Method for actuating a door lock, and door lock

A method for actuating a door lock comprising a lock mechanism in a door lock housing for a door of an electrical domestic appliance, wherein, for locking, a locking bar is moved from an open position into a locked position by way of a spring element acting on the locking bar via an attachment that is configured to transmit force between the spring element and the locking bar, wherein, in the open position, the door is opened and the locking bar is disengaged from a latch of a striker disposed on the domestic appliance and, in the locked position, the door is closed, the striker is in a locked position in the door lock housing and the locking bar is engaged with the latch, wherein,

• to lock the door proceeding from the open position, the locking bar is brought into the locked position under tension of the spring element via the attachment, in which locked position a closing force acting on the locking bar is determined by the spring element,
• and, to unlock the door, the locking bar is brought out of the locked position into an unlocked position with the aid of an actuating force that is not applied by the spring element, and, after the striker has moved out of the locked position, the locking bar is moved into the open position by the force of the spring element via the attachment;
• and wherein,
• to lock the door and, therefore, to move the locking bar out of the open position, an actuator of the lock mechanism located at the locked position of the striker presses against the striker and the striker moves into the locked position by the actuator moving away,
• wherein, simultaneously, the spring element is initially tensioned via the actuator by way of the striker and, thus, the locking bar moves out of the open position into an intermediate position and, subsequently,
• the spring element partially releases and, thus, the locking bar is moved out of the intermediate position into the locked position while a remaining residual tension of the spring element forming the closing force is maintained;
• and
• wherein the actuator, which comprises a flexible actuating element and a rotational element, which is mounted in the door lock housing and is rotatable about an axle, the actuator being situated in a recess in the door lock housing, in the open position, and, thus, extends into the striker region and, in the locked position, lies in a curved guide region of the recess in the door lock housing abutting the striker region.