Illinois, This Is Why You Shouldn’t Have A Lot Of Stuff On Your Car Keys

It can be cute to have a lot of decor on your car keychain but it can also be a bad idea.

I feel like almost every time I see a girl get in her car on TikTok, she has a dozen things on her keychain. Pepper spray, decorative stuff, mini pictures, whatever. It's all ~aesthetic~. It's honestly a trend we need to leave in the same graveyard that we left fuzzy rearview mirror dice in.

Stop putting so much stuff on your keychains. This is especially true if you have a car key that you still put in the ignition. Here's why:

Wynns Locksmiths says that the weight of the extra stuff on the keychain puts strain on the ignition lock barrel. That can cause parts to wear down, misalign, and prevent the car from starting at all. They suggest pairing up your car key with maybe one or two other keys, nothing else to add anymore weight.

The additional issue, according to Pro Locksmith San Diego, comes in when you're going uphill, over bumps, or turning, which adds extra stress to the weight of the already heavy key in the ignition.

The good news is that a lot of us have push-button start in our cars now, so we don't have to worry about keychains weighing down the ignition in the car. If you do have the luxury of having that kind of start, it can be nice to have a couple of keychains, since they help you find your keys when they're in the depths of your purse.