Dude. It's okay! We are here to help you open your jammed locker!Before we begin, remember that although the school or gym locker is yours to use, it is on a “borrowed” basis. The locker is legally considered school property and belongs to the school district, so before you begin cranking on it, using your gym baseball bat, football helmet as a battering ram and handy pry bar or explosives, first try these simple steps;
First the obvious; try dialing in your combination again, but this time slower. In your rush to get to class and see your Romeo or Juliet, you may have passed the numbers too quickly. Clear the dial by turning it quite a few times and then slowly, methodically and carefully re-enter the combination.
If that isn’t the issue, you know you have a real jam to solve. The jam may be applying enough pressure to the latch which is making it difficult for the latch to release the door, so using the palm of your hand slap the door a few times to try and dislodge the obstruction. Remember that kicking the daylights out of it may help your frustration but it won’t work on the jam, after which you may be buying the school a new locker.
If the slap doesn’t work, try applying constant pressure to the jammed area which hopefully will allow enough force to relieve the tension on the locker door as you dial and open it. This may be awkward, but using your knee, place it about three quarters of the way up from the bottom and apply pressure. Press hard and once again repeat the opening sequence.
Now dial the combination or use the key to unlock the locker. Once you pull the latch/opening mechanism up, release the pressure your knee is placing onto the door.
If you are finding that the constant pressure from your knee or a shoulder doesn’t work as you attempt to open the locker, try a firm but gentle "pound" on the area to try and jostle whatever is causing the jam. Remember you are trying to shift the obstruction that is creating the jam and not trying to put another memorable dent into your locker. But don’t beat relentlessly on it. Just a few firm, well-placed taps should do it.
IF the door opens, before you close it and wander happily off, examine the doorway and the contents of the locker and remove whatever obstruction, book or piece of clothing that was jamming the locker in the first place.
My oh my. Where did your mother and I go wrong with you?If none of this worked, you’ll have to shelve your ego and go find the janitor or school custodian. Odds are they’ve seen this happen before and have an arsenal of tools they use, as well as a vast amount of knowledge and experience to solve this sort of thing.
...But remember the ol’ “my locker was jammed” can only work so many times before your homework will finally have to be turned in. Good luck with those jammed lockers!
