Is it possible to lubricate hinges and locks with sunflower oil, and why

Door hinges require regular maintenance. If there is no special tool at hand, is it possible to grease the creaking hinges of the entrance metal, automobile or furniture door with sunflower oil? It is possible, but there are quite a few arguments against it.

The better to lubricate

An ideal tool for the prevention and elimination of squeaking is graphite or silicone grease-spray, which is gaining density after application. Not so good, but mineral oils (petroleum jelly, castor) are quite suitable, but it is better to take them with thickened ones. Third place in terms of efficiency is automobile oil and oil for sewing machines. All these products evaporate slowly, have good viscosity, adhesion and penetration, and are resistant to abrasion.

The advantages of sunflower oil as a lubricant

Why do many decide to replace special equipment with sunflower oil? First of all, it is always in the house. This is a product that is incredibly widely used in Russian homes. Secondly, it is cheap and is bought in bottles, not in small oilers.

The third advantage is that it is liquid. It is easy to insert into a syringe and direct it into a loop, lock or other mechanism.

And the fourth - the sunflower oil has a pleasant aroma, and the fifth - from the hands and clothes, random drops are easy to remove.

Cons and side effects

The main disadvantage of vegetable oil is coking. As a result, the mass thickens, becomes sticky, gathers dirt and interlocks parts. If you constantly lubricate the mechanism with sunflower oil, it eventually sticks together, and it will be extremely difficult to correct the situation. It is problematic to remove the coked layer to clean the parts and put in good lubricant.

For the same reason, it is not recommended to take this material for external locks: external, including automobile doors and gates, for windows. Street dirt will fill all the lubricated mechanisms extremely quickly.

Another important disadvantage is the low viscosity. Such vertical grease drains quickly from vertical parts, and creaking resumes, and dirty streaks appear on the hinges and doors. In the lock, such a lubricant spreads and clogs mechanisms that cannot be subsequently cleaned without dismantling the lock completely. For this reason, sunflower seed oil is categorically not suitable for padlocks and cylinder locks, including cars.

The third and indisputable minus of the vegetable squeeze is its instability to temperature extremes, heat, frost, and other adverse factors.

Tip
To lubricate plastic windows, use products specifically designed for these structures. The compositions should be especially wear-resistant, spare plastic and rubber, withstand the vagaries of the weather and not drain, otherwise you will have to wash the plastic profile for a long time and hard, and not every grease solvent will be able to remove it.

When can I use sunflower oil

According to experts, vegetable squeezing, especially refined, can temporarily replace the real lubricant. This is done when the hinges on the doors suddenly creak or you need to develop a lock. A small amount of oil is dripped onto the hinge axis or bolt of the lock and in the near future it is replaced by graphite or silicone grease, mineral oil or solid oil.

Important
Very often the cause of the creak is not the hinge mechanism, but the skew of the door leaf, it sags or is deformed, warped. As a result, the loop goes crooked along the axis.This provokes a creak, and even worse, it increases the load on the mechanism, and it begins to wear out.

How to lubricate the hinges

purityis.decorexpro.com/en/ magazine strongly recommends using special products for lubrication, and of household materials - only graphite powder and castor or petroleum jelly.

Detachable door hinges:

1. Raise the door leaf by substituting a knocker or similar object.
2. Pour graphite powder into the slot, apply grease, spray with grease or drip with mineral oil.
3. Remove the support and shake the door on the hinges so that the product diverges along the axis.

By car:

1. Open the door to the limit.
2. Clean visible parts of the mechanism of accumulated dirt and old grease.
3. Apply a special grease or equivalent marked “grease”. The product must be distributed to all parts that experience friction.
4. Remove excess with a rag or napkin.
5. Open and close the door several times so that the lubricant is distributed according to the mechanism.

Important
Do not use too much grease - excess will come out, leaving streaks, stains, dirtying the interior of the car.

Butterfly cut-in and patch loops on doors, furniture and caskets:

1. Open door / lift cover.
2. Spray thinly sprayed grease.
3. Open and close the door / lid several times.
4. Remove excess.

Tip
If there is no spray and desire to follow it, you can get by with folk remedies: blow out or brush with a brush a shredded pencil lead or rub the loops with a rag soaked in castor oil. Excess should also be removed with a cloth.

Furniture hidden hinges:

1. Unfold the mechanism.
2. Spray or drip medium viscosity mineral oil into the moving parts.
3. Open and close the door several times.

Important
Most often, the creak of furniture doors is not due to grease, but because the hinges have worked out. Masters advise as a temporary measure to swap the lower and upper loops. Additionally - adjust with the middle screw. But at the first opportunity it is worth replacing the mechanisms with new ones.

Sunflower oil is far from the best alternative to specialized lubrication. It cokes, accumulates dirt, drains quickly, leaving a sticky and insufficient layer for protection. However, it will completely cope with the task for a short time and protect it from squeaking before the guests visit or for a couple of days, until the opportunity opens up to buy a modern and effective lubricant.