My house has exterior roller shutters operated by a manual crank inside (right pic). But operating it created a lot of squeaking noise from the crank handle so I used a few drops of fine-mechanic oil to lubricate. Problem solved -- but now it's dirty (left pic) and it keeps getting dirty again every time I wipe it clean.
Evidently I should not have used oil here. How can I correct my mistake?
It seems the mix between the combination of plastic tubes (handles) around metal shafts caused the squeaking, but adding oil to that combo creates "dirt" = a very thin black greasy substance that is easily wiped away yet reappears within a day or two (we operate these daily).
I wonder how I can:
- remove the oil to stop this problem, and
- add something else to prevent it from happening again?
Important update:
- I neglected to mention that this is a brand new system; the house was built last summer so there can't be years of dirt. I think it must be a phenomenon about the materials.
- Also, the crank doesn't seem to be removable. I can't tell how it's put together but there are no visible screws.