A squeaking garage door does not only sound annoying, it is also a sign that your garage door needs a little maintenance. Here is what you need to do when you hear your garage door start to make a small or loud squeaking sound. Here are the three most likely sources of the squeaking and what to do about it.

The Rollers

One of the most common places that the squeaking sound you are hearing comes from is the rollers. The rollers do a lot of work for your garage door. You use them every time you open and shut your garage door.

In order for your rollers to work effectively, they need to be clean and well-lubricated. Your rollers are located on the outside edge of your garage door and run along the track. They are compromised of a circle with a rod going from the track to your garage door that is held in place with screws. 

The first thing you need to do is take a rag and wipe away any grime that has built up on your rollers. You may need a step stool or ladder in order to reach all the rollers. Before you do that though, make sure your family and roommate know you are working on your garage door so that they don't try to operate it while you are working. 

Next, spray and wipe silicone lubricant all over the circular portion of each roller. Silicone lubricant repels dirt, which is why you should use that specific type of lubricant on your garage door; you don't want dirt collecting on your rollers.

The Springs

Your garage door also has springs that help it open and close. These springs look like tight coils. They too sometimes need to be cleaned and wiped down. Follow the process described above for the rollers for the springs. You can spray and rub lubricant along the entire length of the springs.

The Hinges

Finally the last place where the squeaking from your garage door may be coming from is the hinges. 

If your hinges are not tightened evenly, they may squeak. Inspect each of the hinges on your garage door and compare them to one another. The screws should be equally tight and the hinges should be in the same place. If you see or notice any screws that are tighter or looser than the rest, use your screwdriver to adjust the screws so they are all at appropriately the same level of tightness.

If any of your hinges have drifted out of place, you may need to move them slightly to get them back in line.

After you do that, you should also clean and lubricate your hinges. 

By inspecting, cleaning and lubricating the three different types of parts above on your garage door, you should be able to stop that annoying squeaking sound and get your garage door back on a smooth and quiet track again. Check out http://www.shankdoor.com for more information.