The Different Ways to Lock Doors With a Padlock

Through the Latch

• The gates on some doors are built to fit a padlock. A metal gate on a chain-link fence around a backyard swimming pool, for example, has a latch suitable for a padlock. Close the latch firmly so that the tongue is between the two brackets. Look for the holes in the tongue and brackets, which should be aligned when the latch is shut. Put a padlock through these holes and secure the padlock.

Chain

• A chain is ideal for using in conjunction with a padlock to secure different styles of doors. If a wooden fence has two doors and each of these doors has a handle, you can pass a chain through both handles. Pull the chain taught and lock it tightly with a padlock. This way of locking the doors is ideal because if someone pulls on either door, it will move with the other door and not open.

Brackets

• If you want to increase the security of a door, such as a door inside your home, a shed door or a garage door, buy security brackets to mount. A typical security bracket comes in two pieces. One piece attaches to the door and the other piece attaches to the structure, such as the wall beside the door. Both brackets contain a hole that you can use to secure the door with a padlock.

Cable

• While chain is ideal to use together with a padlock to secure a door or set of doors, using thick security cable is even more secure. While someone can cut through a chain with the right size bolt cutters, some cable is so thick and strong that cutting through it is highly difficult. Pass the cable through the handle of the door you wish to secure and loop the cable to a strong structure nearby. Pass the padlock through the loops at the end of the cable.