5 Easy Ways To Clean Hinges On Doors!

Dirty and oxidized hinges on doors can make the home look awfully messed up. This is especially embarrassing when a nosy guest points out.

To prevent that, you can clean hinges on door by using steel wool and wire brush. Gently rip off the stubborn or black stain. If they catch rust or decay, apply lubricant. Or scrub the surface with baking soda or vinegar for basic cleaning. And that’s exactly how to clean hinges on doors!

The answer might seem too brief now. But keep on reading as I’ll share the in-depth version below with other useful information.

How To Clean Hinges On All Doors With Minimum Resources!

Making the door hinges shiny and clean is simple by using the five quick techniques. Here is the detail on directions:

1. Use Steel Wool

• Detach the hinges from the door and jamb surface. 
• Store the screws in a safe location. 
• Grab the steel wool and simply rub the surface for around 30 – 60 seconds. 
• Keep on doing this until all the hinges seem glossy. 
• Put on all the hinges in the right spot.

2. Apply Lubricant On The Hinges

Remove the hinges from the door. Get an effective lubricant for door hinges from a nearby store like the WD-40 specialist lubricant. Shake the lubricant and then spray the solution directly on the hinges. 

Be sure to aim the solution from a 4″ to 6″ gap between the actuator tip to the surface. Let it sit there for around 10 – 60 seconds. 

Use a paper towel to clean the black residue. Reinstall all the door hinges and tighten them out using the screws.

3. Scrub the Surface with A Wire Brush

• Take the wire or nylon brush and gently rub the hinges. 
• If that seems hard to do, then remove the hinges and then scrub the surface with the same tool. 
• Wipe the surface using a paper tissue. 
• Insert the door hinges and screws in the right way. 

4. Add Baking Soda

Grab a baking soda in a bowl and put a few drops of lukewarm water to make the solution. Then, dip the toothbrush in the mixture paste and rub the door hinges. Continue to do that until all hinges seem clean with no rust or black spot.

5. Rub the Hinges Using Vinegar

• After removing the hinges, place them in a bowl or pan. 
• Fill the bowl or pan with apple cider vinegar so that all the hinges get wet. 
• Leave it for around 8 – 14 hours. 
• Remove the hinges and take a brush to scrub the surface. You must scrub all the hinges until they seem metallic. 
• Wash the hinges with fresh water.
• Immediately wipe them off using a paper towel or tissue.

Exactly How to Clean Door Hinges from Paint

You can easily take out the paint from the door hinges if having the common equipment and the right directions. See how to do it yourself:

Step 1: Remove The Door Hinges

Get a screwdriver or screw gun to take out the screws from all the door hinges. Remove the door hinges from the wall and jamb.

Step 2: Boil The Door Hinges

Separate the screws and place them in a safe zone to use later. Take 1 liter of water in a pan and set it on the strove. 

Wait for a few minutes to boil the water. Then, place all the door hinges in the boiled water. Sit them on the pan for up to 30 – 180 seconds.

Step 3: Peel The Paint From The Surface

Pull out all the door hinges from the boiled pan. Set all of them on a table to cool down a little. Take the putty knife and simply stripe off the paints from the surface.

Step 4: Use Nylon Brush To Remove The Dust

Take the nylon or steel wire brush and rub the door hinges. After wiping out the dust from the surface, grab the fine grit (grade 320 – 400) sanding sponge and rub the surface to knock off all rust. Again, brush the door hinges to clean.

Step 5: Reinstall The Door Hinges

Put all the hinges back on their individual spot. Insert the screws and tighten them out using the screwdriver or screw gun.

How To Clean Door Hinges Without Removing Them?

If you want to clean the hinges but don’t have time to detach them from the door, then here’s the cleaning instruction –

Tools That You’ll Need:

• Paper towel or tissue.
• 1 liter of water.
• Bowl
• Liquid soap.
• Soft rag.
• Spray bottle.

Step-by-step Procedure:

• Take a liter of water in a bowl and boil it for a few minutes.
• Drop some amounts of liquid soap in the lukewarm water.
• Mix the solution and fill it in the spray bottle.
• Spray the solution directly on the soft rag.
• Wipe the soft rag on the hinge in a circular motion. Instead of the soft rag, you can use a toothbrush.
• Immediately wipe the door hinge using a paper towel or tissue. It is essential to wipe off the water left on the metal surface (of the hinge). Otherwise, the hinge will get rusty.
• Keep on doing it on other hinges.

Avoid Using These Items In Door Hinges!

• Bleach and other cleaners that contain Chloride.
• Muriatic or Hydrochloric acids included in cleaner.
• Concentrated soap or other dried soaps that have chemical additives.
• Water that contains high iron content.
• Materials like steel wool, machining chips, iron residue or dust, and other steel products for stainless steel door hinges. Using these materials on other metal door hinges is not forbidden.
• Products that trap the moisture or water.
• Salt (as it contains chlorides that harm the door hinges).

Ending Note

So basically its quite easy to clean hinges on doors and this should take about 5 – 15 minutes at max (unless you need to soak them for hours).

If the above methods don’t solve the issues of the hinges, it’s best to replace them. Perhaps these are just too old to stay. The price of each hinge will be around $5 – $50 (at max).

One thing I cannot emphasize enough. Be sure to wear safety gloves and protective goggles!

Good Luck On This Project.