Your exterior door in Arizona is the first thing your guests see when they visit your home. An iron or steel entry door with neglected maintenance doesn’t really say a warm welcome. Conversely, a door that has been cared for and looks its best can send a message of efficiency, security, and cleanliness.

If you haven’t touched your wrought iron, steel, or iron entry doors in a while, now’s a good time to put on the cleaning gloves. Here are some ways to ensure your exterior doors last a long time and remain in perfect shape.

Check the hardware

The knobs, hinges, and handles of your iron and steel doors are what keeps them functional. If you haven’t checked the accessories in a while, make sure to inspect each in detail. Give your steel or iron door a little swing test to check for any unwanted sound or friction. Lubricate the locks if they stick and replace anything that seems broken. This way, you’ll ensure your iron, steel, or wrought iron door is in optimal shape and offers smooth functionality.

Resolve the loose paint and scuffs issue

A painted steel or iron door can perfectly complement your home’s modern or contemporary architecture in Arizona. However, over time the paint can start to come off, leaving behind ugly spots and scratches. One efficient way to deal with this problem is by brushing off all the loose paint chips.

Take a stiff brush and run it across the entire outfit to ensure no space is left. This way, all the loose paint will come off, leaving behind the bare door. If there are any scratches or scuff marks, you can use sandpaper to remove the signs from your iron and steel entry doors.

Check the weather stripping

With the advent of the coldest months of the year, one of the prime maintenance checks you should make involves testing the weather stripping. If your energy-efficient doors aren’t performing optimally, the chances are that your HVAC bills will go through the roof, claiming a significant portion of your hard-earned money.

Run your hand along the sides and corners of your closed iron or steel door and check for drafts. If you feel an air leakage, contact your door installation service provider for a quick repair.

Inspect the frames and glass

If your exterior door has a glass fitting, make sure you regularly check them for cracks or chips. While iron and steel doors don’t suffer dents, cracks, and flakes easily, surrounding fittings in these doors may have these problems. So, it’s best to keep an eye on them and get the faulty replaced for optimal functions.

You should also check your iron, steel, and wrought iron doors for include moisture and fog between glass panels. Poor installation, foggy weather, and faulty sealing can lead to condensation being trapped in between your glass panels. This can ruin your entire steel doors look and lower your outfit’s value.

Deep clean your exterior doors

When the weather in Phoenix, Tempe, Paradise Valley, and Gilbert gets moist and humid, your iron and steel doors may catch rust and lose color. Hence, while iron and steel doors don’t require frequent cleaning, it would do you good to deep clean them once every few months.

The perfect way to clean your steel doors includes the following steps:

• Take a vegetable-based soap or a gentle cleanser and mix it with water in a bowl. Use this mixture to clean your wrought iron, steel, or iron door with a soft cloth.
• Avoid using abrasive tools to scrub the outfits as they can leave marks on the surface and peel off the paint. It’s best if you use a lint-free cloth or a sponge.
• Focus on one area of the steel outfit at a time.
• Start from the top and work your way toward the bottom of the door. Once you’ve covered the outfit with the soapy solution, use as little water as possible to clean it.
• It’s best to avoid a garden hose or a power washer to rinse the door as the water can get inside your home and ruin your furniture. However, if you think you can manage the spill, feel free to use these instruments.
• Conversely, you can use a spray bottle to apply water to the door and limit your water usage.
• Opt for a glass cleaner or a vinegar solution to clean the glass panels. You can then wipe the liquid with coffee filters for a smooth finish.

Steel and iron doors are made to last a lifetime. Their durability, strength, and resilience can improve your home’s curb appeal and outlast their wooden counterparts. If you have these outfits, you know they don’t require much maintenance. However, sticking to a regular cleaning and inspection schedule will do you good in the long run.

About the author

The author is known for their stunning steel and iron entry door designs in Arizona. They work for a leading door designing and manufacturing company, Pinky’s Iron Doors.

The company offers a vast range of steel doors, iron doors, thermally broken iron doors, steel sliding doors, bi-fold accordion doors, and black steel French doors. To help you stay on top of your door maintenance game, they also provide exterior door maintenance accessories such as iron door spray, transoms, sidelights, and other merchandise.

In their free time, the author goes surfing and writes blogs on steel and iron door maintenance, design, and décor.