How to Maintain a Garage Door

In this video, Lowe’s home improvement expert Mike Kraft gives tips on how to maintain your garage door.

There are three key steps to garage door maintenance:
1. Cleaning
2. Safety
3. Lubricating

Start outside, cleaning the outside of your door with a soft sponge or cloth. You should do this once a year or potentially more if you live in a soft air climate. Once it is washed, just rinse with a hose. If the garage door is made of wood, inspect the door to see if it needs to be repainted or stained.

It’s also good to do a safety check every few months or so. Keep in mind torsion springs can cause injuries. When doing safety checks, remove any cars or debris from the garage door area or tracks. Then do a visual inspection of all the cables, rollers, springs and hinges. Replace anything is frayed or worn and tighten bolts. For bolts that are near a safety tag or painted red, only have a trained technician adjust.

Also check the door balance, disconnecting the power first to the opener. Then disengage the door from the opener and raise the door to waist level. Release slowly. If the door raises or lowers, a trained technician will need to adjust the balance.

Use a non-silicone based lubricant to lubricate hinges, springs and bearings. Don’t oil the tracks, or else the door might become unbalanced.