# Where do your keys live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2016, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149 "2016-03-16T10:55:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/61 "2016-03-17T20:56:44Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Speaking of which: my Jeep Grand Cherokee has a recall for keys suddenly falling out of the ignition (which is very charming when one is booking down I-95 and the truck turns off and the keys have fallen under the seat). > > I haven’t had it fixed yet, but use just a single key so there’s not the weight of other keys to pull it out of the ignition. My father uses [Ye Olde Key Case](http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-72107709869253_2268_45498588.gif) and the new-fangled Big-Ass Key to the Forester doesn’t fit on a ring without sticking way out the bottom and impaling something. So he folds it in the case loose and uses it loose. Makes me nervous! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/62 "2016-03-17T21:07:27Z")
In the pocket of my “folded” pants/jeans/shorts chucked on the end of the lounge. If I have put my pants/jeans/shorts straight in the washing machine that night the stuff from my pockets - keys, banknotes, usb drive, little card holder is left on the lounge. And my security pass which I wear clipped to my belt because I have an unreasoning hatred of wearing a lanyard. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/63 "2016-03-17T21:34:04Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > There’s a small shelf in the entryway. It works great, I can’t remember the last time I misplaced my keys. This. When I get home, I empty my pockets, take off my wristwatch, put off my shoes, and swap driving glasses for computer glasses. Going out again, I pack up all this gear again. I did, once, lock myself out. Just dumb and careless. Cost $150 for a locksmith. Guff happens. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/64 "2016-03-17T21:56:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In my pocket. On my dresser at night. This, except my car key & fob. Those are on a separate loop from all my other keys, kept on the dining room table within reach of the front door unless I’m actually driving. I probably go six days out of seven without driving, and you can’t misplace what you don’t have. 🙂 [QUOTE=don’t ask] And my security pass which I wear clipped to my belt because I have an unreasoning hatred of wearing a lanyard. [/QUOTE] Hate lanyards too\* so my building pass is in a case in my jacket pocket along with my train pass, a spare ID, and a spare bank card so I’m not screwed if my wallet’s stolen or lost. I flap that side of my jacket toward the pad to scan in. 🙂 \*When I was in high school, the kids at a rival high school had to wear their IDs on lanyards, and we called them dog leashes. We were teenagers, I wouldn’t say that now, but I still hate lanyards. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/65 "2016-03-17T22:07:19Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I did, once, lock myself out. Just dumb and careless. Cost $150 for a locksmith. Guff happens. My father locked himself out and paced the garage for at least six hours in the middle of winter waiting for me to come home. He didn’t have a phone and must have been loathe to “bother the neighbors” (and he wouldn’t have paid a locksmith). I was so horrified I got a spare key the next day and we hid it in the _mumblemumble_. We’ve used it once already. ---
**Author:** ![txst16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@txst16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txst16)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/66 "2016-03-18T00:06:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > My keys are always in one of four places - > [ul][li]In my front left pants pocket[/li][li]On the dresser next to my ID badge and wallet[/li][li]In the ignition[/li][li]Hopelessly lost.[/ul][/li]Unfortunately, even places like “a different pocket” count as being part of the last option sometimes. > > Regards, > Shodan What would life be without the occasional hunting of ye car keys… ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/67 "2016-03-18T01:26:51Z")
My keys are always in one of 4 places: [ul] [li]On the hook[/li][li]In my pocket[/li][li]In the ignition[/li][li]Hooked to my work lunch bag[/li][/ul] Virtually never anywhere else. It’s been decades since they’ve been lost. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/68 "2016-03-18T01:36:55Z")
My key ring has one ignition key and one house key on it. Unless I’m driving the car, they are always in the right front pocket. Always. When I change pants, I change the pocket contents, and aside from driving, the keys are never out of that pocket. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/69 "2016-03-18T01:46:34Z")
When I’m out they’re in my pants pocket or my work bag. When I’m home they’re on the computer desk during day time and on the dresser when I go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/70 "2016-03-18T01:49:57Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I would never have guessed that so many people keep their keys in their pants pockets all the time, even when not being worn. I’m amazed by the number of people who feel a need to empty their pockets when they get home. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/71 "2016-03-18T02:25:25Z")
I have a hook next to the door. Laundry room is separate from my apartment so I need the keys convenient for laundry days. When leaving for the day, I have an organizer bag with a pocket reserved for work and home keys. So home keys are pretty much on the hook or in my bag unless I’m doing laundry. Work keys are always in the bag unless I’m at work, and then they’re in my left front pocket. Both home and work require me to use a key to lock the door when I leave, so I don’t lock myself out since I’ll make sure I have the keys before I open the door. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/72 "2016-03-18T02:37:22Z")
> [@txst16](#): > > What would life be without the occasional hunting of ye car keys… It would be ordered and predictable and less scary, just the way I like it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/73 "2016-03-18T10:01:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > In my right front pants pocket. I no longer wear a wide variety of pants, so this works for me. > [@bump](#): > > Yup. Mine stay in the pants pocket of the last pair I wore until I next switch pants (usually the next morning). Left for me, but otherwise the same. If both my pairs of trousers are in the laundry at the same time, the contents of my pockets go on my desk just above the computer mouse. Keys and coins in the left front pocket, knife, earbuds, and loose paper money in the right (I used to keep my wallet in the right pocket, but now my wallet is my phone case, which goes in the left cargo pocket or inside coat pocket if available, or on top of the keys in jeans). I’ve considered the ‘biner on the belt loop, but I’m not that much a hipster (though I did do rock climbing in college so I have the cred and a proper carabiner laying around somewhere) and don’t have enough crap on my keyring to _need_ it – car, house, shed, mailbox, parents’ house, Phillips and slot screwdrivers, and a little skull charm given to me by a dear friend. The spare shed and mailbox keys live on a cup hook beside the back door of the house, so if I want to go and tinker in the shed/mow the lawn/check the mail without the full loadout, they’re right there. > [@SCAdian](#): > > I’m amazed by the number of people who feel a need to empty their pockets when they get home. Seriously, I take my pants off when I get home but leave everything in the pockets because I’m probably going to wear them again tomorrow. TBF, that can backfire if you have a cat – one time my partner took my debit card to the store, then lost his wallet, we were on the verge of canceling all our cards when we found it under the bed; it had fallen out of his pocket when the jeans hit the floor, and the cat played with it while we were asleep and knocked it into a dark corner. > [@Shodan](#): > > My keys are always in one of four places - > [ul] > [li]Hopelessly lost.[/ul][/li]Unfortunately, even places like “a different pocket” count as being part of the last option sometimes. My mom somehow routinely loses her keys and/or money in her trouser pockets. I routinely say to her “WTF don’t you put things in the same pocket every time?” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/74 "2016-03-18T16:04:04Z")
When they’re not in use or in my pocket, my keys and wallet are on a shelf in the guest room that I designed just for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/75 "2016-03-18T16:54:23Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > We may have done this topic in the past, but it’s long enough ago that I don’t remember. If that’s the case, here we go again… > > When you come home after work or errands or whooping it up, what do you do with your keys? Do you have a bowl like the guys on Big Bang? Or a cubby? A hook? Pocket or purse? The crisper drawer in the refrigerator? Or do you prefer the challenge of finding your keys before you venture out the next time? We have a hook by the back door. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/76 "2016-03-18T18:23:11Z")
I have a small side table with two small baskets by the front door. Everything that goes into or out of pockets lives in either my or my wife’s basket. Keys, wallets, sunglasses, etc. While hanging around the house my pockets are empty. My front door has a combo lock and I walk or bike to places as often as I drive so which key(s) if any I bring along change depending on my mission. I’ve got one of those pull-apart key holders and only carry the ones I need for the given mission. It’s very rare for me to have 3 keys on me. Car + mailbox or just car or just mailbox are the most common set-ups after my favorite: no keys at all. Did I mention I \*hate \*bulky crap in my pockets? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/77 "2016-03-18T20:39:35Z")
They stay in my purse. I have a proximity lock on my cell phone for my front door and keyless start on my car so they rarely have to come out. I finally bought a table for the front entrance way with a drawer so my husbands stuff goes in the drawer instead of spread over every horizontal surface in reach. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/78 "2016-03-19T10:13:09Z")
I only have two keys. A front door key which I almost never use, and a mailbox key, which are together. I keep them on a nail next to my front door, and I take them when I walk to the mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/79 "2016-03-19T12:44:55Z")
I have a bowl - actually an ashtray that was never used for its intended purpose - into which I put my keys and coins when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149/80 "2016-03-19T13:25:50Z")
In a bowl on a table near the front door. Works a treat. 🆒 ETA: My sunglasses go next to the bowl, because I hate hunting for those, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-your-keys-live/749149.md?page=5)