Sometimes breaking glass can be so loud to attract some attention. You may be caught up in an emergency, and breaking it becomes inevitable. It could help if you have lost your keys and there is no way to get inside apart from through the window. This is a no BS guide on how to break window quietly.
You may also be locked in a car or in a situation where breaking the window will save your life or that of your loved ones.
Breaking the glass may alert your neighbors that there is a break in and they may call the cops. Worry less; you don’t have to spend the night locked in a dingy police cell. The good news is, you can break the glass into small pieces quietly and effectively. In here, you will find useful tips on how to break a window quietly. Keep reading.
What you’ll need
| Image | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
  | BR6HS Standard Spark Plug | See Price on Amazon |
  | BLACK+DECKER 15557 10-Piece Drill Bit Set | See Price on Amazon |
  | Lifehammer Brand Safety Hammer | See Price on Amazon |
  | General Tools 89 Stainless Steel Automatic Center Punch | See Price on Amazon |
How to break window quietly
1. Use of basic household tools
Sometimes we may not be aware of useful stuff or objects around our homes. However, did you know that some household items are helpful and can help save a panicky situation? Well, just by looking around, you can combine the use of duct tape, blanket, and pillow to break your window silently.
How is this possible? You can start by covering the entire window side by side with the duct tape. It is necessary since it will give you the freedom to cut the window slowly without creating noise. It also helps in minimizing the impact of your hammer or any object you may be using when breaking the glass.
Secondly, place a thick blanket below your glass window more so if the glass is underneath the window. If the glass is movable, you can put layers of a blanket at an open space. Piles of blankets will ensure you achieve the best results.
Thirdly, place a high-density pillow parallel to the glass and tap slowly with a hammer. The glass will break, and since the duct tape is holding the glass together, it will not fall and make noise. However, if there are small pieces that will fall, the blanket will absorb all the sound.
If you do not have pillows or blankets, you can use layers of cardboards or cartons and place beneath the glass pane. If it’s an emergency, even seat covers and cushions will save the situation.
2. Using a spark plug
Statistics reveal that during summer, dozens of children and pets suffer from being locked in a car. Going by the figures, it can even be fatal if trapped in a hot car. Certainly breaking the car’s window could save a life. Many people may look for large stones or even hammer in trying to break the window. But a car’s window is hard as a rock and will not shatter easily. Moreover, clusters of broken glass will spread all over the car’s seat and carpet and may injure those inside.
Did you know that a simple spark plug can smash a window easily more than a hammer could? A spark plug is a gadget that delivers electric current from the ignition to the combustion chamber.
Well, it is also worth mentioning that if you are stuck inside the car, the only way to get out could be by breaking the window and reaching for the handle. You could be in an open area with many people, and you don’t want to attract much attention. Similarly, being locked outside the vehicle can be alarming, and people might call cops on you thinking you are a burglar.
This device has a ceramic piece which could be useful in breaking a window silently. It breaks the window quietly and will get you out of a desperation situation. It is lightweight and throws at a relatively slow speed. You may be wondering what makes it so effective. Let’s have a closer look at a car’s window. These feature tempered glass, which is quite hard to break but which can also shatter into tiny bits.
During construction, the glass cools rapidly, and this causes it to have a low density compared to ordinary glass. It, therefore, means the outside glass cools pretty fast and thus can compress the inner glass. The tension can easily cause a crack by use of a ceramic spark plug which is small and nonetheless hard. It penetrates the glass quite quietly without shattering.
What’s the trick? It is not just by banging the spark plug, but you can target the corners instead of the middle area since this is where the pane will break quite easily.
3. Use of a porcelain bit
If you are in an extreme emergency, you don’t need a mallet to shatter the windows of a car if it is accidentally locked. With no other tool in your vicinity, a tiny piece of porcelain can do the trick. All you have to do is throw it towards the window, and it smashes it into small bits quietly without attracting much attention. Well, tempered glass has much pressure on the inside; hence, it breaks quite easily when applied small force.
4. Use of an emergency hammer
If you are traveling with your family, the first aid box comes in handy when caught up in an emergency. However, when it comes to the safety of you and your loved ones, there is one tool that every vehicle owner should possess. The emergency hammer should always be in your car to help in case of an emergency. It is a small tool that features a seat belt cutter, and the tip is metallic.
You can use it to crunch the window silently, and this will help you escape quite easily. This tool is available at auto stores and ensures the glass shatters instantly without creating a loud noise. It only produces a dull sound of dropping chunks of the window pane. It is quite affordable, and you will only need to spend a few bucks to acquire it. Nevertheless, it is an essential investment that can save a life.
5. Use of Standard EMT device
Alternatively, there is a standard tool known as EMT that you can use when breaking a car window. However, you must cover with duct tape and then punch in the center. A hammer and a piece of the nail are also useful in hitting at the corners. There will be a small point of impact which will be nevertheless effective.
6. Automated steel center punch tool
Breaking a window pane can be a rough experience. Of course, you don’t want decibels flying all over the place. The best you can do is to muffle the sound. If you have been cutting glasses, then you will be awake to the fact that the sound can be a deafening crescendo.
However, the electronic steel center punch tool is quite popular amongst carpenters and plumbers. It is useful in breaking glass quietly and smoothly. You can press it gently on the glass and in effect release the energy stored in the spring. This impulse drives the punch and thus produce a hollow. It is available in hardware stores at a relatively lower price.
7. Use of a hammer on a double glazed window
You may be wondering why tightened windows break so easily. There are times you may be trapped in a double glazed window, especially where there is a fire situation. If you opted to pick a stone or a brick and throw in the window. The first window will break first, whereas the second window would remain intact. To prevent such a situation, you can use a hammer to hit the corners and use an object to break a hole in the middle. The glass will fragment into small pieces, and hence, you can easily escape.
Safety precautions which you must observe when breaking the glass.
Check the type of glass
When it comes to safety, it’s essential to check if the glass is a safety glass. These typically have two layers of glass material and a plastic layer sandwiched in between. Safety glass is much quieter, and if you don’t have any of the tools mentioned above, you can apply some little force for it to break.
Protect yourself
You also need to wear protective clothing such as a long-sleeved jacket and safety glasses. In case you have gloves, you can put them on to prevent piercing by broken glass. You can also wear protective boots and if you have none, ensure you have your shoes on.
Keep away pets and small kids
Ensure that there are no small children or pets around when breaking the glass. It’s essential to guarantee the safety of those around you to prevent injuries and harm.
Final thoughts on how to break glass quietly
Long are gone when people used to engage professionals to break a window when caught up in an emergency. However, DIY methods can easily save the situation. Notably, each technique is unique, depending on the type of window. You may find that what works for one particular pane may not be effective on the other. Most importantly, the most reliable method is one which will get you out of an emergency safely and without a scratch.