Kid Resistant (But Not Kid Proof) Cabinet Keeper-Shutters
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Kid Resistant (But Not Kid Proof) Cabinet Keeper-Shutters
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Its amazing how much a ten-month child can get into. By the time you get one thing picked up, he is doing something else.
Once my grandson was crawling pretty well, he discovered the kitchen cabinets and it was time to do something to keep him from getting hurt. When our children were little, we bought a set of latches that were pretty effective, so we tried it again this time.
Once my grandson was crawling pretty well, he discovered the kitchen cabinets and it was time to do something to keep him from getting hurt. When our children were little, we bought a set of latches that were pretty effective, so we tried it again this time.
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I installed the first latch on the sink cabinet and realized right off the door wouldn't shut; the end of the latch hit the sink. Lacking any other good option, I moved them lower and found out how big a pain it was to have to keep bending way over to get into the cabinet.
About the same time, I recalled why we had taken the latches off the doors when my son was still small; he had been nearby when one of the cabinets was opened and he received an ugly scratch across his arm. It could just as easily been his eye.
About the same time, I recalled why we had taken the latches off the doors when my son was still small; he had been nearby when one of the cabinets was opened and he received an ugly scratch across his arm. It could just as easily been his eye.
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I decided I had to try something else. I'm not guaranteeing this Instructable will positively keep children out of cabinets where they don't belong. Hopefully, it will help; nothing takes the place of keeping an eagle eye on them.
It is simple and cheap and so far, my grandson hasn't figured it out.
The heart of this project is merely to loop a piece of 550 cord around the cabinet door knobs and anchor it to the inside.
The materials needed are about 8-10 inches of 550 cord and a small screw eye per door (or pair of doors, depending how your knobs are situated.) You also need a cigarette lighter to melt each end of the cord and a drill with the appropriate sized bit to drill pilot holes for the screw eyes,
First, drill a small hole where you want your screw eye. This should be on the door stile,on the opposite side from the knob. (On the back of the door frame, in other words.) Screw it in.
It is simple and cheap and so far, my grandson hasn't figured it out.
The heart of this project is merely to loop a piece of 550 cord around the cabinet door knobs and anchor it to the inside.
The materials needed are about 8-10 inches of 550 cord and a small screw eye per door (or pair of doors, depending how your knobs are situated.) You also need a cigarette lighter to melt each end of the cord and a drill with the appropriate sized bit to drill pilot holes for the screw eyes,
First, drill a small hole where you want your screw eye. This should be on the door stile,on the opposite side from the knob. (On the back of the door frame, in other words.) Screw it in.
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Take a piece of 550 cord and cut it to length - about 8-10 inches. Melt both ends to keep it from unraveling.
Don't burn yourself.
Don't burn yourself.
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Push the two ends of your cord through the screw eye together. Close the door and adjust the loop around the two knobs so it is tight enough to barely slide around them. Open the door and tie your cord in a knot, tightly against the screw eye.
I put a drop of glue on the knot to keep it from coming undone.
In the event you have two side by side doors with one knob, put the screw eye on the back of the knob-less door. If you have one door, put the eye on the back of the cabinet doorway.
I put a drop of glue on the knot to keep it from coming undone.
In the event you have two side by side doors with one knob, put the screw eye on the back of the knob-less door. If you have one door, put the eye on the back of the cabinet doorway.
That's About It.
To use, just loop the cord around the knobs. When the child pulls on the doors, knobs, or cord, it merely becomes tighter, helping keep the doors from opening. It's not foolproof, and it certainly isn't childproof. You have to keep your eyes on kids all the time, but hopefully it will slow him up long enough to catch him before he pulls all your pots and pans into the floor.
It works pretty well for us, and it has one advantage the commercial version doesn't have: when our grandson is not here, we don't have to put up with the doors being secured. We just slip the loops off and it is business as usual.
It works pretty well for us, and it has one advantage the commercial version doesn't have: when our grandson is not here, we don't have to put up with the doors being secured. We just slip the loops off and it is business as usual.