Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Avondale Locksmith Stars: What To Do With Old Keys

old keysOver the course of your lifetime, it is very likely that you will go through a good number of keys. You’ll have different house keys, business keys, storage keys, gym keys and so one and so forth. So what you are supposed to do when you end up with a handful of old keys that you no longer need? If someone who is dangerous gets their hands on them, are they able to do anything with them? Are you concerned about recycling and don’t want yet another item to end up in the trash? Avondale Locksmith Stars works in the Avondale, Arizona area and they have put together some ideas as to what one could do with old keys, instead of throwing them away. Have a look because who knows, maybe at some point you will find yourself with a bunch of extra keys sitting around that you don’t know what to do with. 

  1. Get crafty. Sometimes, the urge seems to hit us all. Whether it’s wanting to decorate ornaments for the holidays, create a photo album, or even build something, sometimes we just get the urge to do something crafty. You could easily look up projects that involve keys on an app such as Pinterest, or you could even check out a site such as Etsy to get ideas. Keys could be glued onto boxes to make a unique looking jewelry box. Keys could be glued to the top of photo frames to make a different design. And of course, keys are also popular now in terms of jewelry. You could put a key on a chain and have a necklace which perhaps means something to you. Maybe you have the key from your first house with your partner. Or maybe you held onto the key to the house you grew up in. Instead of throwing it in the trash, do something unique such as making a piece of jewelry, or using it in a project.  
  2. Start a key collection. Over the years, if you have been acquiring keys, you could store them away in a shoe box and then one day remember the meaning of each one of them. Perhaps you moved around a lot, and saved the keys to your different houses. Or perhaps you are just a sentimental person and each key from different parts of your life means something to you. A collection of keys, perhaps in a glass box, would be a unique way to remember special moments in your life.  
  3. Recycle you keys. You can take advantage of the mixed metals bin to do this. Keys can actually be melted down and then the material can be re-used. The best thing that you can do if you plan on recycling them and throwing them in a mixed metal bin is to get off stickers and take off rubber edging. This will help the recycling center out and they will be able to melt the keys down. If you have any questions, you can certainly call your local recycling location and they should be able to help you out.  
  4. Transform your old keys into hooks. You can do this by bending the keys with pliers and a wrench. To make them more pliable you can heat them up over a gas burner. After you do this, you can attach the keys to a piece of wood. You have hangers! 
  5. Transform your keys into magnets. You can glue a magnet to the back of your key and then have a keepsake that you can continue to bring with you from one house to the next. This is a clever idea and a good way to keep your keys. 
  6. Similar to recycling your old keys, you can donate them to charity. Keys for Kindness is one such organization that accepts key donations. This is an organization that helps to raise money using the metal from recycled keys. 
  7. You can use old keys as weights. Okay, so a key doesn’t actually have that much weight, so it can’t be used to hold down anything substantial, but you could put keys on curtains, for instance, to prevent them from blowing when it is a breezy day. You could also use them as paperweights.  
  8. Similar to paperweights and curtain weights, you could use old keys to hold balloons down. Hosting a birthday party? If you run out of string to tie balloons to banisters or seats, be sure to grab an old key to hold the balloon down. This is a clever idea and will also look unique. You could try this at a birthday party or even at a wedding in which there are balloons! 

These are just some things you can do with keys that no longer are needed to open locks. When it comes to old objects that are no longer necessary, but you don’t want to completely get rid of them, you can repurpose them in a creative way. Avondale Locksmith Stars has a team of experts who love working with locks and keys. They help customers with all sorts of security solutions, from the installation of new locks and the rekeying of old locks to the installation of safes and the installation of deadbolts. But sometimes, they enjoy getting creative and coming up with new ways to repurpose old items. So if you have keys that are no longer usable to you, consider getting creative with them. You can use some of these ideas so that you can hold onto old house keys, which might hold a lot of memories for you.  

Hopefully you found this information to be a bit inspirational. If you have old keys, think of new ways to use them. Whether you want to keep them for jewelry or even to hold down your curtains, there are plenty of reasons as to why you should hold on to old keys.  

Source: http://www.avondalelocksmith.net/news/what-to-do-with-old-keys.html

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Tips to Hire a Good Locksmith

Now what do you do? You need to hire a locksmith and you want real value for your hard earned money. What shop do you call? Whom do you hire? Are all locksmiths pretty much the same? It can be a real dilemma, especially if you’ve had a not so good experience with a locksmith previously or if you’ve never hired one before. Relax! Evans Pro Locksmith can take all the stress out of this somewhat challenging job. We’ll show you what to look for in a good locksmith and why sticking to our pointers will bolster the chances of you getting a remarkable lock technician every time you need one. Of course, you don’t have to live here in Evans, GA to take our advice; use our tips to get a great locksmith in your neighborhood too!

The old ways

“Back in the day” is often used for outdated, old fashioned methods. This goes for locksmith hiring, as well. There was a time when you simply reached for those several pound yellow page books and looked for whose ad resonated with you. Did you see a smiling face on a seemingly helpful technician? Was there a first time user coupon that attracted your attention? Maybe a larger, colored ad attracted you and surely that shop was better than the single line listing with no photos or exclamation marks in the ad! Advertising is powerful and it used to work and still does. But pretty ads can be deceiving; is the best looking ad indicative of a skilled and experienced locksmith? Not by a longshot!

What we use now

Yellow page phone books have gone the way of the phone booth (and the dodo bird); extinct, or almost! Nowadays, we use smart phones to find our service vendors. You can still use your mobile device to browse through dozens of pages of locksmith ads to find one that you like but most are simply listings. It’s almost a flashback from the past; do you go with the best sounding name or closest proximity to your location? Naturally, it’s up to you whom you call and ultimately hire but here are a few things to consider before you do that.

Integrity

Before you simply call a locksmith shop out of the blue and hire them, be prepared to ask a few questions. You can do this without wasting their time or yours; just be polite and get to the point. One thing you need to check is integrity. You’ll want to work with locksmiths that are licensed, bonded and insured. An unlicensed technician might tell you that you are paying extra for these credentials and you just might. A good locksmith shop will offer affordable prices AND certified status. Would you even think of going to a doctor that didn’t get his medical degree or license? Of course not! Would you buy a home from a builder with no business license or contractor’s certifications? No way! Do the same for your possible locksmith. A technician that took the time and trouble to become certified and is covered by insurance and a bond is someone serious enough to do a good job for you. Don’t be afraid to ask if the locksmith shop in question has all licenses and insurance policies in place. Reputable shops will be glad to prove to you their certifications and if they shy away from the subject or any of your other questions, avoid them like plague and call on the next one!

Pricing

The adage “you get what you pay for” is not wrong. There’s a difference between making a wise buying choice and simply going cheap. Always choose the lowest cost will get you poor results, if any. On the other hand you don’t need to overpay so look for affordable rates with good results. You can find these by asking questions and getting free price quotes from different locksmiths.

Reviews

While it’s true that you can’t believe everything you hear, you should also heed the warnings and accolades of others. Read online reviews when possible. Bear in mind that good reviews are worth Gold as people rarely bother to write good comments unless the job was to do the highest of expectations. Bad reviews are also telling as poorly treated customers love to get things off their chests and leaving a bad review is one way to do just that.

Take a poll

Just kidding but do ask around! Talk to you friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors about their locksmith experiences. If a technician’s name or shop keeps coming up (good or bad) take note and follow up; or not!

Quality hardware

This often overlooked point is very important. What good is a skilled locksmith if the parts and hardware he uses are cheaply made and not of the best quality? The best locksmiths use the best locks and make sure that yours works with trusted brands like Master, Schlage, Medeco, Baldwin, Kwikset, Primus, Mul-T-Lock, InstaKey, Yale, Fichet, Marlock, BiLock, Abloy and others of similar repute.

24-hour emergency service

You’ll want your locksmith shop of note to have technicians available 24/7. Locksmith problems don’t keep regular working hours and lockouts, lost keys, break-in damage and lock failure can happen at any time; even during holidays. It’s best to work with a locksmith that offers responsive, 24-hour locksmith service for help during any emergency situation that may arise at home, at your car or at your business.

Let’s review

You’ll want a fully licensed locksmith shop to work with. They should be using good reputable lock brands on your tasks and projects and not cheap imitations. Fast response times and 24-hour emergency service are another must have. Look for a locksmith that is enthusiastic, easy to work with and doesn’t shy away from answering questions. Your locksmith should come prepared and work from a fully stocked service vehicle so that multiple trips back to the shop are not necessary.

Source: http://www.evanslocksmith.net/news/tips-to-hire-a-good-locksmith.html