Riel Roussopoulos
The Best Silicone Sprays for Home Repairs
Keep your tools and equipment running efficiently with a lubricating silicone spray.
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Photo: depositphotos.com
Silicone spray is typically seen as a lubricant for noisy door hinges. Still, this simple household product has many more uses that make it a necessary addition to a garage or workshop. When the temperatures begin to drop, you can also use silicone spray on car handles and hinges to protect against freezing or spray it in a rusted lock to loosen the internal mechanism, allowing you to turn the lock or at least recover a stuck key.
To find the best silicone spray for your purposes, consider whether you need a food-grade product or if you will use it outside of the kitchen. You should also determine whether you will be using the spray with fabric, metal, wood, plastic, or rubber so that you can choose a silicone spray with the ideal characteristics for your job. Start your search with some of the recommendations listed below.
- BEST OVERALL: Liquid Wrench M914 Silicone Spray
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: WD-40 Handyman Trio (3) Pack Mini-Can Lubricant Kit
- BEST FOR RUBBER: DuPont Teflon Silicone Lubricant
- BEST FOR GARAGE DOOR: 3-in-ONEProfessional Garage Door Lubricant
- BEST FOR WINDOWS: 3M Silicone Lubricant – Dry Version, 08897
- BEST FOR FABRICS: Sprayway SW946 Silicone Spray and Release Agent
- BEST FOOD GRADE: CRC 03040 Food Grade Silicone Lubricant
- BEST HIGH TEMPERATURE: Design Engineering 010301 High-Temperature Silicone
Photo: depositphotos.com
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Silicone Spray
Before choosing a silicone spray, take a few minutes to educate yourself on the most important shopping considerations to keep in mind.
Application
When looking for a new silicone spray to use around the home or in the garage, consider how you intend to use the spray. Depending on the purpose, you may want a compact product you can carry in your car, or you might benefit from something that comes with a straw so you can direct the spray to a narrow location with high precision.
Silicone sprays also come in either a wet or a dry form. The wet spray is ideal for vertical or upside-down surfaces because moisture in the formula helps the spray to adhere to the surface while it dries. Dry sprays are suitable for working on more sensitive equipment because the mist evaporates quickly and leaves behind a protective film.
Formula
To ensure that a product meets your needs, consider the silicone spray formula. You can typically find the chemical composition used in the product by reviewing the manufacturer’s website, where an MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the spray must be available.
Silicone sprays normally contain about 1.5 percent silicone, but this can increase to 3.5 percent while still remaining a spray. High silicone sprays are best for lubricating heavily-used joints and machinery. You should also review the formula and the manufacturer’s recommendations to determine whether you can use the spray on metal, wood, plastic, or other materials.
Food Grade
A food-grade silicone spray can be used on many kitchen tools and appliances, including the hinges on your fridge or the slide on a meat slicer. Although a food-grade spray will contain flammable components like 1,1-Difuorethane to help penetrate through rust and other contaminants, these harmful ingredients in the spray evaporate away after applying it, leaving a protective, lubricating film that won’t end up in your food.
While a food-grade spray is safe to use in and around the kitchen and other food preparation areas, it should not be confused with an edible product. What this means is that it is not safe to eat silicone spray, regardless if it is food-grade or not, because the product’s composition is harmful to humans.
Temperature Resistance
The silicone spray you use will need to be able to remain effective at the temperatures it’s exposed to regularly. For example, suppose you apply silicone to your grill to protect it from rust and moisture damage. In this case, it’s important to invest in a silicone spray with a very high maximum temperature to ensure that you won’t be burning the spray while you cook and having to reapply immediately afterward.
Depending on the product, the effective temperature range can vary significantly, with some silicone sprays having minimum temperatures of -100 degrees Fahrenheit while others have high-temperature maximums that exceed 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. If using the silicone spray on windows or doors, choose a product that will hold up to seasonal temperatures.
Drying Time
Silicone sprays dry at different rates depending on the spray’s viscosity, the material it is used on, and the amount of spray applied. However, most silicone sprays dry very quickly, typically taking only a few minutes to achieve a consistency that is dry to the touch. This is because many silicone sprays use flammable components that can penetrate through oil and grime to form a better seal, but these penetrating components rapidly evaporate, leaving only the protective lubricant and sealant.
If you are using the silicone spray for waterproofing or sealing, you will want to wait at least 24 hours to ensure that the spray is properly cured. Otherwise, you can use your appliances, doors, windows, tools, or other products almost immediately after application.
Versatility
A silicone spray’s versatility refers to the materials it can be used with and whether its primary design is for lubricating, sealing, or a combination of both. If you are looking for a general-purpose silicone spray for around your home then you will want to find a product that can be used with wood, metal, plastic, rubber, and vinyl.
Consider finding a silicone spray that is non-staining so that you don’t have to worry about leaving a permanent reminder on your appliances or door frames. While most silicone sprays are both sealants and lubricants, there are products specifically designed to provide better waterproofing and others for easily penetrating through layers of rust for more efficient lubrication.
Our Top Picks
Selected with those shopping considerations in mind, the recommendations below are some of the best silicone spray options on the market for home and workshop repairs.
Best Overall
This 11-ounce silicone spray from Liquid Wrench can create a water-resistant barrier on garden tools, bicycles, lawn mowers, and snow blowers that will also act to inhibit rust. It can also be used on a range of materials, including wood, rubber, plastics, metals, and even vinyl. Use the spray to lubricate hinges, door tracks, or even your old office chair to regain movement lost to rust, grime, oil, and other built-up debris.
Once applied, the spray dries in moments but takes at least 24 hours to be fully cured and water-resistant. The silicone spray remains effective between -10 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit and repels water after curing, making it an ideal product to keep on hand for a number of different purposes around the home.
Best Bang For the Buck
![Best Silicone Spray Options: WD-40 Handyman Trio [Stocking Stuffers]](https://www.ourgeneration.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/oKmoxK.jpg)
Silicone sprays can be used on many different materials but, depending on the project, you may want to use a specific lubricant. This affordable value pack comes with a multi-purpose lubricant that is an excellent option for metal to metal friction points, cables, pulleys, and loosening up rusted bolts or hinges with a high-penetration formula that works quickly and effectively. The product also comes with a gel lubricant with a no-drip formula that works well for vertical surfaces.
The final can in this trio is a silicone spray to use on rubber, metal, vinyl, and plastic. The silicone spray lubricates and protects against moisture and rust. Once applied, it dries quickly and doesn’t leave a sticky residue, though it still takes about 24 hours to properly cure.
Best For Rubber
This silicone spray comes in a 14-ounce can and can be used on rubber, plastic, vinyl, leather, metal, and wood. Rubber gaskets, seals, and rings can become dry over time, causing them to crack and break. Given that rubber fittings are typically used to seal a portion of a system or connect two parts of a system without leaks, a cracked or broken seal can lead to big issues.
To prevent this problem you can lubricate and moisturize your rubber seals with this silicone spray that will also help to return the waterproof properties of the rubber. The spray can also protect and preserve the rubber so that you can extend the life of your gaskets or O-rings, though they will still need to be replaced at some point.
Best For Garage Door
A seized garage door can damage the tracks and springs, causing a potential safety hazard every time you open or close the door. With this silicone spray to lubricate sticking points, including the hinges, tracks, chains, pulleys, or any other metal components, you can return your door to its normal operation. The spray both lubricates the parts and creates a protective barrier against corrosion.
With this product, you get two 11-ounce bottles of silicone spray that each have a permanently attached straw for precision application. The straw is on a hinge so that you can adjust the angle while you spray the quick-drying formula. This silicone spray doesn’t leave behind residue, so you won’t have to worry about the accumulation of dirt, grease, and other contaminants on your garage door mechanisms.
Best For Windows
Older houses and aging vehicles can have many things in common, but one area that frequently becomes a problem for both your home and your car is the mobility of your windows. The car windows can become jammed and stuck with dirt, grime, oil, and other road debris, but with this dry silicone lubricant, you can quickly regain the smooth movement of a new motorized car window.
The silicone spray won’t stain fabrics or window frames, making it a great option for freeing up the stuck windows in the home. Once the silicone spray has been applied, allow it to dry and fully cure for at least two hours. This spray isn’t affected by the high and low temperatures of the seasons due to its wide effective temperature range of -28 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use this spray on your sliding doors, screen doors, and hinged doors for better movement.
Best For Fabrics
Silicone sprays are not commonly used on fabrics. Still, there are a few circumstances where you will want a fabric-friendly spray like the Sprayway Silicone Spray to properly lubricate, seal, and protect your appliances that come in contact with your clothing or other fabrics. This can include lubricating the hinges on the clothes washer, the dryer, or using the spray on your sewing machine.
This colorless, non-staining silicone spray can be used on metal, glass, rubber, or plastic to help protect the material and extend the life of appliances. The 11-ounce can of silicone spray doesn’t come with a straw for the precision application, so you will only be able to spray broad surfaces or by bringing the can much closer to the target object.
Best Food Grade
Preparing meals, serving, and cleaning up are just a few of the daily tasks that are completed in most kitchens every day, but when appliances begin to squeak and food preparation tools show signs of rust, it’s time to use this food-grade silicone spray. This spray can be used in fridges, the hinges of stoves, or the moving parts of a blender to lubricate and extend the life of appliances.
This food-grade silicone spray operates effectively at temperatures ranging from -40 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has a colorless, odorless, non-staining appearance that is ideal for kitchens. The spray has passed certification for both the NSF H1 and FDA regulations for incidental food contact, so it can be used safely on appliances.
Best High Temperature
When working on engines, barbecue grills, or ovens, this silicone spray is a good choice because it can be used on surfaces that reach extremely high temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. This silicone spray penetrates through built-up rust and oils to create a lasting seal that extends the life of vehicles and appliances.
The 12-ounce bottle of silicone spray can be used to protect your exhaust headers, pipes, and engine block from abrasions, road debris, and oil. Just apply the spray and allow it to fully cure, which takes only two hours. Once it is cured, you can use your vehicle regularly without worrying about the spray melting or burning off.
Tips for Using Silicone Spray
Silicone spray is a great addition to the garage or workshop with many different applications. You can easily apply the spray to the surface you want to silence squeaky hinges, lubricate stuck metal parts, protect against rust, and prevent moisture damage. When you set out to apply silicone spray, keep these tips in mind:
- Avoid spraying walking surfaces with silicone spray. The mist creates a slippery coating that can quickly become dangerous.
- Do not use silicone spray on painted surfaces. The paint tends to absorb the spray, making it very difficult to apply a new coat of paint over the silicone-infused layer.
- Focus the silicone spray on the mechanical parts. Even in the situation of loosening a lock on a car door handle, you won’t want the spray to coat where you grip, because it will make the surface slippery and hard to grasp. This is the case for any items you may need to handle― fishing rods, chainsaws, guns, and more―so that they do not slip out of your hand while using them.
FAQs About Silicone Spray
Before investing in a new silicone spray, take a look at these frequently asked questions and their answers below.
Q. When should I use silicone lubricant?
Silicone spray is used to properly lubricate metal, wood, rubber, and plastic while providing a water-resistant barrier. However, once a surface has been sprayed, it becomes difficult to paint, so you will want to plan out your projects before applying it to every exposed hinge.
Q. Is silicone spray waterproof?
Silicone lubricant is not completely waterproof, but it is water-resistant and naturally repels water from any surface you spray.
Q. Does silicone spray damage plastic?
No, silicone sprays won’t damage plastic. They actually work very well to lubricate and protect plastic surfaces.
Q. Is silicone spray harmful to rubber?
Silicone spray can improve rubber and help keep the material soft and pliable.
Q. How long does silicone spray take to dry?
It normally takes just a few minutes for silicone spray to dry but can take up to 24 hours to fully cure.
Q. How do you clean off silicone spray?
You can remove silicone spray using a rag or cloth and denatured alcohol. If you don’t have denatured alcohol, you can use rubbing alcohol or another solvent. After wiping the area clean of silicone spray, you should rinse it with warm water before drying.
Published at Wed, 02 Dec 2020 21:09:23 +0000
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