It's Cold Outside: 3 Ways to Prevent Damage to Your Garage Door This Winter
If winters are particularly harsh where you live, your garage door could be paying the price, especially where ice and snow are concerned. To protect your garage door from damage this winter, here are three steps you should follow.
1. Keep the Ice and Snow Cleared Away
Ice and snow can wreak havoc on your garage door, especially if you don't take steps to keep the area clear.
Scrape the Concrete
When it snows, you need to clear the snow away from your garage door as quickly as possible. Removing the snow protects your garage door from freezing to the ground. Never use a metal-edged snow shovel when clearing a path near your garage door, however. The metal edge can cut right into the weatherstripping at the bottom of your garage door.
Sprinkle Some Salt
If your garage door is exposed to ice and snow, you want to take steps to reduce freezing. One way to do that is to use road salt. Once you clear away the ice and snow, sprinkle a generous amount of road salt along the entrance to your garage. The salt will prevent ice from forming along the lower edge of your garage door. You can also use a homemade deicing solution made with water and rubbing alcohol. Simply fill a plastic spray bottle with equal parts water and rubbing alcohol. Spray the solution on your garage door weatherstripping and along the lower edge of your garage where the door closes.
2. Lubricate the Garage Door Seal
Excess moisture and colder temperatures can cause serious damage to your garage door seal. To prevent the damage, you should apply a generous amount of lubricant to your garage door seal at least once a month during the winter months. Once spring arrives, be sure to give your garage door a thorough cleaning to remove the lubricant residue. You can apply a fresh coat to keep your garage door seal in good condition during the spring.
3. Move Your Car to the Driveway
If you're in the habit of warming up your car while it's in the garage during the winter, you should break that habit. Warming up your car while it's in the garage can pose a couple of problems. First, carbon monoxide can build up inside the garage, which can put your health at risk. Second, the warmth generated by your car will melt the snow that's around your garage door. Once you leave, the moisture will freeze, creating a layer of ice on your garage door, which can cause severe damage.
Call a garage door service company for more advice about caring for your garage door.
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