Texas, Why Are We Now Putting Foil On Door Knobs?

Yesterday I saw a viral post on Facebook that described how some Texans are now putting aluminum foil on their doorknobs. Have you heard of this?

I can't find the original social media post that I saw; I wish I could, but it is out there somewhere. While I can't find the post that filled me with so many questions, it doesn't mean that I can't hop online to find out if and why Texans are really doing this... Or is it just the internet messing with us again?

Are We Putting Foil On Door Knobs Now?

I saw some Reddit comments claiming that it helps prevent a clever dog from opening the door and another claimed it protects the knob from getting too hot on a sweltering day here in the Lone Star State, but that seems like a lot of work for such a small reason.

A not-so-deep dive into Google, it appears that there are folks who believe it can help protect them, their family, and their home from a potential burglar. Seemingly centered around a homeowner worried their house may be getting staked out.

But, if you've seen these claims like me, your curiosity and mine may be more clickbait than anything else. If you believe Snopes, they traced the claim back to a misleading hack ad on social media. Don't waste your aluminum foil on this.

The ad led to what appeared to be a lengthy slideshow article with the headline, "33 Life Hacks To Boost Your Quality Of Life!" The first page featured the full picture from the ad that showed foil wrapped on a doorknob. Such slideshow articles require that readers click "next page" numerous times in order to reach the end of the story.

There ya go.