How to Clean Rollers for Sliding Doors

Sliding glass doors are a lovely feature in any home. But when debris gets trapped in the tracks, the rollers for sliding doors no longer work right Here are some tips on how to clean rollers for sliding doors.

 

1: The deep clean

Once a year, it’s a good idea to deep clean the tracks and rollers for your sliding doors. First, you need to remove the sliding door. To do this, you push the door up so the rollers on the bottom of the door clear the track. You may have to loosen the level screws on the rollers to clear the threshold. Keep pushing up and pulling towards you until the door clears the opening.

Gently place the door on two sawhorses or something else that will keep the door off the ground. Once on the sawhorses, you can clean the track rollers. Use a wire brush to loosen the debris, and then vacuum the debris from the rollers and the entire bottom and top of the door. Once they’re clean, apply a non-stick silicone lubricant to the rollers and test them to be sure they are moving freely. Next, you need to clean the door track. Vacuum the door track and wipe it out with a wet rag. Apply lubricant to the tracks in the door opening before you replace the door.

Now you’re ready to put the door back in. Position the top of the door inside the top track of the door opening and push the door up so that the bottom rollers clear the bottom threshold. Let the rollers drop into the bottom track; retighten the level screws once the door is completely back in its track to make sure the door is plumb. Slide the door back and forth until it is sliding smoothly.

2: The quick clean

For regular maintenance, you can do a quick clean. This only works if the track and rollers for your sliding door aren’t too dirty. Vacuum the track to your door while the door is closed. Then slide the door all the way open so you can access the other side of the track. Grab a flat blade screwdriver and scrape out the dirt and debris from the track. With the narrow tip attachment of your vacuum, vacuum the loosened dirt. Then use an old rag to apply generous amounts of a non-stick lubricant to both tracks of the sliding door. Keep sliding the door open and shut so the entire track gets lubricated. This may take a few minutes.

Finally, Looking for more cleaning hacks and ideas? Check out these environmentally friendly Cleaning hacks!