Home Improvement

I've never done this so take what I say with a grain of salt. If you are going to try silicone spray, I would cut power to the switch first. Those cans have flammable propellants in then.

Once sprayed on it should be fine though, and since it's indoor the silicone won't gunk up much, though I personally prefer to use a dry lubricant to prevent dirt/dust from building up. The same company makes a dry lube can.

I would not use silicone spray, personally. It might be perfectly fine, but I’ve never had it recommended to me for that purpose.

What I have been told to use, and have used regularly for a few years is CRC contact cleaner. You can find it online or in stores like harbor freight or just about any hardware store. It’s supposed to clean and lubricate electrical contacts, and works really well.

Contact cleaner was my first thought too, I’ve used it successfully to unstick potentiometers like volume knobs.

In this case, depending on the source of the failure, neither that nor the silicone spray might be sufficient. There’s probably a spring in there which could be stuck or partially rusted from moisture (in which case a selective dose of WD-40 would help, followed by some form of lubrication). I’d try to take the cover off and take look at the mechanism first.

Silicone is non-conductive and will work fine. Another name for it is dielectric grease which is literally used to insulate electrical terminals from water and debris.

Your dial is probably sticking from the humidity in the bathroom while the shower is going. Keep the bathroom fan running when the shower is going to prevent humidity buildup.