# Urgent help. I am stuck **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124 "2014-01-18T02:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/1 "2014-01-18T02:13:04Z")
[http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/18/e2araqu8.jpg](http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/18/e2araqu8.jpg) Took a shower. Tried to open door. Doorknob came out in my hand. Tried to put it back and pushed the other one out. Now i am stuck. I live on the eight floor, all by myself. What shall I do? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/2 "2014-01-18T02:15:15Z")
Find something to stick in the hole that’s just barely small enough to fit. Then try to turn the mechanism. Maybe the handle of a hair brush or a nail file or something. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/3 "2014-01-18T02:17:03Z")
Toothbrush does not fit. Tried to use the foilet brush, no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/4 "2014-01-18T02:20:09Z")
My front door is also locked. Door is pretty solid and I am naked. Do not want to call locksmith ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/5 "2014-01-18T02:20:14Z")
Moved from General Questions to IMHO where you can get opinions. **samclem** moderator ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/6 "2014-01-18T02:23:13Z")
Can you ‘get your affairs in order’ via the internet? ETA, (so I don’t get in trouble for just making a joke). Since I can see the door opens in, start working at popping the hinge pins out. Start with the bottom one and work your way up. Find something small that you can put into the bottom and hit with your hand to loosen/pop it out, then you can grab it and pull it out. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/7 "2014-01-18T02:23:44Z")
How big are your hands? If they are smallish, you should be able to reach into the empty doorknob socket and turn the mechanism with your fingers enough to pop the door open. If that doesnt work, then are the hinges on your side of the door? If so, you can use your toothbrush handle to push the hinge pin out, and open the door from the wrong side - you’ll probably damage the doorknob guts as you force the door open, but it’s better than being stuck. If that doesn’t work, then look up your city’s non-emergency number online, and ask for a rescue team with a locksmith. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/8 "2014-01-18T02:28:12Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > If that doesn’t work, then look up your city’s non-emergency number online, and ask for a rescue team with a locksmith. > > Good luck! I’d start with the landlord/property manager. They’ll have a key to the apartment door and they can just pick up the handle and open the door. But, personally, I’d start with the hinges. Before you call either, Think long and hard about if anything is laying out in your apartment that shouldn’t be. That might dictate who you call. Cops might notice some contraband that a manager isn’t going to care about. OTOH, the cops aren’t going to care about a cat or dog or waterbed that the apartment manager said you couldn’t have. ---
**Author:** ![Peaton\_of\_peat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@Peaton\_of\_peat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peaton_of_peat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/9 "2014-01-18T02:35:54Z")
This is gonna sound like “did you check that it’s plugged in?” but, did you try jamming the knob back in and turning it? It looks like a screw broke rather than the shaft, and then you could pull on the lock to pull the door inward. Edit: Whoops, you totally did. :smack: I don’t know how I missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/10 "2014-01-18T02:38:07Z")
Joey, you are a hero: managed to do that. Have a bloody finger now but thats it. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/11 "2014-01-18T02:39:55Z")
I was getting claustrophobic. First thing tomorrow- get a new door. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/12 "2014-01-18T02:44:34Z")
nm… ---
**Author:** ![Peaton\_of\_peat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@Peaton\_of\_peat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peaton_of_peat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/13 "2014-01-18T02:48:15Z")
Good job on making it out! If it were me I doubt I’d have the presence of mind to ask the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/14 "2014-01-18T02:48:39Z")
How are you posting while trapped inside a shower? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/15 "2014-01-18T02:56:58Z")
Some folks are really attached to their phones. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/16 "2014-01-18T02:57:07Z")
Iphone. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/17 "2014-01-18T03:02:39Z")
Since it had a happy ending, I can say that this was an awesome thread. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/18 "2014-01-18T03:29:22Z")
Dopers are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/19 "2014-01-18T03:39:48Z")
I’m not certain that I fully understand just what your problem was. I’m not familiar with the Iphone but for the sake of this thread can I assume it is basically the same as a cell phone? Were you stuck inside the shower room and if so, how is it that you were able to access the Iphone there? Was it in the shower room at the time you became trapped? Or was it in the bathroom and you were able to somehow reach it? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124/20 "2014-01-18T03:48:11Z")
You’ve not heard of iPhones? Yes, it’s a smartphone. It’s part of the iPod, iPhone and iPad family. Many people bring their smartphones into the bathroom, if not the shower itself. The OP was in his bathroom, which has a shower in it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-help-i-am-stuck/679124.md?page=2)