point, so she phoned her husband and the authorities, who stated that they had previously received reports with similar circumstances.
The police apparently also mentioned that an unknown person’s rubber band placed on door locks is a bad sign. Cernigliario theorized that they don’t have to wait for someone to turn the knob once the door is unlatched because they could immediately bust in.
Doubts About the Story
According to Rich Buhler & Staff from TruthorFiction.com, they find the story unverified.
The post had received approximately 180,000 views and hundreds of comments within a few days. However, they could not find any police warnings or press headlines about uninvited guests utilizing rubber bands to enter residences.
Many questioned if a rubber band wrapped over a door latch would genuinely prevent the door’s lock from latching. Someone who works in a hardware shop claimed that it would work if the rubber band were tight enough.
Fact Check
Snopes has a long history of debunking stories, claims, and other internet-related content. The website has tagged the story of Cernigliario as “Unproven.”
Dan Evon from Snopes is skeptical about the rubber band wrapped around the door lock being related to an attempted home invasion. He thought it wouldn’t have any advantage for an intruder in putting the rubber band on the lock.
Evon viewed the method as inefficient since it requires the person to wait until the homeowner unlocks the door. He also stated that pushing the door forcefully is easier as long as the door is unlocked.
Like the findings of TruthorFiction.com, Snopes didn’t discover any news reports that feature a similar story to Cernigliaro’s. As a final note, Evon assumed that her story is fiction with an intent to “spread a message recommending caution to strangers at our door.”
Rubber Bands Around Door Locks
Rubber bands have so many practical uses besides the methods listed above. With a bit of creativity and patience, this small item can make your day easier at no extra cost.
