While you’re making your spring cleaning list for the house this season, don’t forget one of the biggest parts of your home: the garage door! This is the largest entrance to your home, so it makes sense that you’d want it looking its best. Keeping it clean is just one step to take in properly maintaining the door, so take a look at a few of the things you should think about adding to your to-do list this spring.
Wash Your Garage Door
A dirty garage door can make your house look dull, drab, and dusty. Your garage door is the largest moving part of your home and often takes up a third of a home’s street-side facade. That means when it’s not looking its best, neither is your house. By keeping your garage door clean, you can prevent rust from forming under dirt, mud, and salt (left behind after the winter). There’s no need for your garage door to bring down the look of your home—especially when it’s so easy to clean it.
How to Wash Your Garage Door
When washing your door, remember to use a mild detergent and a soft sponge. Never use harsh, abrasive cleaners, scrubs, brushes, or sponges on your garage door, because that can result in deep, unsightly, irreparable scratches. Think of your garage door as you would a vehicle. You wouldn’t take a steel wool pad to your car, so why would you try it on your garage door?
Lubricate Moving Parts
Typically, the garage door is the largest moving part in your home. It’s normal not to think about how well it’s working until something goes wrong. A poorly lubricated garage door track can result in rust, a shaky/loud door, problems with door balance, and added stress to the rollers. A properly lubricated roller system is a much quieter roller system.
Using Garage Door Lubricant
An important thing to remember is that adding new garage door lubricant to its moving parts doesn’t help the situation if old lubricant is still in the tracks. Before you add new lubricant to the track, take an old rag to clear the existing lubricant out of the tracks, from around the rollers, etc. You won’t be able to remove all of it, but as long as any buildup is removed, you can move to the next step, which is applying the lubricant. A multi-purpose spray lube like what we offer makes it easy to apply. Simply spray down the track, making sure the rollers are being touched, and you’re good to go!
Tighten Loose Parts
With each open and close of your garage door, the tightened bolts, nuts, and screws that make up your track are experiencing a certain amount of stress. While this is completely normal, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on those parts. Not only do you want to make sure they’re securely in place, but watching for rust is key in preventing future problems. When a screw rusts and is left unaddressed too long, it can be more likely to strip when you tighten it or try to remove it.
Regular Maintenance
Like anything in life, a garage door benefits from regular maintenance. Because a garage door depends on its moving parts, making sure those parts are in proper working order is key to prolonging the service life of your door. This also means you’re getting more out of your investment!
Professional Garage Door Technicians
Our trained garage door inspectors are up on all the latest garage door news and safety procedures, ensuring that when they check your garage door, you can be sure it’s thorough. They will check for signs of wear and tear with the moving parts of the garage (rollers, springs, etc.), look for any signs of missing or loose parts, inspect for signs of damage, and more. Safety warning labels are in place for a reason, so our techs also check to make sure these are still secure.
Easy Garage Maintenance Tips
While there are certain repairs you should never attempt to make. For instance, do not ever attempt to repair a broken garage door spring. That repair needs to be made by a trained professional because serious injury can result in doing this improperly. However, there are several simple maintenance items you could check off of your spring cleaning list when it comes to your garage. Some of those include replacing weatherstripping, testing safety features, and checking your garage door balance. We explain each of these in more detail in a previous blog, “Preventative Maintenance Tips for Garage Doors.”
New Garage Doors
If your garage door is past the point of no return or you’re looking for a change, take a look at our garage door gallery. From a classic look from a carriage house garage door to a super-modern door with flush panels, this selection is sure to have something you like. You can also customize your own garage door with the interactive garage door design tool from C.H.I. Overhead Doors.
Let’s Talk Garage Doors
We’re ready to answer any questions you may have about garage doors. Feel free to drop us a line today or follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the latest in garage door news.