Locksmith South Dallas

WHAT TO DO WITH OLD KEYS

Do you have old keys lying around your home or office? Most do, so you are in good company! Old keys can be found in car ashtrays, dresser drawers, desks, kitchen cabinets and on top of tables and credenzas. Why do we save these keys? Most everyone does, and if you ask them, the answer usually is something to the effect that the keys are “still good and belong to one of these locks around here.” The lingering thought that someday, the key will be needed is usually enough to make us hang on to it.

Once in a while, the need to “clean up” simply gets the best of us and we decide to rid ourselves of Hold keys; and why not? If we haven’t used them in this long, we probably don’t need them as much as we might think. But, what do we do with those keys? Throw them out? Recycle them? Give them to the neighbor kids to play with? Surely, there’s a good use for them!

Old keys come from many sources

There are literally hundreds of millions of old keys in existence that are no longer being used. These keys come from a vast variety of origins including bicycles, desks, file cabinets, diaries, door knobs, shed locks, lockers, vending machines, laundromats, cars, motorcycles, buses and ever so many more sources. These old keys come in all sizes, colors, shapes and materials. There are so many old keys “out there” that over 400 million of them end up in public landfills every year alone. This staggering number doesn’t count the even bigger amount still lying around, forgotten and unused.

Old key uses

Once in a while our Locksmith South Dallas shop gets asked if we take them. The answer is; we don’t. But we do have some suggestions for you that you just might like. Some of these are basic and ever so simple. Others take a little more effort so you decide for yourself what you’d like to do with your old keys; if anything.

Plain old recycling

Many communities encourage recycling. Our South Dallas, TX community sure does. Keys are so useful in metal recycling efforts and by far the simplest way to rid yourself of old key debris is to go ahead and turn them in for re-use later as forks, table legs and other metal items of value.

Key For Hope

Key For Hope is a very special fund raising organization that helps raise money for local food banks. Their members hold key donating events and collection drives that take all the donated keys and turn them in for recycling. The money raised from this effort is donated to food banks to help those that need the assistance. Imagine that; rid yourself of old key clutter and help hungry folks eat, too! It only takes about 50 keys to average a pound of metal and these can be sold for scrap that brings in much needed funds for those less fortunate. Key drives in public and private schools can be started as a fund-raising and educational method for raising awareness and money while teaching school age children about community involvement.

Get crafty

Are you into crafts? Many are not, but if you are, incorporating old keys into unique and sometimes useful items can be both fun and profitable. Craft making can be for pleasure or for profit (and sometimes both!).  Craigslist, Etsy and ArtFire are online places where craft items can be sold. Don’t forget craft fairs, yard sales, flea markets and farmer’s markets. Crafts are sold everywhere people gather so if you have a creative spirit and want to tackle the sale of old keys in different and imaginative forms, give crafts a try and you just might surprise yourself. We’ve heard of keys sewn into table cloth hems and curtains to help weigh down the fabric so that it doesn’t flap so much in the breeze or slid off the table when moved. Light fixtures (especially older ones) might be missing an on/off cord or a handle for it. An old key, decorated or not would make the perfect item to grasp in order to turn the light on or off.

Pinterest

A huge source of ideas and inspiration could be the website Pinterest. Use “old keys” as the keywords and you can find literally hundreds of ideas and creative uses for your old keys. Not only can you see how these keys are applied, but the accompanying pictures are also very helpful. You can find keys made into Christmas decorations and incorporated into picture frames. Keys can be altered and decorated and then worn around the neck and even made into decorative jars. You can find dozens of wind chime ideas; all made of used keys. From jewelry to wall plaques, old keys can be turned into items of value and beauty.

Get to know your neighbors

Did you just move in to your neighborhood? Or, are you practically strangers to those who live around and near you? What you need is an ice breaker so that suddenly interacting with them is not so awkward. Old keys can be that ice breaker. You can invite the neighbors and even the entire block over for a key recycling party. Serve refreshments and do your “meet and greet” routine. Then, reveal your plan to these folks. Have them donate their old, useless keys to the cause. You can have fun choosing a charity to donate the funds to. You can do this on your own or use the services of Key For Hope. Simply contact them through their website and let them know you would like to do a key drive. They have kits that can help your drive with buckets, promotional material and other items so that your key donating efforts are maximized. You don’t have to use them. Simply contact your local recycling center or scrap metal plant and get their guidelines for turning old keys into new cash!