Wobble, wobble, wobble—is that what your garage door does whenever it opens and closes? The noise can get annoying, and wobbling back and forth can eventually cause your garage door tracks to loosen or the chains to be put under extra strain. Thankfully, fixing a wobbling garage door is not as hard as you might think. Just follow these steps.

Step #1: Tighten the brackets.

In most garage doors, the tracks are held in place by a series of metal brackets, and these brackets are fastened to the wall with screws. If the screws become loose, the brackets become loose, and then the whole assembly wobbles around when your door moves in the tracks.

Most brackets will tighten with only a screwdriver. Locate each screw, and turn it to the right until it is nice and tight. (Remember: lefty-loosey, righty-tighty.) Test whether tightening the screws has made the brackets more stable. Open and close the door a few times. If the wobbling persists, move on to the next step.

Step #2: Replace the rollers.

Another possibility is that the rollers over which the door passes have become rusty or worn down. Try lubricating them, and see if this solves the problem. If it does not, you may need to replace the rollers. If you are handy, you can generally do this yourself. Just close the door all of the way, pull the ripcord to detach it from the track, and then unscrew the rollers. Take them to the hardware store to ensure you buy new rollers in the same size. Opt for rubber rollers over metal ones, as they tend to cause less wobble. Screw the new ones into place, and then put the door back on track. 

Step #3: Inspect the chain.

If replacing the rollers does not solve your problem, then the chain might be to blame. Wobbling can occur when the chain gets rusty and inflexible. If the rust is pretty minor, you can probably just lubricate it with some WD-40 and solve the issue. However, if there is more than a little rust, you should have a professional replace the chain. Really rusty chains can snap spontaneously, which is a much bigger problem than having a wobbling garage door!

If you are still not sure why your door is wobbling around, contact a garage door repair company. They can assess the issue and recommend a solution.