Before winter really gets here, you should take a couple of hours to make sure that your garage door and your garage are ready for winter. Just like the rest of your house, sometimes your garage door needs a little attention. Here is a quick guide to help you get your garage door ready for winter.

Clean Your Garage Door

To start with, make sure that your family knows that you are working on your garage door so that no one accidentally tries to open it while you are working on it.

The first thing you need to do is clean your garage door. Start by spraying down the outside of your garage door. You may want to use some car soap and a large brush to scrub your garage door down. Remove all the dirt and grime that has built up on it over the course of the past year. Alternatively, you could use a pressure washer to clean the outside of your garage door.

Clean the inside of your garage door too. If it is not that dusty, wipe it down with a wet brush and dry it with a towel. If it is pretty dirty, clean it using the same method you used on the outside of your garage door.

Next, you need to clean all the mechanisms on your garage door. Use a wet, soapy rag to clean all the moving parts on your garage door. Pay especially close attention to the track that your garage door moves upon. Dirt, dust and dead bugs often build up in garage door tracks.

Apply Lubricant

All that washing probably removed some of the necessary lubricant that your garage door needs to function. Take a silicone-based lubricant and apply it to all the moving parts on your garage door. A couple of drops on each spring and bearing will do.

As for the garage door track, you can either get a rag damp with lubricant and then apply it to the track, or you can spread out some drops of lubricant and go back through and rub them in.

Inspect The Weather Strip

Finally, you need to inspect the weather strip on your garage door. The weather strip should run across both sides of your garage door as well as across the bottom. The weather strip will help to keep the cold, rain and snow out of your garage.

If the weather strip is worn away or broken, you may need to replace it. In order to replace it, you'll need to measure the width and height of your garage door and use that information to purchase the appropriately sized weather stripping at your local hardware store. 

Now that your garage door is clean, lubricated and properly insulated, it should be ready for whatever winter throws its way. If you need additional help with your garage door, contact a contractor such as Rogers Overhead Door Co.