Cleaning and Maintaining Your Garage Door: What You Need to Know

The Importance of Cleaning and Maintaining Your Garage Door

Cleaning and maintaining your garage door is important to its longevity and durability. Your garage door provides convenience day-in and day-out and often goes unnoticed. That is until it suddenly doesn’t work the way it should anymore. It is then that you start to realize the neglected noisy springs from a few weeks ago. Maybe the tracking doesn’t look as clean as it once did, either.

If you neglect your garage door, this can put a lot of stress on your automatic garage door opener. This can lead to problems with the garage door opener itself and could lead to an expensive repair bill. That is why this month, TNT Garage Doors, Inc., is bringing you cleaning and maintenance tips for your garage door to help avoid future problems.

Schedule Routine Seasonal Garage Door Inspections

Garage door maintenance is often one of the most overlooked household maintenance items. Households with a garage door should schedule twice-a-year garage door inspections and maintenance for their garage doors. This gives you time to observe the garage door in action, and truly inspect each part of the door. Just spending an hour or two in the spring and fall could save you from expensive repairs down the road. If you don’t trust yourself to catch any issues, seek the help of a professional. TNT Garage Doors, Inc., is available to home and business owners in WV.

Observe Your Garage Door in Action

To begin, watch and listen to the door in operation. Problems with your garage door or automatic garage door opener are often translated into scraping and grinding sounds. A well-maintained garage door will be relatively quiet in operation. If your garage door is noisy, it may be time for some repairs and maintenance. You should not see any jerkiness in its motion as the garage door is being lowered, either. Ensure all of the springs, pulleys, and cables are all symmetrical.

Make Sure All Tracking Is Clear of Dirt and Debris

Garage door tracking is an essential part of your garage door’s operation. The tracking supports the door and guides it as it opens and closes. If there is any debris, dirt, or rust on the tracking, it can cause issues. Rust can cause the metal to lose its strength and can lead to things like bending or collapse. Monitoring dirt, debris, or rust on your tracking is very important for this reason. This is also a good time to grab a level and ensure your tracking is perfectly vertical along their vertical sections. You can make small adjustments yourself, but for major track adjustments, call a professional.

Inspect, Tighten, and Replace Garage Door Hardware

Your garage door may move up and down hundreds of times per year. These repetitive movements and vibrations can loosen up a garage door and its hardware. Be sure to inspect all sections, including each bolt, screw, and other fasteners. A socket wrench can come in handy when tightening up any loose bolts you find during your inspection.

Inspect the rollers that fit inside of the garage door tracking during your bi-annual inspection. Replace these rollers at least every five to seven years. Replace chipped, cracked, or worn rollers immediately. You can replace rollers by removing the brackets holding them to the door. A word of caution: Do not remove the bottom roller bracket on each side. These are attached to lift cables which are under extreme tension. It is a good idea to keep rollers and the other moving parts of your garage door well lubricated. This will reduce tension on the entire system. Twice a year, spray a high-quality spray lubricant such as white lithium grease on rollers, hinges, and more, then wipe off. If any part of your garage door seems stuck, WD-40 should do the trick. 

Observe Cables and Pulleys on Your Garage Door

As you are conducting your inspection, be sure to observe the lift cables and pulleys that attach to the bottom roller brackets on the door. These cables and pulleys provide a connection between the springs and the door to help open and close the door safely. As you can imagine, these cables, pulleys, and springs are all under high tension and can be dangerous. If you spot any broken strands or other signs of wear or damage to any cables, pulleys, or springs, call a professional technician for assistance.

You can tell if your springs are growing old and worn if your door is improperly balanced. To test your door’s balance, pull the release handle on the automatic opener. Then, manually lift the door so it is halfway open. The door should remain in place. If it doesn’t, the door is improperly balanced.

Repair or Replace Garage Door Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping is an important part of your garage door to keep undesired cold, water, dust, and dirt out. Inspecting your weatherstripping twice per year will make sure it is in good shape to protect your garage from the elements. Weatherstripping on garage doors is along the bottom of the door or along the sides. If you need to repair or replace your weatherstripping, purchase it at your local hardware store.

Done Inspecting? Now It’s Time for a Fresh Clean and Paint Job

So you’ve come to the end of your inspection, and it’s now time to look at the garage door itself. Do you notice any rust spots that need to be sanded, primed, and repainted? Is there noticeable dirt and grime stuck to the surface of your garage door? It may be time for a garage door “refresh.” Wash fiberglass garage doors with an all-purpose cleaner. If you have a wooden garage door, watch for warping and water damage, as they are common. If your wooden garage door doesn’t have weatherstripping, make sure the bottom edge of the door is well sealed and painted. After, install some quality weatherstripping.

TNT Garage Doors, Inc. Can Inspect and Repair Your Garage Door

At TNT Garage Doors, Inc., in Charleston, WV, our garage door experts can provide garage door inspections, maintenance, and more. For those who are looking for a new garage door, we offer sales and installation to homeowners and businesses in the region. We provide sales, installation, repair, to those in Winfield, WV; Huntington, WV; Hurricane, WV; Point Pleasant, WV; Ripley, WV; and the surrounding areas.

At TNT Garage Doors, Inc., we believe that “quality doesn’t cost, it pays,” and with us, you’ll always receive quality!

Call TNT Garage Doors, Inc., in Charleston, WV, at (304) 344-3667. For more updates, follow us on Facebook, and check out the rest of our website for more advice on garage door cleaning and maintenance.