Broken Key Extraction in Spokane, WA

Where keys break in Spokane

A key usually snaps after it has been weakened and then twisted. Spokane's housing and winters set up three common situations:

• Shared street doors and mailboxes. The old mansions in Browne's Addition are now mostly apartments, and 86.4 percent of households there rented in 2017. One street-door lock may turn for every tenant several times a day, and mailbox locks in multi-unit buildings see similar use. Heavy use wears the cylinder, and a copy cut from a copy wears out first.
• Cylinders that have turned for decades. Nearly three in ten Spokane homes date from before 1940 (27.9 percent in the 2024 estimates), and some of their locks may be decades old. A key for a worn lock thins at the shoulder. A hairline crack or a bend there is the moment for a fresh copy from a good original, or for servicing the lock, before the key gives way.
• East-side cold snaps. Cold snaps on Spokane's drier east side can leave car and door locks iced up, and forcing a key into an iced-up cylinder is an easy way to break it. Use a lock de-icer and let the lock clear.

What not to do

• Do not use the broken half to turn the lock, and do not push a second key in beside the piece.
• Do not put superglue on the stub. Glue that runs into the keyway can seize the lock and turn an extraction into a lock replacement.
• Do not dig into the keyway with tools. That tends to push the piece deeper.
• If the end sticks out clearly, one straight, gentle pull with needle-nose pliers is reasonable. If it does not come out, stop there.

What to send

• A photo of the keyway showing where the piece sits
• The other half of the key, which carries the cuts needed for a replacement
• Which lock it is: unit door, shared street door, mailbox or car
• Whether the lock is locked or unlocked, and whether another door lets you in

For a shared door or a mailbox, include the building manager's name, since the owner decides on work there. For a car key, see car key replacement.