Let’s be honest – having a squeaky bed can be incredibly annoying, to say nothing of awkward. Is there anything more annoying than trying to drift off to sleep only to be awoken by the loud squeaking sounds of the springs in your own metal bed?
A close contender might be your bed’s springs squeaking away during your “bedroom activities” with a partner, alerting the rest of the household, your dormmates, or apartment neighbors as to your actions and making for some awkward questions later on.
No one wants to deal with that. So, how can you solve a squeaky metal bed?
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An Intro to Squeaky Beds
While some beds today are made from foam and other materials, many still make use of springs. Even beds that are made of foam may have metal or wooden components which, when subject to dust, rust, and age, can begin to squeak.
When you have a squeaky bed on your hands, the first thing you’re going to want to do is check for the source of the squeak. Even if you think you can hear where it’s coming from, you’ll want to inspect the bed and confirm which part is responsible for the squeaking.
Some of the most common sources of squeaking include mattresses, box springs, or frames. To determine which is responsible, you’ll need to separate the parts and inspect them individually.
Place the mattress on the floor and apply pressure to it. If you hear squeaking, you’ve found your culprit.
If not, try checking the box spring. This is one of the most common causes of squeaky beds. Finally, you’ll want to check the headboard and frame of the bed as well. As with the mattress, you’ll want to place these items on the floor, apply some pressure, and see if either or both squeak.
10 Ways to Stop a Metal Bed from Squeaking
1. Lubricants
Whether it is your bed’s mattress, the box spring, the frame, or any other part of your bed that’s squeaking, one of the best ways to treat them can be with lubricants. As metal parts grow older, they can become rusty or corroded. The same is true for the joints that hold them all together.
As a result, having some WD-40 or similar lubricants on hand can help get rid of that squeaking sound.
One of the best things about WD-40, in particular, is its versatility. It works on just about any metal surface you would expect to find in a home, including the springs and metal parts that can make up a bed. As a result, if old metal parts are indeed the culprit, a versatile lubricant like WD-40 gives you the best chance at quieting the squeaking.
2. Add Extra Padding
No one wants to be trapped between a rock and a hard place, especially when they are their mattress and bed. A hard bed can be uncomfortable and highly frustrating, doubly so if it’s squeaking as well.
One potential way to solve both of these problems is by adding a bit of extra padding.
There are a couple ways you can go about doing this. If you don’t want to buy anything and are fine sacrificing a few old socks, shirts, or other expendable clothes and linens for the cause, you may consider using these items as padding. They are soft and, as long as you spread them out first so as to avoid creating lumps, can provide the padding you need.
If you’d rather have a more lasting, professional-grade fix, you’ll want to consider foam bed padding.
Whichever you choose, place the padding between the mattress and the bed frame.
3. Tighten Loose Joints
Another common cause of squeaky beds is loose joints. While we’ve already talked about how old metal joints can cause squeaking that can potentially be resolved with some WD-40 or similar professional lubricant, sometimes joints are simply loose and need a bit of tightening. Make sure that you check all of the bolts on your bed and tighten any that are loose.
If this causes you difficulty, consider adding a washer between the bed frame and the bolt. This can help the bolt fit more snugly and make the joint quieter.
4. Add a Bit of Wax or Oil
If you don’t feel like investing in some WD-40 or don’t happen to have any on hand, you can sometimes MacGyver yourself a solution with a bit of wax. Applying it to the affected joints can, in theory, have a similar effect on quieting a squeaky bed frame as can WD-40 and professional lubricants.
On the one hand, most kinds of wax are suitable. Even a bit of candle wax can be used here. Simply apply it to the area in question, and voila.
On the other hand, this obviously isn’t what wax was intended to do, so don’t expect it to be a permanent replacement for WD-40 or professional-grade lubricants. In addition, you may have to add several coats of wax for it to be effective.
5. Buy a New Bed Frame
If you have identified the problem as your bed frame and cannot resolve the squeaking, it’s probably time for a new one.
There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when purchasing a new bed frame:
- First, you’ll need to make sure to take your mattress into account. As such, even before you purchase your new bed frame, you’ll need to decide whether you’re ditching your old mattress or keeping it. Whatever mattress you have, you want to make sure that it is sized properly for the bed frame.
- You’ll also want to make sure that the bed frame is a good fit for your room, and does not brush up against the wall.
- Make sure that the bed frame you purchase is a good fit for your bedroom décor scheme.
- Make sure that the type of bed frame you are purchasing fits the mattress type. For example, if you have a queen-sized bed, make sure you’re getting a queen-sized bed frame.
6. Get a New Box Spring
Likewise, if you have determined your box spring as the source of the squeaking but can’t get it fixed, you may want to consider a replacement. If you have been having trouble with spring-loaded box springs, you may want to consider alternative options.
As with bed frames, you’ll want to make sure that the box spring you purchase is perfectly sized to fit your mattress.
7. Buy New Metal Washers
It’s also worth noting that it might not be the joints, frame, springs, or other metal parts, but the washers that are keeping them together. If your bed continues to squeak, try taking off its current set of washers and screwing on new ones.
8. Rotate Your Mattress
If you have checked your bed’s frame thoroughly and still can’t find the source of the squeaking, you may want to check the mattress itself. If you have not rotated your mattress in a while, doing so can help resolve your squeaking issue.
As it is, you should already be rotating your mattress anyway. Not rotating your mattress can leave it lumpy, misshapen, or worn out. That’s due in part to the fact that laying on the same spot year after year can start to wear out the springs. Not only can this cause the bed to become lumpy, hard, and thus uncomfortable, it can also result in noisy squeaky springs.
9. Use Furniture Pads
Finally, if you’ve checked the rest of your bed and still can’t figure out what’s causing the squeaking, try examining the feet.
The squeaking may not be coming from the mattress or box spring, but simply the sound of the feet of your bed rubbing up against the floor.
For example, some furniture pads can be a useful way to quiet the squeaking.
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10. Checking Wooden or Cork Frames
Not all beds are made of metal. If you have a bed frame that is made of wood or cork, you can still experience squeaking.
If this is the case, you’ll want to try placing some cork in the problem areas. This can help even out the bed and get rid of imbalances in the wooden or cork frame, which in turn can help with the squeaking.
You may also like: How to Make Bed Slats Stronger
Conclusion
There are a number of different reasons why your bed may be squeaking. Finding the cause of the squeaking may not be easy, and even if you do find the issue, determining what to do about it can be difficult. The best way to resolve the matter is to simply proceed through this list in a methodical fashion until you find the cause and the solution. It may take time, but with patience you can finally fix your squeaking bed.
