Many homeowners don’t think of “maintenance” when it comes to their garage door. Generally, people cruise in and out without giving their garage door much thought. While a garage is a low-maintenance part of your home – it’s not “no maintenance,” so, like everything else in your life, you need to pay attention to it to keep it going.

The first rule of thumb for maintaining just about everything from your teeth to your dog is – keep it clean! The same thing applies to your garage door. Keep your garage floor clean, especially where the door hits. Use a leaf blower to blast grit, grime, dust and dead bugs from all the door’s parts. Check the rubber seal on the bottom of your garage door. Seals can harden, causing wear and tear, and that allows drafts in and energy savings out. Regularly test the garage door’s sensors – you want to be sure it wills stop if a child or an animal is in the way. At least once a year you should wash your garage door inside and out. It’s generally a good idea to do this in the spring or fall, when it’s not too hot or too cold outside. Use a bucket and a soft cloth on both the inside and the outside; you can hose off the outside as well. Then – inspect the surfaces of your door for signs of wear or damage, and – if it’s an older door – to see if it needs to be repainted or stained. Newer doors have moving parts made out of plastic or other materials that are basically self-lubricating, but if your garage door is older you should lubricate the things that move, like the rollers, hinges, and most importantly – the springs. Don’t use thick grease or WD-40; use what is recommended for garage doors, like Liquid Wrench. Make sure all the bolts holding the tracks to the door are tight. Check for worn steel cables, and if they fray – give us a call to come out and take care of it. While this isn’t difficult to fix, it is something that only a professional has the tools for, and the spring system can be dangerous if you don’t understand exactly how it works. While we’re at it – we can also re-balance the door for you to make sure the springs aren’t too tight and aren’t too loose. And – if you aren’t up to any of the above – just give us a call, we’ll be happy to come out and take care of your garage door for you – so you don’t have to!