Secure Door Knob Covers - A deterrent is better than an invitation!
Written: Jan 12 '05 (Updated Jan 12 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Deterrent, Faster than unlocking with a key, Can keep younger ones out of danger.
Cons: Child will figure out, Not effective on all doors, Hard for some adults
The Bottom Line: Works well for the first year or so. Once a child can open a door easily it's only a matter of time before they master the door cover.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Secure Grip Door Knob Covers |
My inspiration for writing this review came after my two-year-old opened the front door equipped with the Safety 1st Door Knob Cover and let the dog out yesterday while she looked back at me and giggled. Well they worked for awhile anyway. The front door is the easiest to open, she still hasn't hacked the room doors yet.
Anyone who has a toddler knows why door safety door knobs are needed and if they work or not will depend on the type of doors you have, how intuitive the child is, and how desperate they are to get through the door. The smaller and shorter the door knob the more effective the door covers seem to be. I only had to put the knob on the front door with my last toddler, just in case. My well-behaved five-year-old still doesn't open a door with the safety knob on it. I believe she "could" open it, but it is a deterrent she avoids. My current toddler requires one on EVERY door in the house.
Installing the Knob Cover
In order to give yourself a head start I would recommend that you not install or remove the covers in front of the child and also to block the view of how you open the door because they have a really good view of the door knob and they learn by example.
The first few times you put these on the doors it might be a struggle. I fought with it longer than I should have when I first bought them. I had difficulty opening the knob, I had difficulty lining up the tabs, and I had difficulty knowing which side when where and it finally ended with, "Honey, can you help me with this?" It is very frustrating learning how to install them and how to use them. Now the question is, do you really want an easy to use door knob? How long do you think it would take your little one to figure it out if it where easy for you?
You only have to get through the installation one time and then you can forget about that. The door knob cover cracks open like an egg almost. You have to find the center of the tab and push down and pull apart to open. A side of the hard plastic piece goes around the door knob and fits in the notches until the notches are lined up and it clicks into place. If it is not clicked on properly it will either fall off or not open the door correctly.
To remove the knob you simply crack it in the middle of the seam on both sides while applying pressure and pulling the two pieces away.
How It Works
The handle is very large, a lot wider than a normal door handle which makes it difficult for a toddler to grasp because their hands just aren't wide enough. If the grips are not pushed the handle just spins around and they ideally move on. In order to turn the knob, pressure must be applied to both sides while turning the door.
The effectiveness varies on each door handle. I found the doors leading to the outdoors the easiest to use and smaller handles for bedrooms the hardest. I take these with me when I go to people's houses to keep her out and they have been successful on a number of different style doors.
Using
I always know which one of my son's friends have small children at home by how long they struggle with getting out the front door. This is sure a stumper for the adults as well. They will just turn it and spin it and shake it until the famous last words are spoken, "How do you get out of here?"
Older people have the most challenge getting the door open. I usually just open the door for guests because it's very frustrating to them. Adults with arthritis find it painful as well.
If a child wants through a door bad enough they will get it open. My older soon has one on his room to keep his sisters out because it's more dangerous in there than cars in the street! My son, being the nonconformist that he is, has his own way of getting the door open. He puts on finger inside the little opening (that you use to get to the lock) and holds the door knob and then pushes the rubber on the outside of the knob.
Locking the Door While the Knob is On
There is an open circle in the front of the door handle I guess so that you can lock or unlock a door. It is very difficult, sometimes extremely difficult to lock or unlock the door. Our bathroom pool door has a lock on the door knob in which we like to keep locked. In order to unlock the door in a timely fashion you pretty much have to take the door knob off, otherwise you have to fish our finger around in there and push the lock.
Durability
This is a very durable product. I have several of them and they have been in daily use for a few years now. They are still white, clean, and effective.
Concerns
My biggest concern is if we will be able to get through out the door if there were a fire. Sometimes urgency makes people fumble and the doors are sometimes a challenge.
My only other concern is the false sense of security. These are not locks, they can be opened. I know that eventually my daughter will learn how to use the knob cover, sooner than I think I'm sure.
One of the biggest problems I had with my last child was that when someone knocked on the door she would unlock the dead bolt for them so the person could get in even though she couldn't turn the handle. Just trying to open the door knob inside encouraged the person outside to turn it themselves which let the visitor in which could be an unwelcomed situation.
Bottom Line
Quite frankly locking a bedroom door is more effective, but other family members may not be able to get in (and I am always searching for the key which is very annoying). This is only going to be a deterrent. A child who already knows how to open a door will figure this out quickly but it should slow them down. These are usually sold in packages and average $1.00 or less for each knob. I think they’re inexpensive enough to recommend them, they're worth a try.
Recommended:
Yes
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xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
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