i know i should’ve thought of this earlier and bought something at an auto parts but didn’t. 
but the forecasts are telling us of sleet and freezing rain and this made me ask…tia
With remote, it doesn’t really matter much. With key locks, there is a flapper shielding the lock from water. A little lube (some say graphite, some like me say wd-40) in the lock cylinder will keep it working. If it does freeze, heat up a key with a lighter and put it in the lock to thaw it. Also some silicone on the door gaskets is a good idea. If the whole door and everything is frozen, good luck scraping it.
50 years ago when I lived in the midwest, we used to lube our latches and lock cylinders with ethylene glycol antifreeze in winter. Works even after they are frozen. We also used to put something on our door gaskets, but I have forgotten what it was.
Use your window scraper to remover the ice from the key slot. If you push ice into the lock, it will eventually melt and refreeze. A well lubricated lock will repel any water that might get into the mechanism.
In Colorado where I used to live we didn’t get that much freezing rain, but once in a while the key latches would be frozen in the morning so I couldn’t open the doors. I just brushed away as much of the snow/ice as possible, then took portable hair dryer out there and thawed the keyhole out.
Put a large container of water in the microwave and get it hot. Slowly pour the hot water over the door handle area (NOT the door glass!) and then try the lock . . betcha it works!. Don’t get any in the door or lock, just pour it over the door area around the handle. Rocketman
(some say graphite, some like me say wd-40)
WD-40 is the 40th formula for the compay’s water displacement product. It generally does a good job for this problem.
However it is can build up a sticky goo that will cause the lock to fail. Fine dry lubricants (like graphite) are generally best for locks. If you use it I suggest you regularly clean the locks.Put some rubbing alcohol in a sprayer and spray away. The alcohol should melt and displace the water. After things warm up and thaw out you’ll need to use a lock lubricant since the alcohol will wash away the previous lubricant if there was any.
anyone ever use one of these? http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Powered-De-icer-batteries-included/dp/images/B0012400IA
Yes, they work.
I used a new, supposedly environment-friendly product called OZero and it worked well. A product like Hoppe’s Oil would work well too, since it can coat and lubricate the parts, and displace water, without attracting dust (too much of any oil can attract dust, so it may be best to put small amounts into the lock at more frequent intervals). Heat will often work in the short run but in a cold enclosed high relative humidity environment, like a door lock, it may not work so well in the long run.