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Three Tasks For Spring Cleaning Your Garage Door

11 January 2016 by Eva Richards

If you're making your list of tasks for spring cleaning, don't forget the garage door. It's easy to simply dust it down and leave it alone for the season, thinking that it doesn't look that bad and will just get very dirty again anyway. But keeping it clean does more than occupy your time -- it keeps the door in better shape so that it lasts longer. Here are three things to do to get that door nice, clean, and ready for spring.

Wash the Door Panels and Windows

• Spray any in-door windows with window cleaning liquid and wipe away dirt. Use a squeegee to wipe the remaining liquid off. Do this before washing the rest of the doors so that dirty fluid doesn't drip onto the doors after you've already cleaned them. Remember to clean the windows on the inside of the door, too, wiping up any liquid that's dripping onto the door itself.
• Add a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid to a bucket of water. Gently scrub down the front of the door. Use a garden hose or a pressure washer set on a light setting to wash the soap off.
• Wipe down the windows again, to remove the water that's gathered.

Cleaning the inside surface of the door can be tricky because you don't want to spray that with a hose -- the spray can ricochet and hit other things in the garage that you don't want to get wet. Try dusting the inside of the door and spot cleaning instead.

Check the Hardware

Go inside the garage and check out the springs, track, and weather seals:

• Replace weather stripping.
• Lubricate the chain and spring.
• Look at the roller and track and tighten bolts that are loose.

Clean Around the Door

Cleaning the door is essential, but you also have to clean around the door if you want the door to be truly clean. Otherwise, you're just one windy day away from having more crud on your door.

• Wipe away all cobwebs by taking a broom or brush and sweeping in the eaves of the house that are over the garage. Remember not to stand directly under the area you're sweeping lest webby leaves and debris rain down on your head. You can run the broom along part of your lawn to remove the webs from the bristles.
• Sweep up and gather all leaves on the ground outside the garage and in nearby areas as well.
• Double-check that light fixtures around the garage door are still working. If it's been a while since you've changed the bulbs, do so now. Use LEDs meant for outdoor use so that you won't have to change the bulbs again for a long time.

If you need more information about cleaning your garage door, or if you find that something like the springs needs replacing, contact a garage door repair company, like M & M Garage Doors and Service, now. Small repairs now save you big bucks later on.

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