The sliding glass door to your patio or backyard can eventually become difficult to open and shut. This can be annoying, especially if you go in and out a lot during the day. To avoid this bothersome issue, you will want to learn a few ways to make the sliding glass door open and shut more smoothly. Here are three ways to accomplish this:

1. ​Clean the Door Track

The track for the sliding glass door is one of the most common culprits when your sliding glass door becomes difficult to open and shut. This is because this area of the door collects a great deal of dirt and grime, which makes the rollers of the sliding glass door become stuck. To clean the track, you will want to use an old toothbrush to get into all the areas of the track and remove dirt that may be stuck to it. Once all the dirt is loose, you can use the hose of your vacuum to suck it up. Once you have done this, your door should become easier to open and close. 

2. Lubricate the Track

If, after you have cleaned the track, the sliding glass door is still not opening and shutting smoothly, then you will want to try to lubricate the track. The track may not be smooth enough for the rollers to glide across. By using something like WD-40, you should easily be able to lubricate the track and have a more smoothly operating sliding glass door. 

3. Adjust the Rollers

Finally, if lubricating the track did not work well to improve the smoothness of the door, then you may need to adjust the rollers. The problem could be that the rollers sit too high or too close to the track. The rollers have to be at a good height in order to easily glide across the track. You can adjust the rollers by removing the plastic plugs that hide them at the bottom of the sliding door on the side. Once you have done this, you will see a screw, and you can use a screwdriver to adjust it so that the rollers move up and down as needed. Continue to adjust the screw until the door begins to operate smoothly. 

Knowing some of the ways that you can get your sliding glass door to operate better, you can ensure that it does not become an annoyance to use on a regular, daily basis. If none of these three things works, it is possible that you need to replace the track or rollers completely, which you should hire a professional to do for you. Contact a service like Cheaper Window Glass to set up an appointment.