My uncle showed me his trick for fixing a sticky door in his old farmhouse

We were working on his place in rural Ohio last fall, trying to fix a front door that kept jamming. He took a plain bar of soap and rubbed it along the top edge of the door frame. He said, 'Been doing this for 40 years, kid. Sometimes the fix is in the kitchen, not the toolbox.' The door slid smooth right after. Anyone know other simple household items that work for quick fixes like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarb771mo ago

Your uncle's trick is clever, but soap leaves a greasy residue that attracts dust and dirt. It actually makes the problem worse over time. A dry bar of graphite from a pencil rubbed on the hinge pin is a much cleaner fix. The graphite lubricates without the mess. That's the real old-school method that doesn't gunk things up.

rowanellis1mo ago

But have you ever actually tried the graphite trick? @oscarb77, it sounds good in theory, but graphite is so messy. It gets all over your hands and smears on the door frame. Soap might need a wipe after, but at least it's cheap and right there in the bathroom. For a quick fix on a sticky interior door, a bit of hand soap on the pin works fine and washes off easy. Graphite feels like using a fancy solution for a simple problem.

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ray18925d ago

Ha! @oscarb77 just taught me WD-40 is flammable. Good thing I didn't test that theory with a lighter.