Quick fix: a few drops of oil at the top of the pin, then swing the door to work it in. Lasting fix: tap the pin out, wipe off old grime and rust, coat it with grease or a dry lubricant, and reinsert.
The two-minute version
Apply a light machine oil, silicone, or even a smear of petroleum jelly at the top of the hinge pin and swing the door several times. Wipe the drips. This silences most squeaks instantly, though oil attracts dust and may need redoing.
The do-it-once version
Remove one pin
Tap the pin up and out (door supported).
Clean it
Wipe off old lubricant and any surface rust with a rag; fine steel wool is fine on a carbon pin but avoid it on stainless finishes.
Lubricate and reinsert
Coat the pin with white lithium grease or a dry PTFE lubricant — these last far longer than oil and attract less dust — then tap it back in.
Why a hinge squeaks
The noise is metal rubbing dry metal inside the knuckle, usually because the original lubricant has dried out, grit has worked into the joint, or the pin has begun to wear. On exterior and stainless hinges it is almost always dry-running rather than rust — stainless does not seize the way plated steel does, but it still needs a film between the pin and the knuckle.
The fix, step by step
Work from the least invasive fix up:
- Lubricate in place. A few drops of a dry PTFE or silicone spray at the top of each knuckle, then swing the door a dozen times to draw it down through the joint. Dry lubricants beat oil outdoors because they do not hold dust.
- Clean, then lubricate. If the squeak returns fast, grit is in the joint. Lift the pin (tap it up from below with a nail set), wipe pin and knuckle clean, add lubricant, and drop it back in.
- Polish a worn pin. A pin scored by years of use can be smoothed with fine emery cloth before re-lubricating.
- Replace the hinge only if the knuckle itself is worn oval — at that point lubricant is a band-aid.
Keep it from coming back
Re-lubricate exterior hinges once or twice a year, avoid heavy oils that gum up with dust, and if the door is heavy or sagging, fix the sag first — a door hanging on binding hinges wears and squeaks far faster.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best hinge lubricant?
For longevity, white lithium grease or a dry PTFE/silicone spray. Plain oil works but needs reapplying more often.
Why do my hinges keep squeaking?
Oil dries out or collects dust. Switch to grease or a dry lubricant, and clean the pin once rather than just adding more oil.