When your garage door works the way that it should, exiting and entering your garage goes off without a hitch. It's great to be able to avoid inclement weather in the mornings as you head off to work simply because you don't have to start up your car in the pouring rain or freezing cold. Keeping your garage door operating correctly doesn't have to take up much time, and any spare moments that you spend maintaining the door are sure to pay you back by saving you the money that would've been spent on costly repairs. A good garage door maintenance program should include the following tasks:

Oil The Hinges & Joints On A Regular Basis

One reason why your garage door is able to lift and lower with ease is because the joints and hinges are well-lubricated. You'll notice when dryness has set in because when you try to raise the door there could be a few jilted stops along the way -- this happens when the door struggles against the friction that comes about if the hinge-points are starting to dry out. If you're running late for work and really need to get out of the garage, you can't afford for the door to take up precious minutes during the lifting process simply because you failed to keep the oil levels where they should be.

Stop by a local hardware store and pick up a tube of non-silicone-based lubricant. Apply a generous amount of the lubricant at intervals along the garage door track, the hinged places, and the starting and ending points. This should be all you need to do to keep the door moving smoothly.

Keep That Hardware Tight

The roller brackets and bolts that hold the garage door track together take quite a beating every time the door has to work against gravity and rise up to the ceiling of your garage. Over time the bolts can start to loosen up, and if you don't counteract this by going in and tightening the hardware with a socket wrench, the door could actually come unhinged one day when you're trying to lift or lower it.

If you perform these activities then your garage door should serve you well for a very long time. Should an incident happen that falls outside of your level of knowledge, don't be afraid to call up a garage door repair expert to receive professional assistance.