3D Printer

To be clear, you do not need a 3D printer to create an escape room. Although there are many affordable options, 3D printing is a hobby onto itself.

If you happen to have access to a 3D printer, it can be helpful to fabricate items as you need them, which can make life easier. If you have one, you will probably use it. But if you don’t, it will still be possible to find, buy, construct, or jury-rig everything you need for a great at home escape room.

One particularly useful thing I have found to print are latches that can be used with padlocks. It is convenient to scale and print these to the type of padlocks you have and then glue them to makeshift containers like cardboard boxes. Again, you don’t need a 3D printer to create these. You can probably find something similar at your hardware store or just improvise by wrapping string around the box connected with the lock. But if you have the printer, it can simplify things.