A neighbours done this with his kids. Daughter “lost” 3 or 4 front door keys in a 6 month period.
Most of them surfaced in clothes or bags. But now he has a lego key rack, colour coded. And matching lego keyrings.

So they all have a coloured storage space for keys. And it’s instantly obvious whose keys are missing…….

Only issue is his son will sit there and take all the keys off and then put them back repeatedly. For an hour at a time.

OP have a young child?

My missus used to lock the door ‘open’ on the morning rush to school/nursery.

A few times I came back to a wide open front door.

I explained that the insurance would NOT pay out, asked how we would replace bits etc and the bikes and it was the depth/wakeup that prompted her. Maybe harsh but I said ‘here’s the APR for a new bike at 200 a month that you’d be paying for’.

She didn’t like that bit 😀

My wife does this too. I separated her car keys from the front door keys as I hid lost my front door keys. I then attached her keys via a chain to the (inside) wall near the front door, placed a fingerprint lock on the side gate, and now everyone uses the rear doors of the house to enter and exit. The rear gate is lightly spring loaded and so self closes within 30 seconds.

Much safer, no discussion required, just implementation on a day off.

Definitely separate car and house keys. I always thought it was a terrible idea having having these together. If you lose your keys you’re really stuck but if you lose or lock one lot inside you always have somewhere to go. Forgot my house keys the other day so went for a drive and got some shopping till the other half got home. Also have a key bowl in the kitchen.

My wife left the car keys in the unlocked car all night a couple of weeks ago 😯

‘stealing’ the car might be an amusing idea for a TV show. Not so good in real life as it will likely appear malicious. It’s the sort of thing you might do capriciously and then come to regret shortly after and evermore.

Rather than take action it sounds like a spot of listening might help. How you start that conversation will set the tone for the rest of it. Perhaps just simply state what you saw with no accusation, comment, or ‘tone’. It sounds like the outcome you’d like is a safe and secure house, car, and family and that you are concerned that leaving the keys in the door might affect that. Find out what the underlying reasons for the keys being left in the door are. Find out what ideas your SO has that might change the keys being left in the door before suggesting fixes.

Having said that, I like separate keys. I don’t understand why folks like to clutter key rings with house keys, office keys, ID badges, QR tags, and car keys. They just don’t sit together well in pockets or bags.

The Lego wall-mounted key holder is great. Though the little Lego studs do wear a bit on the most commonly used keys. Easily fixed with more Lego and a bit of adhesive though.

These days when I find the car has been left unlocked on the driveway I just get the keys and lock it. And in a simple, timely, statement I’ll just say ‘I locked the car’. Stuff gets in the way of a regular routine that can mean that simple step gets left out. Work bags, a diversion to the bin, a child coming home and offering distraction… Back in the day, I’d say ‘In this house… we lock the car’. Though that does become tedious with repetition.
[video]https://youtu.be/H7X_xmhPbW4[/video]

Persistent reminders to my children when they would leave for primary school seem to have got them in the habit of always closing the front door when they leave. Early on it was common to walk through the house to see the front door swinging wide open sometime after they had left. 🙄

Keys on different rings.

Get her used to closing the door and locking it behind her? It’d be difficult to lock from the inside with the keys on the outside.. 😀

edit; unless you’ve got a yale, obvs.

A neighbours done this with his kids. Daughter “lost” 3 or 4 front door keys in a 6 month period.

Is that all?

Weekly occurrence with Mrs North. Often more regular.

Lately, it’s three sets of house keys. One of which is my set (which she lifted from the front door as she set off to work one morning). Mine are the spare master set for the house (incl. garage etc.). I’d obviously have used the master set myself (or the spare front door key I keep) but – that’s right(!) – she’s recently lost all of those too. Amazingly, while turning her work bag and handbag inside out I did find her house keys. But still no sign of either master set. She’ll have left them somewhere at work. Somewhere being any number of buildings/colleagues offices…. Just as she has done with other items including her diamond engagement ring and her (Rolex) watch…

As of today she can’t find her purse or iPhone. And she hasn’t yet lost her car keys because she’s just used her car. Now, there’s every likelihood the car is unlocked on the drive, but at least I’ve retrieved her house keys from the outside of the front door when the chap came knocking to collect for the Poppy Appeal. Her car is worth far more than mine. At least we don;t live opposite a pub car park with lots of people coming and going….

It’s not like she’s an idiot – she’s got three degrees FFS, spends her days creating and teaching complex scientific material to masters, PhD and medical students and is highly respected in her field. But when it comes to simple things like basic domestic security and remembering where she’s l;eft her essential possession, she’s utterly hopeless. And to make it worse she’d be the first to whine if we were burgled (though the state she leaves our bedroom some days it would be hard to tell the difference).

OP – I share your pain.

And breathe…..

If you live in the right place, you need to lock neither house out car. We had neighbours who used the ignition as a key store.

I left the door wide open overnight in a dennistoun flat once.

I was allerted to this by my flatmate as he stepped over me to get to work in the morning.

As of today she can’t find her purse or iPhone.

At least you can use Find iPhone to locate the phone…
She has got it turned on, hasn’t she?

Is that all?

Wouldn’t be so bad if they were ordinary keys. 8 or 10 quid each.

These are super duper hero keys. About 40-50 quid each to get cut. So everytime one goes missing. He either digs out the last one that went missing (if it’s surfaced by then.) Or gets a new one.

I reckon he’s got about 6 spares by now. Glad I just have ordinary keys.

But losing an engagement ring, iPhone, purse and rolex as well as regular key loss takes serious effort.

after wasting a hour, now the first place I look at the in-laws if I need to move a car is in the ignition.

OP things sound strained right now, and if she’s tired and your relationship is under tension, now is not the right time to be a smarterse by proving you’re right about the keys. No car moving stuff please. Funny and understandable but you both lose. Appeal to emotions, say it worries you that she might be endangering herself and the kids. And see if you can sort the other stuff.