How to Make a Bed Less Squeaky

Your bed is the most important piece of furniture in your home. It has to be the most comfortable because you spend the most amount of time on it. But you can have the softest pillows and the most luxurious sheets and it won’t mean a thing if your bed squeaks like a screaming mouse every time you shift your weight.

Most of the time, your bed squeaks because it needs its joints tightened. Grab a screwdriver and a wrench and check that the frame is tightly secured. The most common cause of a squeaky bed is friction from loose joints.

If you’ve got a metal frame, or if you haven’t tightened the joints on your bed recently, it’s most likely that this will fix it. If your screws don’t secure the bed properly even when fully tightened, adding washers will help tremendously. However, if your bedframe is properly secured and your bed is still squeaking away, that means the problem runs a little deeper. Here are a few handy tricks to stop that annoying squeaky noise so you can get your beauty sleep!

Common Reasons Your Bed Squeaks and How to Fix Them

Sometimes you can tighten and tighten a joint, but it never seems to stop the bedframe rubbing. This is a significant problem in older metal bedframes with some wear and tear. Fortunately, you don’t have to go shopping for a new frame just yet.

Squeaky Metal Bed Frames

If you’re not sure if your bed is squeaky due to age or loose joints, there’s a handy way to check. First, move your bed at least six inches away from any other furniture or walls. Then, take a screwdriver and a wrench and tighten all of the joints on your bed. Then, try to rock your bed back and forth. If your joints are tight and the bed still moves and squeaks, that probably just means your bed frame is a bit older. There are a couple things you can do to keep your frame handy for a year or two longer.

Squeaky Wooden Bed Frames

If your bedframe is wooden you won’t have any joints to tighten. You will have to find the space that’s causing the squeak. There’s going to be a spot near the joins where the bed can rub together. This also applies if you have a bedframe that knocks against the wall or shifts a lot but all the joints are as tight as can be - you need to find where the bed can move. There will be at least one space near the joints of the bedframe that allows the bed to shift while you’re on it. You can stuff it with paper, cork, or another material, but the best thing to use is a sock. They’re soft, fit into crevices and completely negate any friction-based sound. However, this will definitely ruin whatever you use over time, so if you use socks, make sure they’re old ones!

If the problem with your bed isn’t so much that it shifts but it’s still squeaky, it’s likely that despite the joints being tight, there is still some friction along the frame. What you can do to address this is apply candlewax to all contact areas on the bedframe, where two parts meet. If you don’t have any wax, a wax-like substance will also work, such as paraffin or beeswax.

Fixing Squeaky Mattresses

If you know your bedframe is in pristine condition, or you’ve checked the joints and can’t see anywhere the frame would rub, it’s likely that the source of the noise is your mattress. An air or water mattress may make strange sounds due to the materials used. This is largely unavoidable unless the mattress is rubbing against the frame to create the sound. In this case, you can use wax to prevent rubbing.

Not sure whether it’s a squeaky frame or a squeaky mattress? Take your mattress off the bedframe and try gently moving the frame. If there’s no movement or noise, it’s your mattress.

If you have a spring mattress, this is probably where your problem lies. When the springs inside these mattresses age, they tend to squeak pretty loudly. If your mattress is in bad condition as it is, this squeakiness may indicate that it’s time for a new one. However, if you’re strapped for cash or your mattress is otherwise fine, you can treat this squeakiness with only a little bit of work. Flip the mattress upside down, then cut a medium-sized flap in the back of the mattress. Apply WD40 to each spring individually to lubricate it, and any areas where you can see metal. If you don’t have WD40 on hand, vegetable oil is a good substitute. When you’re satisfied, you can staple the back of the mattress back on, or tape it back together – nobody will see it anyway!

If you’ve tried all this and your spring mattress is still squeaky, simply try turning the mattress around, so that the foot of the mattress becomes the head. This changes the weight distribution of your body as you lie on the mattress and can often be all you need to do to fix it. Springs at the ‘bottom’ end of the mattress tend to last longer as you sleep mostly on the ‘top’ end of the mattress.

Other Causes of a Squeaky Bed

If the squeak isn’t fixed by making alterations to the mattress or maintaining the bedframe, then there are only a couple of other things that it could be. Certain materials that manufacturers use on the feet of bedframes can rub against some types of floor. If your bedroom floor is carpeted, this probably isn’t your issue. If there’s a wooden floor under your bed, check if the bed is uneven. Putting an old book or an old sock underneath the problem leg can eliminate the squeak. Keep in mind that whatever you place under the bed will probably be irreparably damaged when you want to retrieve it.

If your bed is on wheels, the squeak could be coming from inside the wheels. While some WD40 may eliminate the squeak, you can eliminate the movement of the bed entirely if you want. Simply go to your local hardware store and find castor cups – they’re incredibly cheap and prevent the wheels from moving when you’re on the bed by ‘cupping’ them in place. While there won’t be a squeak, castor cups will prevent damage caused by the wheels on carpeted floors, so they’re a good purchase anyway.

Castor cups may also address problems with squeaking that occurs as a result of friction between the bed legs and the floor. If your bedroom has hardwood flooring, vinyl or laminate, this could be the source of your bed squeak.

Conclusion

If the above tricks don’t remedy the sound of your bed or movement while you sleep on it, it may be time to bite the bullet and purchase a new mattress or bedframe. You may only need one or the other. If you don’t know which one, separate them. You’ll need a new bedframe if it moves or squeaks when you shake it. If you think you need a new mattress, place yours on the floor. You’ll know you need a new one if when you roll over it, you hear it squeaking.

If you tried any of the ideas above and your squeak is now gone – congratulations! The insufferable sound is gone, and you can sleep tight in perfect silence. While the above tricks will be handy for silencing the squeak temporarily, often it can come back over time. If you don’t want to purchase a new bed yet, you can continue to use the above tricks to stop your bed squeaking for years to come.