The somewhat magical, yet, incredibly basic product that is WD40. A product that I have never, once in my life, existed without a can on hand. In the rest of the world, is WD40 still a thing? Is there a new invention that is better that I don’t know about? Do millennials know about WD40? I am so curious!
I was first introduced to WD40 by my Grandfather when I was about eight years old. I tagged along on every handy adventure my Grandfather would be working on and he made it very clear that as a young girl, I was going to learn my way around a tool box. I was all in. We fixed things, made cutting boards, bird & squirrel feeders and really any thing imaginable with scrap wood! We crafted and I loved it!
My Grandfather loved to tinker and was quite a perfectionist. He was totally put off by an uneven table or a squeaky door and this, my friends, is your weekend lead in to my relationship with WD40.
One fine day, many moons ago, my Grandfather and I were headed out to the garage to find a project. We open the door to the garage and there was a loud, annoying squeak. As soon as we heard the squeak my Grandfather closed it and told me he had a cool trick to show me and, he added, it came in a can. Yes, at eight years old I was thinking “cool trick in a can” a rabbit or some silly jumpy scarf like a clown can. Nope. That can was WD40. My Grandfather who called me either “Leeease or Leeeser Lou” (which was my CB Handle when we were traveling on the road). Some what made an incredible production over everything. At eight, it was so cool to be a part of the production. He would gather all the appropriate gear or gadgets he would need to properly handle the squeaky door. He grabbed the can of WD40 & a rag, that sounds simple, but here is where the production begins. My Grandfather explains to me that there are 3 potential spots that the squeak could be coming from and asks me of I knew what he was referring to. Yes, I already knew what a hinge was from his excellent training working in his workshop. He then told me it was very important we listen to the squeak and only apply the product where we need to so we don’t use too much product and have to deal with the awful smell.
He then proceeded to dramatically open and close the door, testing me on which hinge had the squeak. Once I properly identified the hinge for like the third time, we applied the WD40 and wiped the residue. As usual after a project, he wanted me to test the door first. I did the test and NO squeak. He then gave me the careful over the top instructions for the keeping of the little straw that you connect to spray the product. It seemed like not a big deal at the time, till I once lost one of those straws and I will tell you, you might as well just buy another can. As always he was right!
This random WD40 scenario just resurfaced to a tee on one of my doors the other day. I was up early leaving for the gym and I opened my door and heard this loud squeak. I smiled and thought, my Grandfather would NOT allow that so why should I! I went for it, can of WD40 & a rag, found the hinge and gave it a spritz. As I drove to the gym that morning, I had a nice moment of reflection of the little things we learn through life that later carry us to the next lesson. So just like I heard my Grandfather say many times “If you pay attention, Leeease, you might just learn something!” – and again, he was right!
Again, tho. Really. I am not alone on an island here, right? We are all still using WD40, RIGHT?