The alcohol ingredients can help lower the freezing point of water, and can melt the ice inside the lock within seconds. To defrost your lock, simply coat your key with hand sanitizer and insert the key gently into the frozen lock, but do not force it.
If you have any rubbing alcohol at home, you can mix it with water and spray it on the door. The alcohol will help melt the ice because it lowers the freezing point of water to around -20 degrees. That means the water will need to be much colder to actually freeze.
Make Your Own Magic De-Icing Solution
The first step is to measure out 3 parts distilled white vinegar and 1 part tap water. Next, pour the measured amounts of vinegar and water into the empty spray bottle. Then, spray the solution on the frozen lock and wait 5 minutes. Finally, try to put the key in the lock.
Vinegar can help you unfreeze your car doors because of its acidity. However, be careful when applying it because it can leave a stain and stink. As a result, you should not pour vinegar directly onto the frozen area. Instead, you should put some vinegar in a spray bottle.
Preventing car door locks from freezing
The same spray you use to clean your computer will do the trick. Glycerin and Vaseline work well because of their antifreeze properties.
USE DE-ICER or WD-40 TO MELT THE ICE
Spray windshield de-icer or WD-40 all the way around the edges of the door handle, door, trunk, hatchback or liftgate. Within a couple of minutes, the de-icer or WD-40 should melt the ice and allow you to open your door.
Tackling a Frozen Door Lock
Hand sanitizers work because the alcohol in them melts the ice that has made the lock seize up. Simply pour it on the key and wiggle the key in and out of the lock for a moment to loosen it up.
If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. This universal lubricant can be used as a quick fix for a stiff lock – but don't rely on it for an extended period of time as ultimately it will gum up your lock. Apply a dry graphite lubricant.
If your key doesn't turn in the lock, the problem may just be a poorly cut key. Test the lock with a key that was cut at a different time to be sure. If the key isn't the problem, try lubricating the lock using powdered graphite or a silicone-based lubricant.
To lubricate the lock Safestyle recommends using graphite powder, the fine particles mean less residue than oils or sprays which can also be sensitive to hot or cold conditions. Put a little amount of graphite powder inside the door lock to ease any friction inside, making sure not to put in too much.
Silicone spray is great for lubricating nylon, plastic and metal when only a thin layer of lubricant is necessary. And because silicone dries, it won't get clothing greasy. Graphite lubricant is the right choice for locks—it won't attract dirt to fine lock mechanisms like an oil would.
Vaseline clean
Vaseline's effectiveness has been compared to Armour All for its ability to diminish small marks and scratches and improve the overall condition of a car's dashboard. The trick is to clean the dashboard first then apply a small amount of Vaseline to a microfiber cloth and wipe the dash.
Use homemade lock de-icer.
Fill a spray bottle with one third water and two thirds isopropyl alcohol. Shake the bottle to mix the water and alcohol. Spray the car lock with the homemade de-icer. Wait a few moments and then unlock your car door.
Gently pour lukewarm water over your car's frozen lock or door frame. Do NOT use boiling water, as the temperature difference could shatter your car window. Be sure to dry the door off after it's open to prevent re-freezing. Use a hairdryer and an outdoor safe extension cord to melt the ice around the door frame.
Simply mix 1/3 part water and 2/3 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and in the morning, spray it on your windshield. The ice will disappear instantly. You can also spray the solution on your car handles and doors if they are frozen shut.
WD40 can help with unfreezing or unjamming a lock. Since it contains alcohol-based components, WD40 can be used to defrost items that are frozen. To defrost your lock, you will need to have a clear view of the lock mechanism. Use a small amount of the WD40 spray to coat the metal components of the lock.
At 32 degrees Fahrenheit and below, water turns to ice. If there's any moisture inside your lock when this conversion occurs, it may cause the lock's internal components, such as the pins, to freeze up. As a result, you won't be able to open the lock until the ice has melted.
Frozen locks are the result of moisture accumulating by the strike or inside the lockset. The moisture could be from a recent rainstorm, snowfall, or even humidity from the warmer months that never fully dried out.