How to Clean a Garage Door, Inside and Out, Without Damaging It

Question 01

How do you clean a garage door step by step?

Shut the door, disconnect the opener, then hose the face from the top down. Wash with a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water using a soft sponge, cloth or nylon brush. Rinse every trace of soap off straight away, dry the door, then wipe the tracks and the seals with a damp cloth.

The steps below follow the care instructions from B&D, Gliderol and BlueScope, the company behind Colorbond steel. You'll need a garden hose, a bucket, a soft sponge or soft-bristle nylon brush, a microfibre cloth and a vacuum with a crevice tool.

1. 01Close the door and switch the opener off. B&D says to always disengage the opener before any cleaning or maintenance. Switching it off also means nobody can run the door while you're beside it.
2. 02Brush off loose dirt and cobwebs. B&D suggests a soft broom or microfibre cloth, paying attention to corners and edges.
3. 03Test a small patch. BlueScope recommends trying your cleaning method on a small spot nobody sees first, to check it doesn't dull or mark the finish.
4. 04Hose from the top down with fresh mains water. BlueScope doesn't recommend hard bore water on its coated steel.
5. 05Wash with mild soap. B&D says a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water, scrubbed on in gentle circles with a soft sponge or cloth.
6. 06Rinse straight away. BlueScope says to rinse thoroughly with fresh water right after washing so no detergent is left behind.
7. 07Dry it. B&D says to rinse off all soap residue and dry the door thoroughly.
8. 08Do the tracks and seals last. Vacuum the tracks, then wipe them and the rubber seals with a damp cloth. The sections below cover both.

Question 02

What should you clean a garage door with?

Fresh water first, then a mild soap or non-abrasive dishwashing detergent in warm water if grime stays on. Use a sponge, soft cloth or soft-bristle nylon brush. That's what BlueScope sets out for Colorbond steel and what Gliderol says for its roller door curtains. Timber and acrylic or polycarbonate inserts need their own care.

Painted doors are where people go wrong, chasing a stain with something stronger. The answer to cleaning a painted garage door without taking the paint off is to stay gentle and repeat: BlueScope says marks can look different depending on the colour or finish, to repeat the soap wash if needed, and to contact BlueScope for anything soap or detergent won't remove.

Question 03

What should you not use on a garage door?

Never use solvents like turpentine, petrol, kerosene or paint thinners, abrasive scourers or steel wool on the painted door face. BlueScope says never to use them on its prepainted steel, and Gliderol warns they may ruin the finish. Keep grease out of the tracks, keep water off the opener, and don't paint the tracks or locks.

• Solvents on painted surfaces. Gliderol says turpentine, petrol, kerosene or paint thinners may ruin the finish. BlueScope says never to use them on its prepainted steel.
• Scourers, steel wool and abrasive cleaners on the door face. B&D warns abrasive cleaners can strip protective coatings.
• Harsh chemicals. Steel-Line's warranty doesn't cover damage from attack by chemicals, and it names cleaning chemicals in that list.
• Grease in the tracks. B&D says grease attracts more grime and can make the door stick.
• Water on the opener. Steel-Line's warranty doesn't cover electrical or electronic parts damaged by exposure to liquid or moisture.
• Paint on the tracks or locks. Steel-Line's roller door manual says don't paint either.

Wondering about WD-40? The door makers don't agree on it, and the salt air and rust guide sets out what each one says.

Question 04

How do you clean a roller door?

Wash the roller door curtain with fresh water and a soft sponge, cloth or nylon brush, and mild soap if the dirt won't shift. Rinse thoroughly. Wipe the inside of the guides, the channels the door runs in, with a rag. Gliderol says not to lubricate the guides with oil, grease or any other petroleum-based product.

A roller door curtain rolls up around the barrel above the opening, so only wash it with the door shut. Steel-Line's roller door manual says the curtain is Colorbond steel and should be washed regularly to remove salt and dirt.

1. 01Close the door fully and switch the opener off.
2. 02Wash the outside face from the top down, as in the steps above. Work along the ribs, where grit collects.
3. 03Rinse until no soap is left, then dry what you can reach.
4. 04Wipe out the inside of each guide with a rag. B&D says to polish the internal tracks of a roller door to remove dirt so it runs smoothly.
5. 05If the guides need lubricating, Gliderol says silicone-based lubricant only, twice a year or as required. For how to apply it, see why a garage door gets noisy.

Question 05

How do you clean the inside of a garage door?

Clean the inside the same gentle way, with a damp cloth and mild soap, wiping rather than hosing so water stays off the opener and its wiring. Vacuum dust from the panel joints and tracks first. The inside is also where to wipe the safety beam lenses and look over the hardware.

Inside the garage, the job is mostly dust, cobwebs and the grime that builds where cars come and go. Close the door, switch the opener off at the power point, and work from the top down with a damp microfibre cloth.

• Panels: wipe with mild soap in warm water, then wipe again with a clean damp cloth so no soap is left.
• Safety beams: the two small sensors near the floor either side of the opening. Gliderol says a door that reverses before reaching the ground can mean something is breaking the beam, so check for objects and clean the sensors. Wipe each lens gently.
• Opener and wall button: dust them with a dry cloth only. Keep spray and water off them.
• Hardware: look, don't touch. Gliderol asks owners to visually check mounting brackets, springs, tracks, fasteners, drive unit cables and weatherseals for wear at least every six months.

If the door still reverses after the lenses are clean, read why garage door sensors stop the door closing.

Question 06

How do you clean garage door tracks and the weather seals?

With the door closed and the opener disconnected, vacuum loose grit out of the tracks with a crevice tool, then wipe the tracks and rollers with a damp cloth. B&D says to wipe the bottom and side weatherstripping regularly with a damp cloth too, without abrasive cleaners. Bent or damaged tracks need a professional look.

Grit in the tracks shows up in how the door runs: Steel-Line's manual lists an excessively noisy door, and an automatic door that reverses while closing, as signs the tracks need attention. It also flags brick dust from brickwork and paving in the tracks of new homes, along with dust and dirt in newly developed areas.

B&D gives sectional door owners one extra option. For the inside of the guide tracks and the door seals, it says mineral turps or methylated spirits on a soft dampened cloth, around every four to six weeks. That's for the tracks and seals of a sectional door only. Keep turps and metho away from the painted panels, where BlueScope and Gliderol both say never to use solvents.

Wipe the rubber seal along the bottom of the door and any brush or rubber strips down the sides. B&D says these collect dirt or mildew over time. If you spot cracks or a torn strip, B&D says replacing the weatherstripping keeps the seal working.

Question 07

Which garage door parts should you never wet, spray or scrub?

Leave the springs, lifting cables, cable drums and bottom brackets alone, because they hold the door's weight under tension. Keep water and spray off the opener, its wall button and the power point. Steel-Line's manual says all maintenance or repair other than inspection and cleaning must be done only by qualified door service people.

B&D says never to adjust or replace garage door springs yourself. That goes for cleaning around them too: no brushing, no spraying and no loosening of fixings near the spring. If a spring has already snapped, read what to do when a garage door spring breaks and leave the door shut.

Question 08

How often should you wash a garage door?

BlueScope sets every six months as the minimum for Colorbond steel, and lists garage doors among the sheltered spots rain doesn't wash. Doors near the beach need washing more often, and the salt air guide below has that schedule. Wipe the tracks each time you wash the face, and sweep the bottom track in between.

For a door within reach of the surf, the salt air and rust guide has the rinse schedule by street and what the warranties say. Inland, in suburbs like Buderim, the wear comes from dust and leaf litter in the tracks, so keep the bottom track swept between services.

Washing is the owner's half of the care. The other half is a service: once a year suits most homes, and every six to nine months suits a door that runs many times a day. Each garage door service covers five checks: spring tension and balance, roller and track lubrication, hardware tightening, cable and drum inspection, and a test of the opener and its safety reverse. The garage door maintenance guide sets out the full routine.