I lived with a squeaky bedroom door for six months. Every time I got up at night, the hinge screamed loud enough to wake my partner in the next room. I kept meaning to buy WD-40 and kept forgetting when I was at the store.

Then I learned you do not need WD-40 for most squeaky hinges. You probably have something in your kitchen right now that works better.

What Causes the Squeak

A door hinge squeaks because metal rubs against metal without lubrication. The hinge pin — the vertical rod that holds the two sides of the hinge together — rotates inside the hinge knuckles every time the door moves. Over time, the original grease dries out or gets pushed out, and you get metal-on-metal friction.

Spray-on lubricants like WD-40 work temporarily, but they are thin and evaporate. They fix the symptom, not the problem. A few weeks later the squeak comes back.

Kitchen Items That Fix It Permanently

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline). This is the best thing I have found. It is thick, it stays in place, and it lubricates for months or years at a time. Remove the hinge pin (tap it up from the bottom with a screwdriver and hammer), coat it with petroleum jelly, and slide it back in.

Cooking oil. Olive oil, vegetable oil, whatever you cook with. Drip a few drops onto the top of the hinge pin and work the door back and forth. It seeps down into the joint. Not as long-lasting as petroleum jelly, but it works right now.

Bar soap. Rub a dry bar of soap along the hinge pin. The wax and fats in the soap fill the microscopic gaps and stop the metal-on-metal squeaking. Works surprisingly well and lasts a decent amount of time.

Candle wax. Same principle as bar soap. Rub a plain white candle along the pin. The wax coats the metal and silences the squeak. I keep a stub of an old candle in my toolbox for exactly this.

How to Remove a Hinge Pin

If the pin is stuck — and they often are — do not force it. Place a flathead screwdriver under the cap at the top of the pin and tap it gently with a hammer. Once the cap lifts, you can pull the pin out from the bottom. If the door is still hanging, do this one hinge at a time so the door stays supported.

My bedroom door has been silent for over a year now. I used petroleum jelly. Cost: zero dollars. Time: five minutes. Six months of squeaking before that. I do not know why I waited.