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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Help!!! DS locked in bedroom!!!

136 replies

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 13/07/2019 17:04

Just posting in AIBU for traffic although an alternative thread title could be AIBU To Leave Him In There?

Seriously though I'm starting to panic as all my efforts have had no effect whatsoever.
The door has the handle missing from the outside. There is nothing within the space where levers etc should be but the handle is still screwed onto his side . However that handle is useless.
I've wiggled and waggled, flat screwdrivers, tiny knives . I've watched videos but they all either use specialist tools or have a different door handle design.
Please can anyone help me get him out of his room?
He wasn't supposed to shut the door but hey ho. He has and we're here.
The photo is of the space inside the door from my side, this is where the inner bolt thing of the door handle would go. And the door handle is on the other side of the door, naturally.

OP posts:

Bookworm4 · 13/07/2019 17:17

Please do not call the bloody fire service as suggested by a PP, Jesus wept!
If it’s not an actual lock give it a good dunt and it’ll open.

timeforakinderworld · 13/07/2019 17:21

If you can't open the door if course you should call the fire service - they'd be glad to help.

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 13/07/2019 17:23

I hope the spindle works, we had a similar type handle but somehow the latch actually got fixed in place and would not move

luckily we had access to both side of the door and they were on lift out hinges so dh got the hinge pins out and somehow managed to wangle the door out

we were worried that all the latches might start going, as all the doors had been put in at the same time, but none of the others ever did!

Outsomnia · 13/07/2019 17:24

In my parents house years ago (Dad was useless at DIY bless him), the same thing happened. Mum got locked in the kitchen. Terraced house, no other way out but through the kitchen to garden.

She hauled herself over the garden wall to the neighbours house and the neighbour came in, opened the cutlery drawer, took two teaspoons out and put the straight ends around the square thinggy that was left in the lock, turned it with the spoons and voila.

Now I don't know if that works for every lock, but I did file it away anyway!

Hope you get sorted soon OP, and glad DS is doing ok with it all.

MegaBlocks · 13/07/2019 17:25

I did this when I was younger. My dad kicked the door in. I stood in front of it for some reason . Hope you get it sorted!

Outsomnia · 13/07/2019 17:25

Meant to say neighbour took the spoons from HIS kitchen. Had some wine earlier sorry.

BarbariansMum · 13/07/2019 17:25

Fire service is fine as a last resort. OP I did exactly this last week. Then stood there for quarter of an hour waiting for dh to come and rescue me. Then a couple of hours later nearly did it for a second time. The "door must be shut" urge is clearly a strong one.

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 13/07/2019 17:29

Oh dear. Back to square one.
I replaced the handle and spindle to try to open it that way. But nada!! It's not catching or whatever it needs to do draw back the metal wedgy thing.
I won't call the fire brigade. I'd have to see if I can scratch around for locksmith money.
Bloody heck.
I can't take hinges off as they're on his side but I might be able to get him to create a Prison Break style rope of sheets, tie on the screwdriver for him to haul it up. He can then unscrew the hinges.
I have bloody damaged the mechanism, haven't I

OP posts:

CaptainMyCaptain · 13/07/2019 17:30

Please do not call the bloody fire service as suggested by a PP, Jesus wept!
Why not as a last resort. My daughter had to do this when one of her toddler twins went into the house while she was putting his brother in the car seat. He couldn't reach/didn't know how to open the door from the inside so, eventually, the fire brigade came and climbed on to the garage roof and got in the bathroom window. They were fine about it and let the non-traumatised twin sit in the front seat of the fire engine and pretend to drive.

MegaBlocks · 13/07/2019 17:32

Can someone not kick it down?

PerkingFaintly · 13/07/2019 17:33

Even without the prison sheetropes, you might be able to throw the end of a cord up to him. Weight it with spoon or something first.

Lockheart · 13/07/2019 17:34

If all other options have been tried and you have a vulnerable person stuck in a room, you should absolutely call the fire brigade as a last resort that shouldn't be controversial.

Is there anyone handy at DIY you can call? Any family or friends who might be able to help you bash the door down?

PerkingFaintly · 13/07/2019 17:35

But can he actually see the hinge screws from his side? With most doors you can't when shut...

SoupDragon · 13/07/2019 17:36

Did you put the handle on completely? Sometimes just pushing it on isn't enough, you need to properly fasten it to the door so it doesn't slip about.

Itssosunny · 13/07/2019 17:37

Try to use the pliers maybe :(

daledoback · 13/07/2019 17:37

My mother did this and texted me at like 2am to say she locked herself in her bedroom 😂

I only lived ten houses down so went in, had the same thing as yours. I used the handle of a metal spoon (one that doesn't have like plastic around it...) and it opened straight away.

Would recommend if you have one of those 😂

WorraLiberty · 13/07/2019 17:37

Do you have a ladder?

If so, can you climb it and pass him a screwdriver through the window?

That way he can remove the handle on his side.

Itssosunny · 13/07/2019 17:37

We once used very thick screwdriver and managed to turn the bit.

AlunWynsKnee · 13/07/2019 17:37

Can you wrap something like sellotape around the spindle until it is fat enough to be snug? Maybe something less slippy than sellotape though.

Sammy867 · 13/07/2019 17:38

I did this to myself so I just knocked the pins off the hinges and took the door off the hinges instead

KnifeAngel · 13/07/2019 17:38

We ended up having to kick the door in when this happened to us. There was no way the door would open. The hinges were covered by the door. We then had to replace the door frame.

SeaToSki · 13/07/2019 17:40

Try the piece of plastic over the side of the door between the door itself and the jamb. Then slide it down to get the latch bit to push back. I've seen burgers do it to hotel room doors with credit cards (in the movies) but the principal is sound. A pp had a description of how to cut a strip of plastic from a milk carton or something g

Lwmommy · 13/07/2019 17:43

Unscrew the hinges and open it from that side.?

Original poster

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 13/07/2019 17:44

Yes, of course. Hinges in door jamb. That won't work.
I've tried using my not inconsiderable bulk to open the door using brute force. That bloody wedge thing will not budge.
I don't know what else to do now.
I might have to phone the fire brigade to see if they would come out and if there is a cost.
Fuck .

OP posts:

Drum2018 · 13/07/2019 17:45

Happened us a while back. The mechanism within the lock had stopped working so the latch wouldn't release, no matter what we tried turning it with. Dh ended up hacking away at the wood on the door frame around the lock until he could get at the latch and release it.

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