Interior of home from living room through entry way and dining area
I have officially become a bag lady. On any given day, I leave my house with a minimum of four relatively large bags hanging from my shoulders, usually with a baby strapped to me as well. Then, I have to climb approximately 22 steps leading from my front door up to my car, but that is not even the worst part.
The worst part, for me, is getting out the front door in the first place. When I open the door, it immediately swings wide open. This is great when I am walking inside the house. However, when I’m leaving, this means I have to put on my shoes and then walk a few steps back into the house to close the door again. I quietly curse the door each and every time as I trudge back in, feeling triple wide with several bags on both sides of me.
The time has finally come for me to do something about this swinging door. After asking friends and digging deeper for how to solve the problem, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the fix is relatively simple and requires no special tools.
You’ll need a hammer, a screwdriver, and petroleum jelly (optional). Start by removing the hinge pin from the middle hinge of the door. If your door has only two hinges, close the door first, and place a scrap piece of wood between the doorjamb and the door at the top corner opposite from the hinges, and remove the top hinge pin instead.
To remove the pin, place a screwdriver underneath, and tap up with your hammer. Hammer gently just until the pin pops out a bit and you can remove the rest with your hand.
Then, place it on a flat surface and use your hammer to create a very slight bend in the middle of the hinge. The bend should be barely noticeable. When I did this myself, it took just a few taps.
While you have the pin out, you may want to lubricate it to help with any creaking. Apply petroleum jelly to the hinge pin, and then reinsert. Hammer it gently back into place. Test the door. If the door still swings, repeat this process on the other hinges.
Have a comment or question for Joanne? Email thefixisinhawaii@gmail.com.