Any garage door can last 30 years if you have good garage door care. It can be a lot of work though. You need yearly inspections on the various components and getting professionals near Gurnee out to replace the ones that need replacing.
One way you can prevent parts from going bad too quickly on your residential garage door is to learn how to clean it right way.
Below, we go over how cleaning a garage door might be one of the best maintenance steps you can take to lengthen the life of your garage door.
Why You Should Wash Your Garage Door
First of all, you want to make sure your house looks its best, if for no other reason than curb appeal. Keeping your Gurnee home looking great on Google street view gives resale value you can take to the bank.
However, to keep your garage door looking its best and to make it last longer, you have to know how to wash it the right way. First, we need to tell you what not to do.
How Not to Clean a Garage Door
First off, never use a pressure washer. The extreme pressure of a pressure washer erodes the finish, paint, and structure of your door even if you can’t see the damage.
Not only could you damage the door structure itself, but you’ll also damage your door’s finish and paint. Pressure washing is a shortcut to two things only: a dingy, chalky-looking door and a damaged garage door.
Don’t use bleach with other cleaning solutions either. A gentler bleach-water solution can be used for spot cleaning on stains, but never in conjunction with other chemicals (even soap).
Don’t use abrasive solvents, cloths, or sponges on your door. You don’t want to erode the finish, which protects the integrity of the door and the paint. It’s the same problem as pressure washing.
How to Clean a Garage Door the Right Way
Use a mild cleaning solution or detergents such as car wash soap (more on that later). Any detergent with less than 0.5% phosphate should be alright, as well as anything non-toxic and biodegradable.
Use non-abrasive sponges and clean cloths. Avoid any sponge or cloth with dirt or sand on it or that you’ve used to wipe other chemicals up with.
To rinse your garage door, use a garden hose. A garden hose is a perfect pressure to rinse and preserve your door for a long time.
Also, wax your garage door with car wax. Using a car wash soap is best because you already know that it will mix well with car wax. Other soaps might not react correctly with car wax.
It makes sense to use car wash and car wax products because most residential garages are aluminum, fiberglass, vinyl, or steel with the same paint products and finishes as a car would have. Wood doors have different paint products due to their porosity, so a mild detergent is best, like dishwashing soap.
Curb Appeal You Can Feel in Gurnee
Now that you know how to clean a garage door the right way, you also know a clean garage door isn’t all you need. You also need to keep up with maintenance as it comes up.
Premier Door Corp serves the Gurnee area with pride. We’ve proven our reliability for more than 16 years. For our hard work, we have client trust and loyalty that is unmatched in our service area.
We love our clients, and they love us because we treat each garage door, residential or commercial, as if they’re our own.
Contact Premier Door Corp today to find out why we’re your trusted garage door contractor.
