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kathyc618

Quieting a squeaky bed frame!

kathyc618
16 years ago

Our metal bed frame is only a few months old. It squeaks and drives me crazy. My husband is not sleeping well. He tosses and turns and gets up at around 4:30. It is not up against the wall or hitting anything under the bed. Any ideas?

Comments (17)

  • Jon1270
    16 years ago

    Squeaking means pieces are rubbing against each other. One of you should move around on the bed to make it squeak while the other looks for the exact source(s) of the noise. Maybe a nut or other fastener can be tightened to prevent the parts from moving against each other; barring that, it might be worth applying some sort of lubricant to the trouble spots so they can move against each other quietly.

  • davidandkasie
    16 years ago

    lubricant to the trouble spots so they can move against each other quietly.

    she said the bed was squeaking, not her!

    all kidding aside, metal bed frames are very prone to loosening up after "activity". even the simple act of getting into/out of bed will lossen them. tighten everything and it should quit. my wife used to have a daybed that we had to tighten every time i spent the night, just the weight of 2 people sleeping in it and moving around was enough to loosen it up.

  • furnone
    16 years ago

    I have found that rubbing parafin wax on every joint that rubs together usually solves the problem. I use the blocks of canning wax available in any supermarket.

  • Jon1270
    16 years ago

    I was afraid someone would take it that way...

  • doorguy06
    16 years ago

    TOO FUNNY!!:)

  • ron6519
    16 years ago

    Squeaking can be the result of loose hardware. Check all the nuts and bolts.
    Ron

  • bobismyuncle
    16 years ago

    All the above are good ideas (tighten, lubricate). Vaseline is also a good lubricant. If the headboard and footboard are wood frames and the connectors look like this, then sometimes inserting little shims of wood (lubricated with wax or Vaseline again) at the end of the rail will tighten up the connectors that rely on tension. They make little metal inserts for these, but they are extremely difficult to find.

  • kathyc618
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for all of the input. My bed does not have the connectors that you showed. I'm going to check to see if it need to be tightend and maybe use the wax or vaseline.

  • vickiespicer_aol_com
    15 years ago

    Here are my suggestions after having been in the furniture business: 1) Bar of soap heavily applied to screw threads. 2) Teflon tape around the screws (see plumbing section @ Lowes). 3) Rubber washers. 4) Center support under box springs for queen or larger beds. Make sure you have enough sturdy slats. As for the vaseline? Not sure it's a good long term thing. Good luck!

  • pjb999
    15 years ago

    I think rubber washers, or a strip of rubber between the tube of the head and the frame. If it's like my squeaky bedhead, in the absence of bushes that go 'inside' the hole through the bedhead tube, you can't overtighten it or it will squash the tubing.

  • maryland_irisman
    15 years ago

    Davidandkasie....you wore me out on that one!!! Vickiespicer hit the nail on the head with the use of soap (liquid is best). That would be in addition to the other suggestions of tightening. I'll bed most of the squeeks would be associated with the headboard and footboard if there is one.

  • Mo
    15 years ago

    We recently got a new frame and mattress set and had a lot of squeaking. I narrowed it down to one of the center wheels, which was turned sideways. I turned it so it was lined up to roll from the head to the foot of the bed, and the squeaking stopped.

    If you get down on the floor and make the bed squeak, it should be easier to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from.

  • blue_eyed_kim
    15 years ago

    I just came across your website. A librarian recommended it to me.

    I have a squeaky 3-year-old Daybed, and I heard an acquaintance say that Daybeds don't last much longer than 3 years. Is this true?

    I like my Pinewood Daybed, with 3 heart-shaped cutouts on the headboard and on both arm rests; and would hope to repair the broken link so that I wouldn't have to discard the entire Daybed!

    One link recently broke, which is on top of the metal or steel brackets, which holds up the mattress. How does one repair the link? If more links break, will those metal brackets break also; and collapse with me on it?

    I sit on it gently, and don't stand on it.

    Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.

    (Ms.) blue-eyed-Kim.

  • bobismyuncle
    15 years ago

    Soap is hygroscopic and is not good for screws, long term. Wax or petrolatum is better.

  • maryland_irisman
    15 years ago

    Good point Bobsmyuncle. Bar soap would have sodium hydroxide which could be a problem in a long term damp area. However liquid soap would contain potassium hydroxide which would not be of harm to the screws. The glycerin would do great for coating and quieting the squeaks too.

  • blue_eyed_kim
    15 years ago

    Can a Daybed last beyond 3 years or more, with gentle use; albeit sleeping and sitting on it every day for 3 years?

    Thanks!

    --Kim.

  • blue_eyed_kim
    15 years ago

    Also, how does one repair a broken link of the Daybed?

    Thanks again!

    --Kim.