Home - Garden
Give Your Doors A
Fresh Look
With These Cleaning Tips
By ELLEN KERSHNER
Dust Thoroughly
Wetting dusty surfaces
and wiping them down is inefficient because it smears grime around. Instead, dust them first with a clean, dry microfiber cloth or mop.
Use Gentle Cleaners
Painted and stained wood doors must be cleaned with gentle products and tools, so combine a few drops of gentle dish soap and Murphy's into a bucket.
If the door is especially dirty, add ½ cup of vinegar to break up the grime. Then scrub with a fresh sponge, microfiber cloth, toothbrush, or paintbrush and dry it with a towel.
Vinegar For Fiberglass
To clean fiberglass doors, combine one cup of plain white vinegar and a gallon of water into a spray bottle and use a sponge or lint-free cloth to wipe.
Steel Doors
It's important to check steel and metal doors for rust regularly, and if there is, soften it with an old towel dampened with kerosene and scrape it away with sandpaper.
Stainless steel doors must be cleaned with glass cleaners without vinegar or ammonia or simple dish soap mixed into hot water, as other cleaners can leave scratches.
Sticky Door Lock
A sticky door lock starts when dirt on the outside of the door finds its way into the chamber, and locksmiths often clean them with powdered graphite.
For everyday purposes, compressed air works just
as well as powdered graphite. The debris can also be removed with a thin wire guided into the lock opening.