How do I fit cupboard locks and safety catches?

Choosing and fitting catches for cupboards, drawers and appliances, and which ones are worth the effort.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 1 hr
Read: 2 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Prioritise by what is inside rather than fitting catches everywhere: medicines, cleaning products, sharp items and laundry capsules first. Magnetic catches are strongest and need drilling; adhesive catches are quick but fail on textured or greasy surfaces.

Fitting catches to every cupboard produces a house that is annoying to live in and no safer, because the effort gets abandoned. Deciding what actually needs securing, and doing those properly, works far better.

Safety

Child safety catches reduce risk; they do not remove it. Keep medicines, cleaning products, laundry capsules and alcohol high as well as locked, and never rely on a catch alone for anything genuinely hazardous. Test every catch by pulling, pushing and levering it — a catch that opens with a firm tug is decoration rather than a safety device.

What you'll need

Safety catches or magnetic locks
Drill and screwdriver
Alcohol wipes for adhesive types
Appliance lock for ovens and dishwashers (optional)

Step by step

List what genuinely needs securing rather than securing everything.Medicines, cleaning products, laundry capsules, sharp items, alcohol. Those first.
Relocate the highest-risk items upward as well as locking them.High and locked is better than locked alone. Laundry capsules in particular are hazardous and attractive to small children.
Choose the catch type for the surface.Adhesive catches fail on textured, painted or greasy surfaces. Screw-fit or magnetic locks hold properly.
For adhesive catches, clean the surface with alcohol and let it dry fully.The adhesive needs a clean, degreased surface and usually 24 hours to reach full strength.
For magnetic locks, mark and drill carefully inside the door.They are invisible from outside and very strong. Keep the key magnet somewhere adults can find it.
Fit catches to drawers as well as cupboard doors.Drawers are often overlooked and frequently hold the sharpest items.
Consider appliance locks for ovens, dishwashers and washing machines.Dishwasher detergent is caustic, and an oven door is a burn risk.
Test every catch from a child's perspective — pull, push and lever it.A catch that opens with a firm tug is decoration rather than a safety device.

Tips

One cupboard left deliberately unlocked with safe items in it gives a small child somewhere to explore, which reduces interest in the locked ones.
Check catches every few months. Adhesive ones in particular loosen over time, especially in a warm kitchen.
Re-assess as the child develops. What secures a crawler will not stop a determined toddler who can climb.

Common mistakes

Relying on adhesive catches in a kitchen — Grease and heat degrade the adhesive and they come off, often without anyone noticing.
Locking everything — It makes the house frustrating, so the system gets abandoned entirely.
Locking hazardous items but leaving them at floor level — Height and a lock together is far more effective than either alone.

Questions people ask

Which cupboards should be locked first?

Anything containing medicines, cleaning products, laundry capsules, alcohol or sharp items. Those account for the large majority of household poisoning and injury risk to small children.

Are adhesive catches good enough?

In a bedroom or bathroom on a smooth surface, often yes. In a kitchen, grease and heat degrade the adhesive over time — screw-fit or magnetic locks are more reliable there.