There are multiple things around the house that start squeaking over time: door hinges, locks, laptop hinges, car door hinges, furniture hinges, various appliance doors and covers, bike parts and so on. What they have in common is that they require lubrication.
Up until now I used WD-40, just because this is what I've found the easiest on shelves. A bit of research, and it seems like this is one of the worst options.
The problem is that I couldn't find some guidelines of picking the right lubricant for the job. What are the most common types of lubricants and are there any rules of thumb for using them?
Best Answer
I keep two things on hand, which covers 99% of use cases:
The former is good for quick squeak fixes where dust accumulation isn't much of a concern. I use it for window blind gears, motor bearings, etc.
The latter dries to a film and tends to stay cleaner. I use it for window hardware , shelf guides, and hinge pins, for example.
WD-40 is a lubricant1, despite red-faced protests2 referencing the initials in its name3, but it's petroleum-based (or otherwise similar to kerosene--I'm not a chemist), which makes it smelly, thin, and quite a solvent as well. It's great for cleaning (adhesive and grease removal) and large-scale lubrication (plates sliding together), but doesn't last well in heavier duty applications. Using it on a door hinge, for example, will result in dirty stains on the floor and renewed squeaks in a few months. There are better products for pure lubrication.
1. Even water is a lubricant. Neither are ideal as such for household maintenance.
2. See also the motorcycling community and vigorously-defended views on drive chain lubrication.
3. Water Displacement, 40th formula