A squeaky door hinge can be a pain in the neck that can kill off your peace at home and leave you upset anytime someone opens or close the door to a room. Have you ever wondered how to stop the squeaky door hinges from disrupting your peace and tranquillity at home?.
Luckily enough there are several doable DIY methods that you can use to get rid of the squeaky noise in your door hinges and enjoy quietude and peace of mind at home.
Some of the simplest ways to get rid of the squeaky noise in your door hinges without WD-40 are; to tighten up your door hinges, clean up your door hinges with steel wool, replace your door hinges, and coat your door hinges with lubricants.
There are several different ways to lubricate your door hinge to get rid of the squeaky noise. We might all be familiar with the WD-40 and its array of uses. But it’s not the best lubricant when it comes to fixing your door hinges.
Although WD-40 will stop the squeaky noise, it’s a solvent and much less of a lubricant. So it won’t last for a long period of time compared to viscous lubricants. The spray applicator also tends to be slightly messy when you are trying to make it seep into your door hinges.
There are many household items such as grease, oil soap, and other household products that will perform better than WD-40 in the long run.
Below are a few house products you can use;
- (Vaseline) petroleum jelly
- Hairspray
- Cooking oil(coconut, olive and canola)
- Bar soap
- Paraffin candles
How to Fix Your Squeaky Door Hinges Without WD40
Take Out the Pin from the Hinges
The first step is to take out the hinge pin from the rest of your hinge hardware. The easiest way to do this is to use a hammer and a nail to tap the hinge pin out from beneath. This technique should work perfectly even if you are tackling an outdoor gate or an inside hinge.
Put in the nails at the bottom of your hinge and tap on the nail gently with your hammer to push out the hinge pin from the top. However, the nail may become useless after doing this.
You can also rotate the hinge pin out using a pair of needle-nose pliers, but if your hinge is squeaky, then it may be jammed to some degree.
Coat Your Hinge Pin with a Lubricant
Now that you have taken the hinge pin out of its housing, the next thing is to coat it with any lubricant of your choice. Any of the lubricants mentioned above will do the trick perfectly. However, these kinds of lubricants last longer than thin oil lubricants.
Before you coat your hinge pin, ensure to wipe down dirt and debris from it with a clean rag. In case your hinge pin is rusty, you can use steel wool or sandpaper to clean it up.
Then apply the lubricant across the entire surface of your hinge pin.
Bar Soap
The bar soap is made up of fats and oil such as coconut and palm oil. This will help lubricate the hinges properly. Even though soap may not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to lubricate your door hinges, it’s effective at stopping the squeaking and scraping noise in your door hinges.
Surprisingly soap has been found on axles of chariots dating back as far as 1400 BC and it is still used in many industries today.
Simply rub your bar soap onto the entire surface of the hinges till they are properly lubricated. After that open and close your door several times for the door to wreak the soap into the hinges properly.
Ensure you choose a soap with a great amount of fat in them and avoid glycerin-based soaps as they can cause rust in the long run. Bear in mind that this is not a permanent solution and will need further attention when the squeaky noise returns.
Also Read:
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Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly has had many uses over the past years such as medicine to decrease scarring and an ingredient used in hair products to help decrease moisture loss. It is also used to protect the skin from drying out.
The various properties of petroleum jelly make it a great all-around lubricant for your door hinges. It works well and lasts for a long period because of its thick nature. With this, you won’t rework this in the immediate future.
To use the petroleum jelly to get rid of the squeaky noise in your door hinges, simply rub a small amount of the petroleum jelly on the external parts of the hinges till the jelly seeps into the hinges properly. To achieve better results you can remove the hinge pin and coat it with petroleum jelly before you reinsert it again.
Paraffin Candles
The properties of petroleum in paraffin candles make it an excellent lubricant to quiet down your noisy hinges.
To use the paraffin wax, you need to melt the wax in a microwave and then take out the hinge pin from the door. Next, pour out a considerable amount of the melted wax onto the hinge pin and allow it to cool.
.And reinsert the pin back into the door hinge and find out if the squeaky noise has stopped. However, one coat may not be enough and hence this procedure may be difficult to figure out the right quantity of wax to eliminate the squeaky noise.
Lithium Grease
Lithium grease is another good alternative that will help fix the squeaky door hinges. A blot of lithium grease on the hinge pin will help l lubricate it and get rid of the noise.
Hairspray
Hairspray can be one of the easiest and fastest ways to get rid of the squeaky noise from your door hinges. The hairspray is made up of polymers that help create a seal on all sides of the hinges and prevent them from losing, rubbing together, or moving about. This helps stop the squeaking noise.
To use the hair spray, simply spray a considerable amount of the hairspray onto the squeaky hinges. After that open and close several times for the hairspray to seep in properly. Bear in mind that this approach may not last long and you may have to figure out other permanent solutions when the noise returns.
Cooking Oil
Any cooking oil in your kitchen is a simple solution for fixing your squeaky hinges. A few drops of the oil will lubricate your squeaky hinges. To achieve better results we advise you to use a pipette and simply apply a few drops of the oil onto the hinges. However, this oil is thinner than the other kinds of oil. So you will need to clean up any excess oil after the application.
Tighten Up Your Hinges
Ensuring your doors are securely fastened and tightened is very essential to keep your door steady and eliminate irritating noise. To do this, use a screwdriver or a wrench to tighten up the screws on each of your hinges. Tighten the screws properly firmly against the hinges but ensure not over-tighten them. Open and close your door again to find out if the squeaky has stopped.
Clean Up Your Door Hinges with Steel Wool
If the squeaking noise in your door hinges persists after you’ve tried all these tactics above, then it’s likely your hinge is mucked up and can’t work properly. In most cases, the lubricant may not rescue the hinge pins from dust and rust.
In Instances like this, the lubricant alone will not solve the problem, you need to clean up the hinge pins first. All you will need to get things done is a cleaner and steel wool.
Take out the hinge pins and use a steel wool pad and a cleaner to scrub them up. After that, coat it with any household lubricant such as the ones mentioned above. Finally, reinsert the pin back into your door hinges and tap it with a hammer to them upright.
Replace Your Door Hinges
If all the approaches above don’t stop the squeaky noise, then it’s time to replace your door hinges. Replacing your door hinges will make your door function better and eliminate the annoying squeaky noise. Replacing your door hinges is easier than you think, as it is a simple doable DIY job.
To get going you will need the following materials:
- Doorstops
- New door hinges
- Tape measure
- A screwdriver or drill
The Doorstops can be very useful especially if you are replacing the hinges all alone, the doorstops will keep the door in place as you replace the hinges.
Measure your old hinges to help you find out what size you will need. Open the hinge and measure from the top to the bottom. You can also pick up a finish such as bronze, nickel, and brass based on your choice.
Use a screwdriver or drill to screw out all the screws on one of your door hinges and screw in the new hinge. To prevent your door frame from coming down do one door hinge at a time.
Conclusion
A squeaky door can be very infuriating especially when some open or close the door to a room at night. Fortunately enough we have discussed some of the best ways to help you stop the squeaky noise in your door hinges using simple household items. Read the article clearly and stick to the approaches above to achieve better results.
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