My bedroom door squeaked every time my wife got up to use the bathroom at 3 a.m. She was trying to be quiet. The hinge was not cooperating. I put off fixing it for weeks because I assumed I needed to take the door off — which is a two-person job I did not want to do at midnight.

Then I saw a maintenance guy at my office fix a squeaky bathroom door without removing a single screw. It took him less than a minute. I felt like an idiot.

The 30-Second Fix

You do not need to take the door off the hinges. You do not even need a screwdriver. All you need is lubricant and a paper towel.

1. Spray the hinge pin. Look at the top and bottom of each hinge. There is a small metal pin running through the center. Spray lubricant directly onto the top of the pin — gravity will pull it down through the hinge.
2. Open and close the door a few times. This works the lubricant into the full length of the pin. You will hear the squeak soften and then disappear.
3. Wipe off excess. Lubricant that drips down the door frame will collect dust and look bad. A quick wipe with a paper towel and you are done.

That is it. I timed it on my own bedroom door. Twenty-two seconds from grabbing the can to wiping the frame. The hinge has been silent for eight months.

What to Use (and What Not To)

WD-40 works but it is temporary. It is a solvent, not a true lubricant. It will quiet the hinge for a few weeks, then the squeak comes back. For a permanent fix, use white lithium grease, silicone spray, or 3-in-1 oil.

Do not use cooking oil, olive oil, or butter. They get sticky over time, attract dirt, and eventually make the squeak worse. I know someone who used olive oil on a hinge and six months later the door barely moved.

If you do not own any lubricant, a graphite pencil works in a pinch. Rub the tip of the pencil against the hinge pin. Graphite is a dry lubricant — it will quiet the squeak for a day or two until you can get proper spray.