When school’s out and the weather’s nice, chances are your garage is seeing a lot more activity. We’re talking about easy ways to keep your garage door looking good and running smoothly as we enter the dog days of summer.

Wash and wax a steel garage door to preserve the finish. This is something many people may not think about.

1. Use a garden hose and mild detergent to rinse dirt and debris off the surface.
2. Use a spray on car wax to protect the finish. It has the same effect as it does on a car. We recommend doing it at least once a year and more frequently if you live in a coastal climate where the salt air can deteriorate the finish.
3. Do not power wash your garage door. We’ve seen folks posting TikTok videos power washing their house and garage door and you can cause some serious damage to your door if the pressure is too high.

Quiet a noisy door Your garage door is made of metal parts, so you may notice it’s getting louder as metal expands and contracts in hot and cold temps.

1. Lubricate the hinges, track, springs using a synthetic lubricant.
2. Never use WD-40 (or any other similar type of penetrating oil). We’ve seen TikTok videos of people doing this as well. Click here for more information.

Opening your garage door during a power outage. We’ve experienced a few outages this summer because of powerful storms.

1. If you have a battery back-up opener it should have enough charge to open and close so you can safely get in and out at least one or two times.
2. To open manually, pull the red handle and lift the door. It should be easy to open.

Your garage door won’t close completely when you press the button.

1. The door rolls three-quarters of the way down, stops and reverses open. Usually the garage door opener light will begin flashing off and on and making a clicking sound.
2. Check the photo-eyes to make sure they aren’t blocked or misaligned. Photo-eyes are safety features to prevent the door from closing on an object that crosses an infrared beam. If a basketball or bike hits one of them or rolls in front of it, that safety feature is triggered.
3. Clear the obstruction and the door should close.

Keeping your garage door cooler and comfortable during the summer.

1. A lot of people think insulated garage doors are just for cold climates. The reality is insulated garage doors can keep your garage 10 to 20 degrees cooler in the summer compared to a non-insulated door. If you have rooms above the garage, you are going to notice a difference year-round.
2. An insulated door has a more durable construction and doesn’t dent as easily. Insulation keeps metal hardware from rattling when the door goes up and down, so it’s quieter. It will last longer and is more secure.