After a little rain or a cool evening followed by a warm sunny day, doors begin to squeak and the floors creak. Sometimes this is an asset. If you’re like me, with three teenagers in the house, you know a squeak can be a good curfew alarm. On the other hand, if the kids are having a sleepover and they all decide to raid the fridge at 3 am, it’s not so good. Overall squeaks and creaks tend to be annoying. Thankfully, there are some simple solutions.

When you think about it, a door is a mechanical device. Like all mechanical devices, they need to be maintained. Let’s take a look at the make-up of a door: two to four hinges (depending upon the weight and function), a lock set (Cylindrical or Mortise) and the jamb, which the door hangs on. Now let’s look at what can go wrong. The most common problem is the hinge. With years of wear and little maintenance, they need lubricant. This can come in many forms, but I am a big advocate of using what I have. Rather than travel to the nearest Home Depot and wrestle the masses, I use one of the best lubricants I know: Petroleum jelly (i.e. Vaseline). It’s been used for generations and there’s a reason for that. If you’re thinking of using Graphite, WD-40 or other lubricants, however, think again. I’ve found they can be problematic, messy and expensive. So just put a dab of Vaseline at the end of a Q-Tip and gently apply in the crack of the hinges and work in vigorously. As for the lockset, just put a little on the tip of the key and insert in to the keyhole (in and out). This will keep the lockset functioning well.

Now for floors. The most common culprit for squeaky floors are loose fasteners and dry weather, which causes shrinkage. In California most homes are built on a slab foundation. This means we have very few problems with creaky floors on the first floor. The problems usually occur with wood floors on the stairs and second floors. Here’s a simple solution: once you locate the area, spread some talc or baby power and vibrate into the joints or cracks with the use of a shoe. Just tap around the surrounding area and wipe up the excess.

There you go, easy home improvement using what you have on hand!

Stay tuned next week for my reviews on the best shower heads and how to design a man shower!