Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
I’m not overstating it when I say that this approximately $1 item could save your life or that of someone you love. It looks like a tiny, useless little thing, but I have been carrying a door wedge around for years.
Who says a little bit of added security has to cost a fortune?
How to use them for safety purposes
Imagine your son or daughter is at school, and they hear gunshots from a distance. Having one of these wedges in their backpack to jam under the door suddenly makes them a much harder target to reach.
Imagine you are at an Airbnb, and you feel a little uncomfortable with the owner you met. You know he has a key to where you’re sleeping. But you can make it a whole lot harder for them to get in with a door wedge.
Imagine being at the mall and realizing that a huge mob is fighting and breaking windows. If you can get to the bathroom, a place with no windows, you can secure the door with a wedge even if there isn’t a lock.
As an apartment dweller, I know that building management has a key to my place. I don’t love that idea, so I keep a wedge beside the door and shove it under as soon as I’m inside.
Of course, they can serve more boring purposes, such as keeping an interior door from slamming shut every time the outside door is opened.
Where do you take them?
I’ve had one of these exact door wedges in my purse for years now. I also keep one in my luggage for when I travel. It adds a layer of protection to my door in a hotel room, where anyone with a master key can enter.
My youngest daughter had one in her backpack at school and now keeps one in her purse. We both always have one with us, just in case.
The nice thing about a little rubber door wedge is that it can’t get you in trouble in any environment. It’s not a weapon. It’s not metal, so it won’t cause detectors to go off. TSA won’t take it away from you at the airport. You can seriously take them anywhere.
How to use them
If you’ve never used one of these before, it is so simple that a child could use it. All you do is close the door and slip the wedge underneath it, close to the side where it opens. They’re anti-slip and work on nearly all surfaces, including wood, carpeting, cement, and tile.
These will not completely stop a determined intruder but could slow them down. It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for them to open the door with the wedge in it. The only way they’ll get through is by breaking through the material of the door instead.
That buys you enough time to grab a weapon or to improvise one. You can call 911. You can hide or escape out a window. Those extra minutes may be all it takes for you to survive. Your teenager at school can secure a classroom or bathroom door if there is a shooter. If you’re out in public and all heck breaks loose, it can be deployed under any bathroom or office door.
There are all different kinds.
I personally prefer the simple rubber ones like this. They’re so unobtrusive that nobody will even notice them in your bag.
But there are other kinds you should note also.
A lot of people like these wedges that double as an alarm. The moment someone tries to push open the door, a shrieking, piercing alarm will go off. This alerts not only you but everyone around you. These babies are LOUD. When we had a house with a door we never used because it was inconvenient, we kept an alarmed door wedge under it for extra security.
I’ve never used one of these, but the Wedge-It is specifically designed with security in mind. It can be used to hold doors shut by putting it underneath, and it also works to go over a hinge and keep a door open. (Great if you have little ones – no fingers slammed in doors!) The reviews on the product are mixed, with some people finding that the Wedge-It broke quickly, and others praising it lavishly.
Finally, there’s this type of wedge with the little holes in the sides. You can use this by putting a length of cord or bead chain through the hole and leaving it hanging on your doorknob when it’s not in use.
Have you ever used door wedges?
I have sung the praises of these gadgets for years and absolutely love them. Have you ever used one? If so, which type was it? Do you have any suggestions for people using one?
Let’s talk about it in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
I have the door wedges with the alarm. Man alive, they are LOUD even on medium.
I did have to leave a piece of paper on the floor by the alarm for when my husband would get up & out early to go to the lobby for coffee so he wouldn’t forget it was there!
I sent one for my daughter for when she travels in Europe.