How to Clean the Sliding Glass Door Track

June 13th, 2019

Have you noticed your sliding door has become sticky and resistant to movement? If you have, then this is usually due to the accumulation of dirt, oil and other debris that has been trapped in the door track. This also indicated that your sliding glass door track might need cleaning. However, many homeowners don’t know how to do this. So how do you clean the sliding glass door tracks? You can try the following steps below:

1. Pull Out The Door

While it is possible to clean the door track without having to remove the door, you won’t be able to clean the whole area. However, make sure that you remove the glass door properly and in the right way. You can remove it or detach it by holding it at each end, and then lifting it up. Pull it towards you, and then use a screwdriver to raise it off the track. Once you’ve unscrewed it off, you can then pull it off towards you and slide it carefully out.

2. Start Cleaning

Dirt, leaves, sand and many other elements can get into your sliding door track. You can use a small vacuum to pull out the loose debris, and make sure that you cover both the top and bottom area.

3. Get Rid of Rust

After that, you can then check if your door track has rust. Sliding glass doors usually develop rust because of the materials used to make it. Most sliding glass doors are made from aluminum. Rust is typically developed especially if cleaning isn’t done regularly. The buildup of rust is the culprit for sticky doors. What you can do is to scrub or use steel wool to get rid of the rust. Once you’ve scrubbed off most of the accumulated rust away from the door track, you can then use cloth to remove excess dirt or particles that might have been left.

4. Clean Again

Once you’ve gotten rid of the rust, you can then proceed with a much more thorough deep cleaning. The constant change in temperatures and frequent opening and closing of your door tracks can cause the buildup of grime on you’re the track’s surface. There can also be the buildup of oil as well. The oil can prevent or make it difficult for the sliding glass to move smoothly. You need to be able to get rid of the grease and grime that might have accumulated in the tracks. One of the perfect methods to do this to brush them off. You can use a toothbrush so that you can clean deep inside the track. Soak the bristles and rub them inside the track, along with the track doors. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the dirt and grime, you can then wipe the excess grease or dirt with a towel.

5. You’re Done!

Once you’ve gotten rid of all the dirt, debris and buildup of various elements on your sliding glass door track, you can then finish up. Make sure you grease the tracks after cleaning them so that you will be able to slide them in and out nicely. You can even put in some lubrication on the tracks before finally returning the sliding doors back into place. After putting in grease, you can slide the glass door a few time to distribute the grease. Once you’ve done all of the steps, you’ll sliding glass door will now be able to slid back and forth nicely.