{"id":3251,"date":"2022-12-04T22:51:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-04T22:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebli.com\/?p=3251"},"modified":"2023-01-12T14:35:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:35:18","slug":"door-latch-wont-retract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebli.com\/door-latch-wont-retract\/","title":{"rendered":"Door Latch Won’t Retract? Try These Fixes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you been having trouble with your door latch not retracting? Well, you are not alone as many people have had this issue as well. It can be genuinely irksome when a door latch will not work properly, as not only does a door provide privacy but also security.<\/p>\n

If you live with roommates, you will know the importance of a functioning door latch. Lucky for you, we have some information on why this could be occurring and better yet, fixes for the said reasons.<\/p>\n

Read along to find out why your door latch is not retracting and what you can do to fix the issue.<\/p>\n

Why Won’t My Door Latch Retract?<\/h2>\n

1. Debris and Dirt<\/h3>\n

There are many possible reasons why your door latch is sticking and not retracting; however, the most common and most likely reason is that the latch is being stopped by something.<\/p>\n

The something that is stopping your door latch from retracting is more than likely debris such as wood shavings, grime, and or dust\/dirt. When you think about how much a door latch is exposed to every year, it makes sense why there would be build-up on the door latch.<\/p>\n

Not only can there be build-up on the door latch but it could have also had wood shavings captured in the small spaces when the door along the latch was installed.<\/p>\n

It is not uncommon to have debris such as wood shards loose and fall into the gears of the door latch, especially if the door handle hole was drilled into the door when it was installed.<\/p>\n

Typically doors are prefabricated so that it makes for easier installation, this is even more common with houses that are constructed in mass.<\/p>\n

So, if you have a model home, it is more than likely that the doors were ordered in bulk, which also means that the doors could have come without door handle holes pre-drilled into them.<\/p>\n

In such a case, the door handle holes would most likely be drilled onsite, which presents even more of an opportunity for there to be wood shavings in the small components of the door latch.<\/p>\n

Fix – Clean The Door Latch<\/h4>\n

If you believe that the cause of your door latch not retracting is because of debris such as dirt\/dust, wood shavings, and or grime building up; you will want to thoroughly clean the door latch.<\/p>\n

For the best outcome, you will likely want to remove the door latch so that you can clean the latch inside and out, which will also require removing the whole door handle.<\/p>\n

While you could clean the door latch while it is still in the door, it may not have as much of an effect as it would to remove the latch and thoroughly clean it.<\/p>\n

To perform the task of removing the door latch and cleaning it efficiently, you will need a couple of items.<\/p>\n