What To Do About STOPPING DING DONG DITCH

13 Jan 2009 by Terry Barga, 24 Comments »

Do you have a problem with pesky neighborhood kids ringing your doorbell then running, ding dong ditch. First of all, we here at what to do about.com know all about ding dong ditch and can give you all the help you need to stop this problem. Second thing is, you should try it before you knock it, it’s quite exciting.

Ok, it’s evening and you are sitting on the couch watching 24 and you hear somebody at the door, but wait, they are at the front door and nobody usually comes to the front door. It must be those damn neighbor kids! You are not sure so you get up and check it out and much to your dismay you are right. It’s those stupid kids again and that’s the third time this week. So what do you do? Well, let’s run down the list.

1) If you keep a baseball bat behind the door like I do, then you can take care of this problem real quick. Just wait for the next ding dong ditcher and jump out of your seat and let the foot race ensue. Of course you will need to be able to outrun them, but one thing is for sure, they will not expect it. Chase them down the street and then when you get one, pin him to the ground and pretend like you are going to beat them with the bat. Message received, you should never see those kids again.

2) If you have a door bell then what you want to do is take off the button and grind down the plastic coating so the bare metal is showing. Then grab an extension cord, strip it down to the green and black wires, place the green wire on the bottom contact and the black to the top contact making sure they do not touch. Plug it in and wait for the shock of a lifetime. It will not kill them, but the sparks will probably make them mess their pants. Message received.


3) Lastly you can change your doorbell to a grizzly bear growl or a big dog barking then amplify the sound by running it through your surround sound receiver. Hide a sub woofer outside then crank it up. They will come to the door, hit the doorbell, and hear what sounds like a 10ft. tall bear or a really mean pitbull lying on the porch. Message received!

If you have any stories or tips for stopping ding dong ditch, please share! Hope this helps you fend of those evil kids. Good luck and make sure you lace up the running shoes before you head out to beat some sense into the kids.

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  • Carolyn

    I wish I had pesky neighborhood kids just so I could try this sound advice. Unfortunately I live in an apartment complex filled with mostly old people and single mothers with young children.

    I have never been ding dong ditched. Nobody ever ding dong ditched my parents house either, which is surprising because I grew up in the middle of nowhere. There was shit else to do.

    I guess I'll just have to wait till I move again to beat some sense into some kids. *sigh*

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdaTim

    haha… sigh

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdaTim

    Terry, I like your second suggestion the best. I would totally hook up a live wire and electrocute the little buggers!

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdaterry

    Ah, yes it reminds me of my time spent in prison in guam. Only the it wasn't a kid getting shocked and the wires were not hooked to a door bell….

  • jon

    4)you could also do the classic “manniquin”,put fake people outside at dark,turn all lights off and act like nobody is home,and note:im a kid my self thats does this and to tell you the truth:we run to the side of the house.or somewhere we can see you come out the door.trust me it works and freaks kids out almost pissed my pants when it happened to me!GOODLUCK.

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdanate

    That's a pretty good idea actually.

  • Peter

    I won't risk electrocuting some punk. Do what I did. Buy a surveillance camera and DVR, available in Security camera stores. Catch them in the act and turn evidence over to police and file criminal complaint. Then watch the parents pee all over themselves. You can get the money spent back from the parents. And you will never hear from the human excrement again.

  • rolloverlaughing

    It is really simple to disable the doorbell, well, if it is within reach. Sometimes my own kids did the 3ds' because they thought it was funny, especially if they had friends, cousins over visiting. Since it is a low voltage device, I would detach the wire or simply stick a small piece of cardboard where the hammer meets the cylinder, you know, to make it go ding dong.
    If you chose to go the electric shock therapy route, you may want to post a warning!!
    Dang…..that's all I have.

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdaTim

    Disable the doorbell? Electrocution is much more fun!

    Post a warning? That would ruin the fun of getting back at the ditchers

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdaTim

    Disable the doorbell? Electrocution is much more fun!

    Post a warning? That would ruin the fun of getting back at the ditchers

  • !!! fuck you

    Dude your fucking stupied you wont stop us bro

  • anonymous

    the one thing that stopped kids from coming and doing that to us was this simple trick: take a piece of sturdy string (like twine) and measure it across your porch. when it gets just after dark, go outside and tie it tightly across the porch beams, so that it makes a noise when you flick it (that tight). after you've tied the twine, then you can put rocks or other hard objects (no knives or tools unless you want to get your butt sued off by parents) where they would most likely fall. not only will they get a big surprise, but some sores and bruises to go along with it!

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtdanate

    great idea…where do you live?

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  • mdog14

    I actually go dinging myself and i found a bucket of ice water and a trip wire work really well i never went to that house again

  • mdog14

    I actually go dinging myself and i found a bucket of ice water and a trip wire work really well i never went to that house again

  • James1223

    I know I have some punk neighbor kids and what my dad did was he would sneak out the back door with a stick and yell “I got you damn kids!” It was hilarious and THEY ran as fast as they could home, but they are now doing it again!

  • Can

    The thing is, some of us have infants. My infant, for example, has reflux really bad. It takes forever to get her to sleep. Then some smart a$& kids ring the bell at 2 am, dogs go nuts & wake her up. Its not just a joke or a slight inconvenience.

  • Nybergjm

    wtf man this sounds a little extreme rofl… shocking them? Running them down with a bat? i would lawl no doubt but this sounds just a little extreme to me…

  • Nybergjm

    wtf man this sounds a little extreme rofl… shocking them? Running them down with a bat? i would lawl no doubt but this sounds just a little extreme to me…

  • Harleydude072

    Think I will try a paint ball gun. Luck for me I am on a corner house so I can see the street that they run down from my back porch and bam gotcha ya.

  • http://www.whattodoabout.com wtda

    ahaha, that’s a great idea!

  • Frenchie

    I have a smoke machiene, so wire it to the doorbell, hide it outside, and BAM! Kids are like WTF?

  • Brvoss6140

    Kids will also come on school nights when you will not expect it. So if you have an idea of when or what days they come and you have nothing to do; Wait outside and chase them and say you have the cops on their way. They wont come back. I gurantee it.