I refuse to use WD-40 and, in fact, won't allow it in my home or shop. It
smells badly and any good that it can do is far exceeded by using better
stuff. Besides, it's very expensive.

There is another cult that seems to want to use this crap for almost any
purpose.

It's true that if a mechanism is sticky, you can use even plain water as a
lubricant to get it going. That doesn't mean it's a good idea in the long
run.

There is no substitute for careful cleaning and then replacement of proper
lubricant if needed. I have repaired many a noisy control simply by
exercising it, without chemicals. The problem with many controls is that
they sit in the same position so long they lose their function due to dust
and coagulation of lubricant.