Troubleshooting with Lubricants
Last updated September 7, 2023
Lubricants are a great way to prevent problems inside and outside your home. You can use lubricants for everything from fixing a squeaky hinge to preventing rust on garden tools. There are different types of lubricants. Primarily, lubricants reduce friction and can be sprays, oils or special greases. They can also be used to clean, seal and protect all kinds of surfaces. Read on to find out about some expected and unexpected ways to use lubricants.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Duration:
Under 2 hours
Table of Contents
Around the House
In the Garage
Tool Shed Must-Have
Around the House
Multipurpose or general lubricant sprays can be a great solve for a variety of household cleaning and maintenance chores:
- Remove crayon from walls, carpet, toys, dryers
- Remove paint from tile flooring
- Loosen rusted pipes or stuck bolts
- Remove candle wax or glue
- Prevent guitar strings from rusting
- Take knots or kinks out of chains
- Get gum off shoes, clothes, carpets
- Remove fingerprints from stainless steel appliances
- Shine artificial plants' leaves
- Clean scuff marks or built-up dirt off ceramic floors
- Remove adhesive from price tags, labels and stickers
- Spray on windowsills to keep spiders and bugs out
In the Garage
Keep things running smoothly with sprays, penetrating oils and lubricants containing silicone.
- Remove bugs, tree sap, bird droppings and scuffs from cars
- Remove ink from car leather and carpet
- Pre-treat paint brush bristles
- Protect and prevent rust on wrought iron outdoor furniture
- Loosen rusty nuts, bolts, screws and more
- Use to displace moisture from car wiring
- Stop squeaks on car doors and strut mounts
- Prevent car locks from freezing
- Take off gunk and grease from car fenders, windows and interiors
- Prevent car door seals from drying and cracking
- Protect chrome
- Lubricate motorbike chains
- Remove old
duct tape
and its residue
Tool Shed Must-Have
Keep an extra can of specialty lubricants like those with white lithium grease in your shed or wherever you store tools.
- Oil and protect power tools
- Get rid of rust on saws and clippers
- Make lawnmower wheels turn smoothly
- Stop snow from sticking to shovels and plows
- Prevent hose ends from corroding
- Clean garden tools and keeps them rust-free
- Use on outside pipes during winter to help prevent freezing
Lubricants have a thousand uses around the house and yard. You can clean rust, protect pipes from the weather, clean off gum and more. Lubricants can be sprays, oils or grease. Some lubricants are made with specialty ingredients and work best for certain projects. Before you use them on any surface, make sure to read the instructions on a lubricant’s label. Multi-use lubricants are great troubleshooters. Think about keeping an extra can handy in your house or garage. The Home Depot delivers
online orders
when and where you need them.
