Being able to find the right key in a timely manner is a small yet important step in becoming better prepared.
HPC KeKab
I know this from personal experience. Like most adults, I have keys for many different locks and its hard to keep track of all of them. There were keys on my dresser, keys in my office, keys in the garage, the darn things were all over the place! Figuring out which key went to which lock could also be a bit of a problem because many of them looked similar. This is the reality I struggled with for years decades.
But my learning curve was not entirely flat. No, I learned from my non-existent key management practices that there had to be a better way. The solution was to install a cabinet (in my case an HPC KeKab 65) that could store the various keys I had in an organized fashion. Here’s how I did it:
- Estimated the number of keys I had (over three dozen!) and allowed for future growth
- Searched for a commercial-grade, Made in the USA steel key cabinet that could accommodate 50-70 keys
- Purchased the HPC KeKab 65 from Grainger
- Gathered all my keys
- Identified which keys were associated with a given lock
- Wrote down the key information and entered it into a spreadsheet
- Tagged each key with the plastic tabs that came with the cabinet
- Installed the key cabinet (actually my handyman did while I was at work)
- Put all the keys in the cabinet
- Set the combination lock
- Hid the key to the cabinet in a safe place
Now all my keys are in one, safe location where only I can get to them. That means when I take one out, there is a missing slot and a number associated with it. If a key is missing, now I know which one it is. This is actually a good security measure to implement since anybody who has a key can duplicate it and use it without your knowledge.
It may take a few hours and a few hundred dollars but managing your keys can save you a lot of headaches. I strongly suggest you do this if you have not already.
Click here to buy an HPC 65-Key Cabinet with Combo Lock
