Squeaky Hinge, Sticky Lock, Noisy Gate: What to Actually Spray
The short answer
If the squeak came back within a fortnight, you did not use too little spray. You used the wrong kind.
Multi-purpose spray — WD-40 Multi-Use, Rexco 50 — is a penetrant. It is superb at freeing something stuck and displacing water, and it does quieten a hinge immediately, which is why everyone reaches for it. But it leaves a light film that attracts dust and does not stay put under load. Two weeks later you are back where you started, with a slightly dirtier hinge.
What stays put is grease, lithium, silicone or a dry lube — and which one depends on what you are spraying.
Match the lubricant to the thing
| What squeaks | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Door hinge, gate hinge | White lithium grease, $15.00 | Metal on metal under load. Grease stays in the pivot instead of running out of it. |
| Gate rollers, garage door track, winch | White lithium grease | Same reason, outdoors, where rain and dust make it worse. |
| Sliding window or door track, rubber seals | Food grade silicone, $24.00 | Safe on plastic and rubber, which oil-based sprays slowly degrade. Also the right choice anywhere near food. |
| Bicycle chain | Bike wet lube, $14.00 or dry lube, $15.00 | A chain needs lube that survives rain and load. In Singapore, wet lube is usually the right call. |
| Motorcycle or machine chain | Rexco 25, $12.50 or WD-40 chain lube, $13.00 | Tackier than bike lube, designed to resist fling-off at speed. |
| Door lock, padlock barrel | Not oil. See below. | Oil plus Singapore dust turns to paste inside the barrel. |
| Anything seized rather than squeaky | Rexco 50, $6.30 or WD-40 Multi-Use, $8.00 | This is what a penetrant is actually for. |
Locks deserve their own paragraph
The correct lubricant for a lock barrel is a dry graphite or PTFE lube, because it leaves no film for dust to stick to. We do not currently stock one — so rather than sell you the wrong thing, here is the honest ranking: dry graphite or PTFE is best, silicone is an acceptable second, and oil-based multi-purpose spray is the one to avoid. It will free a sticky lock today and gum it up over the following months.
If a padlock is already gummed, flush it out with a contact cleaner ($10.00), let it dry completely, then lubricate it properly.
The method matters as much as the can
- Clean first. Lubricating over grit grinds the grit into the surface. A degreaser ($9.00) or a wire brush on the pivot, then let it dry.
- Get it into the pivot, not onto it. Use the straw. On a door hinge, work the door back and forth while you apply so the lubricant draws in.
- Wipe the excess. Anything left on the surface is a dust magnet and does no lubricating.
- Check it is actually the hinge. A squeak that persists after proper lubrication is often a loose screw or a dropped door rubbing the frame — no spray fixes that.
Things people spray that they should not
- A bicycle chain, with multi-purpose spray. It strips the lube that was there and leaves the chain dry.
- A lock, with oil. Covered above.
- Rubber seals, with anything oil-based. It softens and swells them over time. Silicone.
- A noisy fan, with anything. A fan that has started whining usually has a worn bearing. Spraying it buys weeks, and spray gets flung over everything in the room. Replace the fan or the bearing.
- An aerosol in a closed bathroom or near a pilot light. Ventilate, and keep solvents away from ignition sources.
If you buy two cans
A penetrant for things that are stuck, and white lithium grease for things that move. Those two cover most of a household between them, and most people only own the first one.
The full side-by-side is in WD-40 or Rexco: which spray you actually need. Browse the WD-40 range and Rexco range, both in stock.
General guidance only. Read the manufacturer's label and safety data before use.