Stop Greasing Your Garage Door Track: Here's Why

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Novice DIYers and new home owners may instinctively reach for some grease when they hear strange noises coming from their overhead garage door. The reflex is well-founded in the notion that if something is making noises that sound like grinding or screeching, it probably needs lubrication.

To the untrained eye — or ear — it can seem that the wailing sounds are coming from contact between the rollers attached to the garage door and the tracks in which they ride. Since it's a heavy-duty connection, supporting the weight of the entire garage door, people often reach for a heavy, sticky grease to help the rollers slide more smoothly.

While the application of grease to the track may muffle the sounds of agony for a bit, it won't last. In fact, it'll only cause more problems later. Garage door rollers are designed to roll along the tracks, not slide. If they're sliding, they may need to be replaced or the door is out of adjustment. Grease and the dirt it attracts hinders the rollers' ability to roll, creating tension within the system. Not to mention the mess it makes on the garage floor or your clothes should you brush against the track walking through the door.

If someone, or you, has already applied grease to the garage door tracks, you'll need to clean them before proceeding. Be sure to collect used cleaning supplies and old grease for proper disposal.

Before you start working on an automatic garage door, make sure it's disconnected from the motor and unplugged from its power source. To disconnect the motor, first make sure that your garage door is closed, as attempting to manipulate it with the door open could result in it slamming shut. There should be a release cord on the door trolley, which usually looks like a red cord with a handle. Pull that either down or back as the available instruction direct until it you feel it disengage.

You'll also want to wear old clothes and gloves that are rated for use with grease and any degreasers you'll use. If the applied grease is thick and crusty, try starting with a plastic putty knife, wooden popsicle sticks, or tongue depressors to scrape it away. Once the big chunks are gone, an old cleaning brush or toothbrush might help get into the curves and tight spots.

Residual grease will require the use of shop rags and a good degreaser for final clean-up. Whichever degreaser you use, follow the instructions on the label and make sure the garage is well ventilated to the outside.

When you hear the first moans from your garage door, don't immediately reach for the grease. There are plenty of things in your garage that do need grease, but the door isn't one of them. Instead, grab some cleaning supplies. The door tracks the rollers ride in should be clean, no dust, debris, and certainly no grease. Use a vacuum or rags to clean the tracks, then focus your attention on the garage door's other moving parts, cleaning away any accumulated gunk from hinges, locking mechanisms, and rollers.

Once the moving parts of the door are clean, it's time to apply some lubricant. Specialized garage door lubricants like Blaster and 3-In-One are available on Amazon for around $8 each.

Whichever lubricant you use, don't apply it to the roller tracks. You'll want to apply lube to metal parts of the door lock, roller bearings (not the outside of the rollers), and hinges. The garage door's support and drive mechanisms can also get some love after cleaning. Apply lubrication sparingly to bearing plates of torsion bar systems, or pulley bearings of extension spring types. The drive chain and any cables and cable drums, if equipped, can also benefit from the application of a lubricant. However, avoid drive belt systems and nylon bearings.