What's the best way to stop squeaking doors from squeaking?

Graphite? How do you put it on? Where do you find it?

If something in my house squeaks I use copious amounts of WD-40.

Silicone spray


Graphite works but over time it will create grey/black residue on the door casing paint next the hinges

My preference is a good silicone grease; pull the pins and grease both hinge leaves and the pins and re-hang.

Which is significantly easier with a helper without greasy fingers (or remembering to use gloves for one or the other of the tasks.

Otherwise my other choice is a good 3-in-1 oil applied to the hinge joints while swinging the door can work, too. (Good idea to have a rag handy to catch drips--dripping being directly inversely proportional to how stain resistant nearby surfaces or clothing items are, too.

I spray the hinges with Pam cooking spray...no odor and one wipe removes anything outside the hinge itself.

I'm not familiar with silicone spray. What is the brand name and where can I find it (what section of the store)?

Would it work if I just popped out the pins one at a time and sprayed inside and the pin?

I'd like to say away from oil type lubricants to prevent the dust from sticking to it and building up.

what did I just say...it works, it doesn't attract dust, it doesn't leave black residue and it doesn't smell like WD-40 does.

Spray the hinge, open the door several times, spray again, open then wipe off the outside of the hinge with paper towel and you are good to go!

http://liquidwrench.com/products/


You can find the silicone version at any auto parts store. I think walmart may carry it as well. You do not have to pull the pins, just spray the inside of the hinge and wipe the residual off with a towel

[This message has been edited by JP76 (edited 2/26/2012 9:41p).]

Thanks Mom, but I'm going with jp76 on this one.

boys are so dumb!

I'm not dumb. I would just buy new doors.

I use rotor oil for musical instruments. One drop is usually good enough, and I've never had a problem with staining or collecting dust. I have one hinge that needs it every 6-9 months, but my other hinges have been going quietly for well over a year since I last oiled them.

I second Capnmac's suggestion. A door hinge is a slow moving part. Most light oils will simply drain away a few days or weeks after you apply them. Grease is a better choice.

Bang out one hinge pin. Wipe it clean. Coat it lightly with a common grease. Replace pin. Repeat with each pin.

I use some Teflon bike grease because that is what I have around. But they sell a spray grease that will also work well.

[This message has been edited by SpicewoodAg (edited 2/27/2012 10:11a).]

I picked up the silicon lubricant and it worked better than expected.

I oversprayed the first one and made a bit of a mess, but it only took a small spray to stop the squeak. It also worked on my office chair that I had soaked with wd-40. The wd40 worked for a short while, but the squeak came back worse than ever.

Standard butt hinge has three places it can squeak.

First is pin to knuckle.
Second is knuckle-to-knuckle.
Third (least common) is knuckle to some other part of the hinge.

Since the contact points are where squeaks usually come from, that's why I tend to take the hinge apart to get the lubricant in where the noise is (presumably) coming from.

Taking the door off means being able to see if the hinges are rubbing anywhere less obvious, too. And it's a handy time to check any weather stripping, loose parts, etc. All of which are worth doing for a paying customer.

WD-40 gets its name from being a water-displacement fluid, it's a penetrating liquid, but not an explicit lubricant. Pam™ is probably better than the other cooking sprays out there; just do not use Crisco™ as that contains vegetable oil (same as its namesake) which could go rancid on a person.

WD-40 IS a lubricant. It has mineral oil in it. It also has other liquids (perhaps alcohol) that absorb water and remove it. Hence WD = "water displacement"

WD40's lubricant is thin so it is not useful for long term use on much.

Capn and Spicewood are the winners.

Silicon grease is the best for this in my experience with teflon grease being a close second. They'll both last infinitely longer than any household oil or graphite. You definitely don't want to use any sort of thing too liquid, it wont stay where it needs to be.

You can get them both at hardware stores or most anywhere they sell plumbing or rubber components like o-rings and gaskets.

[This message has been edited by TennAg (edited 2/28/2012 1:30p).]