There’s nothing quite like the feeling of opening your sliding glass doors and stepping out into your backyard. The sense of freedom and openness is incomparable, and it’s one of the reasons why sliding glass doors have become such a popular feature in homes. But before you leave your door open, you might want to consider your kids.
Sliding glass doors can be a huge convenience, but these doors are notoriously difficult to child-proof, as they can be easily opened by even the smallest of hands. You want to keep your little ones safe, but you also don’t want your home to look like a prison. Enter the adhesive sliding door lock. This little gem is ideal for sliding glass doors. It has the function of a security bar, but it’s much more low-profile.
This blog will show you how to prep your sliding glass doors for your adhesive locks and, at the same time, the right way to remove them without damaging your glass.
Prepping Your Sliding Glass Door
You don’t need a degree in engineering to attach your sliding glass door locks as they come with adhesives. However, the downside to using these nifty door locks is that they can be removed easily if improperly installed. Here’s what you should know about preparing your glass sliding door to make them stick properly.
Know Your Sliding Doors
It is important to know what type of sliding door you have to know whether your sliding door lock can effectively babyproof your house. Here are the doors that will work with the adhesives on sliding glass door locks.
✔ Bypass doors
✔ Two-door panel pocket sliding doors
✔ Patio sliding doors
✔ Sliding French doors
There are wooden sliding doors such as barn doors or paper-like doors like Shoji doors. Unfortunately, you can’t use adhesive door locks on them as their surface is either too rough or soft to install these types of locks on.
Check for Tinted Window Film
You might enjoy the poolside view, but a sliding glass door exposes you and your baby to the outside world. Window films can come in handy for privacy issues as they can tint your glass door.
However, your sliding glass door safety lock may not work on your tinted glass door panels. With enough force, the lock adhesive, along with the film of the glass door, can be peeled off by your baby.
Maintain Your Glass Surface Properly
When was the last time you cleaned your sliding glass doors? Do you notice the water and stains that make the glass uneven? Your baby can remove double sliding glass door security locks due to the rough surface underneath the adhesive tape.
We suggest using glass stain removers or a homemade cleaning solution with equal parts of an acid such as lemon or distilled white vinegar and water. Then, regularly wipe your glass doors until they are free from dirt or debris.
If you apply your safety locks on sliding glass doors properly, its adhesive can last you up to two years. By then, you may need a stronger lock to keep your child inside the house.
The Perfect Time to Remove Safety Locks
Removing this babyproofing device will depend greatly on your child’s maturity. Some toddlers are proven to be trusted earlier than you might think.
Another factor in determining when to remove these sliding door locks is when you can trust your child and leave them unsupervised. But, again, you’ll have to observe your toddler’s behavior and personality keenly.
Is your child curious and adventurous in all things? Do they love the outdoors? What happens if they are left alone? If you want to take off your door locks, you can always add security cameras and alarms to monitor your child.
Ways to Remove Your Safety Locks Properly
Peeling off adhesives from glass is tricky since it can leave a glue residue. This sticky mess can practically ruin your sliding glass door.
The longer the adhesive has been on your glass door, the harder it is to remove. However, you can use the following cleaning solvents and solutions easily found at home for your glass door locks.
- Rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or lighter fluid: These are the hacks of carpenters when they want to remove excess rugby glue or paint. Add little by little while you gently wipe the residue off.
- Paint thinner or spray lubricant: What these products do on paint has the same effect on breaking glue down and loosening the glue from your sliding glass door.
- White vinegar: This is the number one odor and stain remover for any surface. Plus, it isn’t as harsh as the previous solvent.
- Degreasing agents: Cleaning agents to remove oil and grease can also clear your adhesive residue.
But no matter how much cleaning agent you use, it seems like the residue just won’t come off. Well, there’s no need to despair just yet. You can still try these tricks to get rid of that pesky glue.
First, you can try scraping it off with a sharp object. Be slow and careful in the process to avoid damaging your glass. If that doesn’t work, you can try using steel wool to rub off the residue. Finally, if all else fails, you can try using a solvent plus scraping. With a little patience, you should be able to get your glass door looking good as new in no time. Once you successfully remove your safety door locks, you can enjoy easily opening your doors.
Final Thoughts
Sliding glass door locks can increase your security in your home and safeguard your baby from potential dangers. DIY safety locks for your sliding patio doors save you money and resources. Even if they’re high quality and the best available, these adhesive door locks should still be installed properly to be used for years.
After years of its intended use, you can rely on your child not to open your patio doors without your supervision. But the stronghold of your door locks can leave an unwanted residue that looks appalling on your sliding glass doors. Thus, we recommend the cleaning agents and methods above that make your glass door brand new again.
Looking for the perfect lock to keep your baby safe? Child safety locks with strong hold adhesives yet are easy to remove available at Ashtonbee. Check out the best sliding glass door safety locks today!
