For the majority of us, peaceful sleep requires a quiet environment. But occasionally, disturbing noises can keep us from sleeping. A squeaky bed is the worst possible situation in this case because it prevents us from falling asleep deeply while tossing and turning only makes the situation worse. But why does a bed squeak, and how do you fix it?
Table of Contents
What Causes a Bed to Squeak?
Squeaky Mattress
Pushing into various areas of your mattress and moving around the bed will help you locate the general area of the squeaky mattress. Do you usually sleep under there? Is it positioned in a corner?
A common source of mattress squeaks in hybrid spring mattresses is innerspring. This indicates that a new mattress is probably in order because the innerspring is difficult to replace.
Squeaky Box Spring
The most likely culprit of a squeaky bed is a box spring. If you were unable to identify the source of the squeak in your mattress, you might want to focus your attention on your box spring next. Fortunately, most box springs can be quickly fixed at home since the wood frame is probably what’s causing the squeak.
Many people opt to completely do without a box spring in favor of a platform bed frame if they don’t want to deal with a noisy one. Platform beds, as opposed to box springs, have a built-in foundation that is supported by a solid base, frequently made of wooden slats.
Squeaky Bed Frame
A loose bolt or a piece of warped wood are common causes of squeaky bed frames, and they are typically fairly easy to fix at home. The bed frame could squeak if the bolts come loose, while a stain from water or a change in humidity could cause a wooden bed frame to slightly warp.
It’s a sure bet that the squeak is coming from your bed frame if you can’t locate a squeak in your mattress or box spring. A squeaky bed frame can be fixed at home using the suggestions listed below.
How to Fix a Squeaky Bed
Rotate Your Mattress
In a pinch, you can try rotating or flipping your mattress, even though a squeaky mattress is frequently a sign that it’s time to buy a new one. You should periodically turn your mattress, just like you would rotate your car tires, to make sure the filling is distributed evenly.
Regardless of whether your mattress squeaks, you should rotate it every three months. However, if the squeak is under where you usually sleep, rotating the mattress should help lessen the traction of the squeak in the interim.
Cushion With Plywood
You might want to try putting a thin piece of plywood underneath your mattress if you’ve tried rotating it but the annoying squeak persists. This is especially useful if you use a box spring to firm up the base and temporarily reduce squeak.
Look into Getting a New Mattress
It’s probably time to buy a new mattress if your old one has noisy bed springs. You might want to think about comparing a hybrid. foam mattress for your next model, since all-foam mattresses won’t run into the issue of a squeaky spring.
Just be sure to properly dispose of your old mattress if you decide to upgrade.
Check the Joints
Unfastened bolts are among the most frequent causes of a squeaky bed frame. Check your frame’s joints for any loose bolts before taking more drastic action. To reduce the likelihood of a repeat, you might want to use WD-40 to lubricate the joints.
Applying lubrication can be beneficial for foundations with metal bolts or screws, such as metal bed frames. Joint areas can easily be treated with products like WD-40, which frequently quiets them down.
The noise’s likely coming from somewhere else if lubricating and tightening the bed’s joints does not solve the issue.
Cushion the Slats
Another frequent cause of a squeaky bed frame is the slats rubbing against the frame (or against one another). Use old socks, shirts, or towels as a noise-canceling cushion between the slats and the frame to quickly muffle any sound coming from the slats.
Oil the Frame
If your bed frame is made of metal, grab some WD-40 and rub it on the offending area. In a pinch, beeswax or candle wax can be used to protect wooden bed frames.
Use Cork
If you don’t want to lubricate your wooden bed frame, try inserting pieces of cork to quiet the squeaky wood. The cork will act as a cushion between the two pieces, temporarily lessening the squeak.
Add Floor Padding
You may want to broaden your search if you haven’t yet identified the source of your squeaky bed because an uneven floor can also be the cause of rickety or noisy beds. Add padding in the form of a towel, an old t-shirt, or a folded sheet under the required legs of the frame to lessen this annoying imbalance.
If your bed is on casters, the problem could be with the wheels. To stop the squeak, try WD-40 wheel grease and new caster cups from your neighborhood hardware store.
Purchase a New Bed Frame
It might be time to buy a new bed frame if you’ve tried everything to stop the squeak but are still unsuccessful. In order to avoid dealing with another squeak problem, you should pick a versatile bed frame that integrates well with your current setup.
Instead, you might want to think about replacing your box spring if you’re accustomed to its texture.
Conclusion: Easy to Fix
A squeaky bed doesn’t have to cause you to have restless nights. Loud, annoying, and frustrating to deal with at night are noisy beds. You’ll be able to sleep in no time thanks to the straightforward fixes for squeaky beds that typically don’t require much of your time.
FAQ
Do Wood Or Metal Bed Frames Squeak More?
Wood-on-wood friction is less likely to produce noise, so a wooden bed frame typically squeaks less than a metal frame. In contrast, metal rubbing up against metal makes a much louder sound. Bolts and screws won’t make any noise either because wood is strong enough to be tightened more securely than metal.
Are Beds Supposed to Squeak?
No, whether it be noisy coils or loose bolts if your bed is squeaky, something is wrong. Even though nothing bad will occur if your bed squeaks, the noise can be bothersome and interfere with getting any rest.
Is It Normal for a New Bed to Squeak?
While brand-new spring beds shouldn’t squeak or be noisy, it’s common for older spring beds to do so.
You can probably file a warranty claim or a claim for a defective mattress if your new bed is noisy. As a result, since squeaky mattresses are not a defect, you cannot submit a warranty claim for them.