Breaking glass is always loud and it can attract unwanted attention, especially when you’re locked out of your home and the only way to get in is to break the window.
Your neighbors might call the police and report that a break-in is happening and you don’t want this.
Another scenario might be that you’re locked in your car and you must break the car window to escape but someone might think you’re stealing the car.
Either way, you’ll want to break the glass as quietly as possible to prevent anyone from suspecting you’re doing something illegal.
Today we’re going to go through some effective methods of breaking glass without bringing any attention.
How to Break Glass Quietly (Using Basic Tools)
What You'll Be Needing:
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DESCRIPTION
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Pocket Knife
To pry open window
Of course, you’re not going to have access to tools all the time, but if you do have access to some this is how you should use them.
Tools such as a hammer, wrench, screwdriver or even a knife can help you break the glass if it is thin enough to make a hole in it.
1. Duct Tape to Save the Day
Ideally, you could use duct tape to cover the area you want to break because it will stop the glass from shattering all the way through and it will make minimal noise when you hit the area with a tool.
If the glass you’re trying to break is a car window, duct tape will also prevent shrapnel from spurring all over the place and possibly cutting your hand or even face.
Just cover the area you want to hit with a thick layer of duct tape, preferably near the handle of the window so you can reach through with your arm to open the window with your hand and open it.
You need to make sure that the hole is wide enough for your hand to fit without touching the edges because you can easily cut yourself.
2. No Duct Tape? Use a Cloth
If you don’t have duct tape available, you can use your shirt or sweater or any other type of cloth to cover the area you want to hit with a tool.
The cloth will minimize the damage your tool will do on the window and will help you to break off individual pieces of the glass once it has shattered.
You’ll have to hit the window pretty hard for this method to work and just try not to hit your fingers.
3. Using a Screwdriver
You can use a screwdriver and push the tip in between the window and the frame to leave a wide enough gap to fit your hand.
The longer the screwdriver the more leverage you’ll have and it’ll be easier for you to make the gap.
You can even pop the whole window out of the frame if you work around the edges just be careful that the window doesn’t fall out as it will make noise if it breaks on the ground.
Of course, you can even just unscrew the bolts of the window hinges and you’ve finished the job.
4. Using a Knife
If you don't any tools available but have a pocket knife at hand you can pry open a window without breaking it or with minimum damage.
Just use your knife to cut the rubber around the window and it will reveal a gap between the glass and the frame and stick your knife through the gap.
Once you do this, try to pry open the window by levering the knife and you end up with a wide enough space so that you can stick your hand through and reach for the handle.
If this doesn’t work, you should try to break off a piece of glass using your knife also by levering it until the window breaks.
Some types of windows are very thick so this method might not work on your car window.
Also, don’t try to stab the window with the knife as you can break through it and cut yourself as well as make too much noise.
5. Using a Spark Plug
If you’re stuck in your car and have a spark plug lying around, or, if you’re stuck outside of your car, you can use a spark plug to break the glass.
Spark plugs have a sharp point at the end of them and this is ideal for shattering a window of your car because the sharp point is hard enough so the force is concentrated in one area.
Be sure to wrap the spark plug with some kind of cloth before you start hitting the glass to prevent any cuts on your hands.
6. Using a Glass Breaker
The most ideal tool you can use to break glass quietly is, of course, a glass breaker because the tool is specifically designed for impacting glass.
The sharp diamond point of the glass breaker is quite hard and it leaves the glass shattered or it can punch a hole through the glass depending on the type of glass.
For example, using a glass breaker on your home window will surely break the glass into large pieces as it is quite thin so you might not want to use maximum force if you want to break it quietly.
As far as the car window is concerned, you can hit as hard as you want and the thick glass will crack into a million different pieces but will not shatter all the way through.
You can then try to push individual pieces out until you’ve made a large enough hole for your hand to reach the handle.
If you’re lucky, the car alarm won’t go off.
Have no Tools? No Problem.
If you don’t have any tools available but you still need to break glass without making too much noise you can opt for a few different methods.
Method #1 – Use your feet
If you’re stuck in your car you can try to pop the car window out by kicking it with your feet.
Although this method requires a lot of force and ideally you should be parked near a grassy area to minimize the sound of the falling glass it can save your life in a life or death situation.
Also, you can use the same method if you want to get in the car and the glass won’t make so much noise as it will fall on your car seats.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to enter your home, try this method by breaking the window near to a piece of furniture as it won’t make much sound.
Ideally, you should wear shoes as the thick sole will have a greater impact.
Method #2 – Use your keys
You can use your keys to break the glass.
Just pick the biggest key you have, preferably with a sharp point and try to use it as a glass breaker.
This method can work on thinner windows but can't help you if you're attempting to break a car window.
Of course, wrap a cloth around the key and your hand to prevent any scratches or cuts.
Method #3 – Use lighter
Breaking a glass by heating it might also be an option but do know that this method might only work with thin glass.
When glass hits a certain temperature which, depending on the type of glass, is over 200F, it can start to crack.
You can try to use your lighter and make the glass hot enough so it starts to crack and torch lighters work the best.
This method can be used when you’re desperate to break a window but we suggest that you try other methods before you try this one.
Also, be careful with open flames and try not to get burnt by the lighter as it can get quite hot real fast.
Conclusion: How to Break Glass Quietly
As you can see there are many ways you can break glass without making any noise and you should try them all and see what works best.
But, if you're trying to break the glass while making minimum noise so that you don't bring negative attention, don't put your life in danger just for that reason.
If you’re really in a life or death situation, you shouldn’t care about making noise while breaking a window.
Final thoughts - always have a glass breaker with you, whether in your car or even a small key-chain.
How to Break Glass Quietly
Want to break a car window or house window without making noise and do it safely? Here's how you can break glass quietly.
Active Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Instructions
- Duct Tape to Save the Day
- No Duct Tape? Use a Cloth
- Using a Screwdriver
- Using a Knife
- Using a Spark Plug
- Using a Glass Breaker
- Use Your Feet
- Use Your Keys
- Use a Lighter
