Tip
Garage Tip
Store gasoline, pesticides, and other toxic materials outside of your home, preferably in a stand-alone shed.
Routine Care Task
Lubricate and inspect garage door
Lack of lubrication puts additional strain on the garage door leading to premature failure.
For attached garages, poor weather-stripping or leaky windows cause heat losses which increase energy costs.
Timing: April (yearly)
Sweep dirt and salt from garage floor
Dirt from the garage is easily tracked inside, leading to carpet wear, air-borne dust, etc.
In areas where road salt is used to melt ice, garage floors may begin to flake as the salt seeps into the concrete.
Timing: April (yearly)
How To
Garage door maintenance consists of the following:
- Clean the tracks, rollers and hinges. Since oiled tracks collect dirt, clean the tracks, rollers, and hinges with a rag dampened in paint thinner.
- With the door in the down position, apply penetrating oil to the tracks, rollers and hinges. Wipe away any excess oil with a paper towel or rag.
- Inspect bolts and screw to ensure all are properly tightened and secured.
- Check the mechanical components (chains, pulleys, rollers, hinges, etc.) for signs of excessive wear.
- Check for loose putty around windows.
- Inspect weather-stripping at the bottom of the door to ensure it makes a tight seal when the door is closed.
Note: Garage door springs are under great tension. Use extreme caution.
Using a broom, garden hose or power washer, sweep out dirt and accumulated road salt from the floor of the garage. Be careful though that you don’t wash the road salt onto areas of grass or shrubbery, otherwise, the road salt can damage these areas.
Benefits
The benefits of this task are extending the useful lives of your garage doors, and energy efficiency.
Less wear and tear on your home from tracked in dirt.
Costs
Lubricating and inspecting garage door cost moderately high from an investment of time standpoint. Depending on the number of garage doors that you have, this task could take several hours to do properly.
Sweeping dirt and salt from garage floor cost very low from an investment of time standpoint. Depending on the size of your garage, it is estimated that this task should take about 30-60 minutes to complete, and the task is relatively easy to do. No specialized tools are required, however, a power washer can help speed up the task
Originally posted at http://www.petermuehlbronner.home-wizard.com/basement/care/clean-basement-window-wells