Use Nail Polish to Identify Keys

By

villagecraftsmith

I file notches on the heads of all my keys. A small triangle file or Dremel tool will quickly put a notch in the soft metal. One notch for the front door, 2 for the back, etc. I also put the notch on the side that will face up. This allows me to get the key into the lock without my glasses and even in the dark if I forgot to leave the porch light on.

If you don't have a triangle file just ask your favorite handyman or handywoman. I guarantee they have one and would be happy to file a few notches for you.

By

bryguyf69

Most people don't have nail polish, and those that do only have one or two colors. Nail polish also chips off easily. A cheaper and more practical solution is to put a dab of WhiteOut (which most offices would have) and then color the WhiteOut with a color marker. That will give you many more colors, and WhiteOut is more readily available then nail polish.

The best solution, however, is what I actually use: Put some opaque tape on the key, and then actually write the key's function on the tape using a fine point color marker. That way, you can tell by color as well as the text on the function of a key. If you find that the tape comes off easily, simply wrap the tape around the key, over itself and trim off the excess, making sure it doesn't cover the key's teeth/ridges.

By

JustPlainJo

Sounds like a plan. For myself, if I had more than one similar key on my keyring, I'd use a dot of tactile paint on each side to distinguish my front-door key. If you have a lot of keys, a simple color code might work...or different numbers of tactile dots: one for front door, two for back door, etc.