My dad told me to stop using WD-40 on everything and he was right

Last month I was trying to fix a squeaky garage door in my house in Phoenix. I grabbed the WD-40 like I always do and sprayed the hinges. My dad walked over and said you need a lithium grease not a water displacer for that kind of job. I ignored him and two days later the hinges were squeaking worse than before. So I bought a $8 tube of lithium grease at Ace Hardware and the door has been silent ever since. Has anyone else had a relative give you advice that you brushed off but later proved out?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_ward1mo ago

Oh I'm gonna push back on this one a little. WD-40 gets a bad rap but for a lot of quick fixes around the house it's perfectly fine and way more convenient than hunting down a specific grease. Your dad was right for that specific garage door job but people act like it's poison when it's really just a light duty solution that has its place.

evan_cooper731mo ago

Light duty solution that has its place" nails it @mark_ward. That's the whole pattern I notice everywhere - people want a one-size-fits-all miracle product instead of just using the right tool for the job.

nguyen.angela1mo ago

Right! I swear half the stuff people say is wrong about WD-40 is just repeating what they heard somewhere. I used it last week to free up a sticky lock on my back gate and it's been working fine since, no issues at all.