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My bathroom door makes a cracking sound whenever I open it.

When the screws are tight against the hinges, it makes the cracking sound when I open the door.

But when I loosen each screw, the cracking sound stops.

Is there a better solution than just loosening the screws?

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    Found the solution. It was the paint on the door jamb and door edge rubbing against each other causing the cracking sound. I taped the door jamb with masking tape and the cracking sound stopped. Thanks to those who responded. – Steven Dec 27 '13 at 5:08
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First guess: sticky paint. With the screws loose, there's less contact between paint on either side.

See also Doors are sticky and noisy when opened?

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  • This is easy to test, too. Just put masking tape on the surfaces of the door where it meets the door jamb. If the noise stops, it's paint. – longneck Nov 25 '13 at 15:48
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It could be a couple things...

  • The door has swollen due to high humidity in the bathroom. Loosening the hinge screws would allow the door a little play to fit in the opening better, causing less friction. The solution would be better ventilation, letting the door dry and sealing it (including top and bottom), or even planing down the edge a little.

  • The hinges weren't installed perfectly straight. If the hinges don't all line up perfectly, they will rotate slightly in their cutouts, causing a creaking noise. Again, loosening the screws will give them some play. The solution here would be to align (or maybe replace) the hinges.

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This happened when I replaced my hinges. Nothing was rubbing, as the door "popped" or "cracked" when only moved back and forth. Oiling the new hinges didn't solve the problem. As it turned out, the noise was coming from a hinge mortise. On the whole it seemed set properly, being level and plumb &c. I removed all three screws and the noise stopped. I ran a blade around the hinge to give it a tad more wiggle room and replaced the screws. The noise came back. I removed the screws once more, caulked in the hinge and left well enough alone.

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