Need help finding lost keys? This post lists several helpful tips on how to find lost keys at home and outside.
Misplacing your keys can be frustrating experience. Fortunately, there are many clever methods to help you find lost keys. With a little persistence and luck, you should be able to find them!
Here’s the best step-by-step method on how to find a lost key outdoors and inside your home!
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How To Find Lost Keys
In this article, will teach you several quick and effective methods on how to find lost keys. Under some tips, I’ve also recommend some helpful products I felt had the most value for the cost.
How To Find Lost Keys At Home
To maximize your time and efforts, make sure you are looking in the right place. The best way to find lost keys is to check the last place you’ve used them. Make sure you didn’t leave your keys in the keyhole of your door.
If you’ve checked and still can’t find your keys, it’s time to start looking in other places. Thankfully, there are only so many places you could have lost keys at home. Here’s several tips for finding lost keys in a house.
1. Search Clothes And Bags
Here’s a tip on how to find lost keys in a house: start with clothes and bags. People sometimes forget to take out their keys from their pockets and bags when they come home. Before rummaging through your entire home, thoroughly search recently used bags and clothes.
Check pockets of last used outerwear and pants. When searching inside of a purse or backpack, empty your bag’s contents to make sure your keys aren’t concealed underneath other items.
If you are still unable to find them, take a moment to think about where they could be inside your home.
2. Thoroughly Search Areas You Commonly Leave Your Keys
Don’t waste your time looking in places you never usually leave your keys. The best way to find lost keys at home is start at the last place you remember having them.
Don’t panic and walk around your home retracing your steps. Lift up items that could be hiding your keys, and check floors and under furniture by areas you might have dropped them. Be thorough and assume your keys are hiding from you.
If can’t find your keys in their commonly left areas, check places you may have placed them by accident when putting away other items like food, clothes, and trash.
3. Ask Family Members Or Roommates
Finding lost keys is always difficult and frustrating, but a little help can make the process much easier. If you’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find your keys, it’s time to call in the reinforcements. Ask your roommates or family members if they know where your keys are.
Someone might have seen your keys, moved it, or accidentally taken it. You might just need a pair of fresh eyes to search areas you’ve overlooked.
4. Get A Key Alarm Finder
If you misplace your keys often, make your life easier with a key alarm finder like this one by Vodeson. These small devices are attached to your keychain and make a sound when you press the button on the remote. This simple gadget can help you can find your keys easily if they’re lost at home.
Key alarms are an inexpensive and easy to use (you can get one around $15 on Amazon). They’re battery operated and don’t require you to download an app on your smartphone. If you are a clumsy person, I highly recommend attaching a portable key finder on frequently lost items like keys, wallets, and and TV remotes.
5. Have A Dedicated Spot For Your Keys
Rebee Vision Wall Mounted Key And Mail Holder | Amazon
Keys can be a nuisance when lost. To prevent yourself from ever losing your keys again, put them in a dedicated spot at home. This way, your keys will always be at the same place when you need them.
The easiest way to keep track of your keys at home is to place them on key hooks by the entryway. You can get beautiful and inexpensive wall mounted key holders in a variety of styles on sites like Amazon. They are super easy to install and keep your keys organized when you come home.
6. Attach A Bright Colored Lanyard To Your Keychain
Wristlet Key Chain Lanyard | Amazon
Need tips on how to find a lost key in a cluttered home? Keys are small and easy to lose. To help you find your keys easier, I recommend attaching a bright colored lanyard on your keychain.
The vibrant colors and added length from the lanyard make your keys stand out and quicker to find. A bright colored lanyard makes it easier to search and grab your keys inside a messy drawer, on a cluttered tabletop, or buried inside a stuffed backpack.
If you are looking for a shorter lanyard to hold your keys, I highly recommend these beautiful Wristlet Key Chain Lanyards from Amazon. For under $10, I love their huge selection of gorgeous colors and patterns!
Now that you’ve learned how to find lost keys at home and several preventative measures, here’s several ways to find lost keys outside.
How To Find Lost Keys Outside
If you’ve lost your keys outside, the first step to do is to take a deep breath and calm down. Take a moment to remember the last location you remember having your keys.
Finding lost keys outside can be difficult, but not impossible. If you have lost your keys outside of your home and don’t know where to start looking, here are some helpful tips on how to find a lost key outside.
1. Thoroughly Search Your Bag, Pockets, And Car
Before heading off to find your keys, thoroughly search bags and pockets. Check your pants and outerwear pockets. Turn your pockets inside out if you have to.
If you have a cluttered bag, take everything out and search all possible compartments. Pockets and bags are one of the most common places people put their keys when they’re in a hurry or distracted.
If you are traveling by car, search under the seats and in the backseat of your car. Chances are your keys might have fallen out of your bag or pocket while driving. In case you’ve accidentally dropped your keys while exiting the car, check the parking lot and the ground under the car.
2. Retrace Your Steps
If can’t find your keys in your bag, pockets, or vehicle, it’s time to look outside. Narrow down on all areas you’ve visited since you’ve last seen your keys. The best way to find lost keys is to retrace your steps starting at the last place you remember having it.
To start, go to the last location and meticulously search for your keys at areas you might have dropped them. Check any businesses you’ve visited and walkways you might have dropped your keys.
3. Ask For Help
One of the best tips on how to find lost keys outside is to ask for help. If you can’t find your keys after retracing your steps, chances are someone else might have found and moved them.
If you’ve recently visited businesses like coffee shops, malls, and grocery stores, someone might have seen them. A good samaritan or employee might have found your keys turned them into a nearby lost and found. It won’t hurt to ask the front desk or staff for help.
If you’ve dropped your keys in a public area, it’s possible someone might have found your keys and posted it on social media. I recommend checking Facebook for any recent lost and found posts in your local area. Someone could have also turned in your keys to a nearby police station.
4. Get A Key Tracker
Finding lost keys outside can be difficult and annoying. However, with the right preventative measures, it doesn’t have to be. To make your life easier, I recommend attaching a bluetooth key tracker (like a Tile Mate) on your keychain to easily find your keys outdoors. Here’s why:
If you’ve lost your keys at a nearby range, you can quickly find your keys using the Tile App. This smart device can also help find your phone from far away by showing the last location of your keys. With the push of a button, you could make your phone ring even if it’s on silent!
The Tile Mate has a three year battery, so you can leave it on your keychain without a worry. For only around $20, this is a MUST have device for people who travel often and need help tracking their keys and precious belongings!
5. Always Keep A Spare Key Handy
I hope you found these tips on how to find lost keys outside helpful. Despite our best efforts, we might not ever find our keys outside. To prepare for the worst, I recommend keeping a spare key handy in case you get locked out.
Lock boxes are a great way to keep your spare keys safe and secure outside your home. It’s a better method than storing spare keys under the doormat or flowerpot (where strangers can easily find and access them). Key safe outdoor lock boxes are inexpensive and super sturdy. You easily find a quality key lock box for under $20 on sites like Amazon.
If you can’t find your lost keys outside, the only thing you can do now is prevent them from happening again in the future. Here’s a recap of the best preventative measures to stop losing your keys.
Tips On Finding Lost Keys: How To Stop Losing Them
The best way to find lost keys is to never lose them ever again. If you frequently lose your house or car keys at home, I recommend hanging them in a dedicated spot like on an entryway key hook. Another method is to attach a key alarm finder or bright lanyard on a keychain to help you find your keys quicker and easier.
To prevent losing your keys outside, get a bluetooth key tracker (like a Tile Mate) to track their last location or find your keys from a nearby range. Make sure to always have a spare key handy in case you get locked out. I recommend mounting an outdoor key lock box by your house just in case.
Finding lost keys can be headache, but it don’t have to be. Make your life easier by preparing for the worst.
Conclusion
In this post, I’ve listed several tips on how to find lost keys outside and at home. Although keys are a common item to lose, finding them can be a frustrating experience.
If you’ve lost your keys in your house, don’t panic. There are only so many places you could lose it at home. Remember: the best way to find lost keys is to start at the last place you remember having it and retracing your steps.
Finding lost keys outdoors, can be more difficult, but not impossible. Thoroughly search bags and pockets, retrace your steps, and ask for help. If you can’t find your house keys and are locked out, call a locksmith to let you in your home.
If you think your keys might have been stolen, file a police report. I recommend changing your locks at home as soon as possible.
I hope this post gave you some helpful advice on how to find a lost key. Good luck!