No-Show Childproof Locks for Cabinets


One of the items on my 2019 Home Goal list was to start childproofing our house for Ben. He’s turning one this month, and now that he’s on the move, it’s definitely time that we start taking some precautions! First on that list? Adding childproof locks to our kitchen cabinets since Ben looovvveeesss playing in them.

Although I knew it was time to safeguardย the kitchen, I was so nervous to put anything on our BRAND NEW cabinets. What if I ruined them?! Luckily, I found locks that keep both Ben and the cabinets safe.ย  Plus, these locks were no-show locks, meaning our kitchen looks exactly the same as it did before we childproofed.

I had no idea this was an option… so you can imagine how excited I am about this amazing invention!

And since so many of you have requested posts about childproofing without sacrificingย style, I had to share the details of this brilliant product.

No-Show Childproof Locks for Cabinets

no-show childproof locks for cabinets

Suppliesella homes childproof kitchen cabinet locks

I bought this box of no-show childproof locks for cabinets for under $25. It came with 12 locks and 2 magnet “keys”, which covered most of the cabinets in our kitchen.ย childproof locks supplies

But honestly, I ended up loving this product so much that I plan on buying one more box to finish up a few drawers in our kitchen and cabinets around the house.

Installing Two Simple Pieces

Not only do I love the safety and look of these magnetic locks, but what I really appreciate is that they were super easy to install and did not require any drilling into our new cabinets!

easy steps for adding childproofing locks

They simply stick on the cabinets with heavy-duty 3M strips. And I’ve heard from several people via insta message that these bad boys are indestructible! One reader reached out and said she has two kids under 4 and these locks are still stuck on the inside of the cabinets and still going strong after almost 3 years! I don’t know what that means when it’s time to take these puppies off, but I’ll take the stronghold for now… especially since they are hidden on the inside of the cabinet.

no-show cabinet locks

There’s one piece of the lock that sticks on the inside of the cabinet door and the other tiny piece gets stuck to the top of the cabinet’s door frame. These two pieces “catch each other” when the door closes, creating a lock that secures the cabinet until a magnet allows it to be released/unlocked.

One “Extra” Step (Optional)

magnetic key for childproofing kitchen cabinets

Here’s the magnet that acts as the “key” to these hidden locks. The magnet is SO strong, which was helpful forย the one precautious step I took to keep our new cabinets safe.felt pads to keep magnet key safe

I didn’t want to take any risks of having this magnet key scratch the outside of our black cabinets, so I added a felt pad to the magnet. I simply stuck it on the front of the magnet key, so as we place this “key” on the cabinet doors, there will be no chances of accidental scratches!

The magnet is so strong that this felt pad did not impact the effectiveness of the key. Even with the felt pad on the key, it can still open all of the locks and sticks wherever we put it. In our case, we keep our magnetic key on the side of the fridge and as I said, the felt pad hasn’t impacted it at all.

The “No-Show Partputting magnetic, no-show locks on kitchen cabinets

Here’s a photo of the cabinets locked. Can you see the locks?

Pretty impossible to spot them because they are hidden inside of the cabinet doors. I put these photos side-by-side so you could see that you can only see evidence of the childproofing when the cabinets are open. When they’re closed, they look like any other cabinet! #WINWIN

How Do These No-Show Childproof Locks Work?

easy childproof locks that you can't see

Manipulating these childproof locks is super easy too, as long as you have the magnetic key.

You simply slide the magnet on the outside of the cabinet, running it along the face of the cabinet until you hear the lock on the other side unlock. Then you hold the magnet in that spot and pull open the cabinet door.

how to use childproof locks

Once the cabinet door is open, you don’t need the magnet anymore. When you go to close the door, you can do that just like you would any other cabinet door — no magnet needed for that step.

I especially love these no-show locks because you can easily click a button on them and disable the lock altogether. We sometimes do this when Ben goes to bed, just so we don’t have to keep grabbing the magnet to get inside of the cabinets. I mention this in case there are any Grandmas or relatives tuning in! These no-show cabinet locks could be a really great solution if little ones are constantly coming over to play. You can childproof some of your cabinets for under twenty bucks, but easily turn off the locks when the little ones go home!

Thinking Outside of the Kitchen

ways to hide childproof locks

I actually love this system so much that I used some of the locks on our family room built-in cabinets as well!ย white cabinets with hidden childproofing

Since these locks look great and function well, I don’t mind putting them on all of the cabinets that I can! I think the only person who doesn’t love this new addition to our house is that little cutie. Haha, I wonder why?!

As we continue to find solutions to childproof our house without sacrificing a ton of style, I will keep you posted! In the meantime,ย if you guys know of any other amazing products when it comes to childproofing, please send them my way! If all childproofing is this quick, easy, and stylish… I want to childproof all. the. things!

Bridget


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.