You’re ready to go home, or go out on errands, and you reach into your pocket. Suddenly, you realize the worst has come to pass: your keys are missing! You pat your pockets and look around, but they’re nowhere to be seen. Now what do you do?
Step one is simple: calm down. Losing your keys is a stressful situation, but if you start fretting around in a panic, you’re likely to panic and miss obvious locations where you may have left your keys. A clear mind will help you locate your keys much better than a panicked one will.
Next, retrace your steps. Keys, as it turns out, are inanimate objects – they don’t just get up and move! They’re likely where you last left them, so if you go through your regular routine, only backwards, you’re likely to stumble across them. When I come home, for example, I often unbundle myself from coats, hats, scarves and the like in a big jumble all by the front door. More than once or twice, I’ve let my keys fall into that pile – or placed them on the bookshelf and forgotten about them. Check around the doorways, especially on tables and chairs by the doorways. People absent-mindedly set their keys down there all the time.
Speaking of absent-mindedness, never just assume your keys can’t be somewhere. Check unusual spots. I’ve personally found keys:
- In my bathtub
- Behind the television
- In one of my kitchen cupboards
- Under my couch cushions
- Dangling from my front door
…hopefully you’re not as absent-minded as me, but the point stands – check everywhere.
If your keys simply aren’t anywhere to be found, the next step would be to call a certified locksmith. If you’re locked out, they’ll help you in, and if you need to go out, they can make new keys for you. If your keys truly are lost, it’s best to have your locks rekeyed; that way, if someone else finds your keys, they can’t gain access to your home.
