Garage door parts can collect dirt, grime, and rust over time because they’re perpetually exposed to the elements, and even the best quality hinges will stop working properly with enough buildup on them. For that reason, it is important to maintain your garage door using a garage door lubricant. Here are a few lubricants we recommend.
Genie Screw Drive Lube: A gel lubricant that provides a long-lasting coating on garage door parts. Great for silencing your garage door. For best results, squeeze directly on the screw drive, and spread across with your finger. Do this twice. Once, then run the door, then again, and repeat.
Blaster Chemical Company 9.3 oz. Garage Dr Lube: A high-quality, budget option designed for use on garage doors. Helps to reduce noise.
3-In-One Garage Door Lube: This is specifically designed for garage doors and works great with regular application. Precision Garage Door’s lubricant of choice.
For best results, follow these instructions when applying your lubricant:
Cleaning the Tracks
- Close your garage door.
- Disconnect your garage door from the power source after you close it.
- Clean out the tracks with a damp rag. The tracks are what your garage door rollers ride on to open and close.
- If you can, vacuum out dirt and dust from your tracks.
Lubricating Moving Parts
- Grab your lubricant and spray each hinge as it meets the bend of the track (the hinges are what hold your door panels together). Use one or two sprays for each hinge until they are covered in lubricant. This should make opening and closing your garage door much smoother.
- Spray the outside of your springs and bearing plates. The springs can usually be found at the top of the garage door and must be fully lubricated as well. The bearing plates are the moving circular parts on both sides of the springs. Spray down the outside of the springs and near the center of the bearing plates, then open and close your garage door to spread the lubricant around. Only spray springs if they are oil coated. Powder coated springs do not require lubrication. Never lubricate the track! This can cause build-up and have the door not run smoothly.
- Spray the lock and armbar. Lubricating the lock will make locking your garage door easier and can prevent rust in the long run. Point the lubricant toward the lock’s keyhole and spray it once to lubricate it. Once you’re done lubricating the lock, finish lubricating your garage door by spraying the large armbar at the top of your door. Make sure to lubricate the pun that the J-arm connects to the operator.
- Lastly, lubricate bottom of the rail where the two metals meet. The rail is the portion that your chain rides on and should run along your garage’s ceiling. The top portion of the rail is what your chain actually rides along, so it’s the part that needs to be lubricated. Spray down the top of the rail and then spread the lubricant around with a rag.
If you’re unable to perform these tasks or just need some extra backup, call your local garage door experts.
For more in-depth instructions, watch the video below.