Bed, stop creaking!

July 16, 2010 5:47 AM

Creaky bed! Can I fix or improve it?

I've owned this bed from IKEA (Heimdal) for about two months. Recently, it has started to creak crazily at the slightest movement. I just have a mattress (no boxspring) on top of it. I know questions have been asked before about this, but anything I can do about this particular model?

posted by leedly to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Since it's new, is it possible something has just loosened up since it was first set up? I'd strip the mattress off and wiggle the frame, looking for a loose bolt or rod.
posted by sldownard at 5:50 AM on July 16, 2010

Try and locate the source of the squeaks. If it's springs in the mattress / box spring that are squeaking, forget it. If it's one or more points on the frame, then either tighten the joint(s), lubricate the joints, or both.
posted by jon1270 at 5:51 AM on July 16, 2010

Once you find the creaky joint(s), try loosening them up, putting a little scrap of cloth in there, and then tightening the pieces onto the cloth. It should help you get a tighter seal, provide a little friction, and keep the metal from rubbing against itself.
posted by echo target at 6:17 AM on July 16, 2010

Creaky metal-frame bed? The soultion is to take it apart and reassemble it with rubber washers at the joins: anything else is a temporary fix. (Well, technically so are rubber washers, but they will remedy the problem for years and not weeks.)
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:13 AM on July 16, 2010

I had a metal-frame bed once. The solution was earplugs.
posted by jrockway at 7:49 AM on July 16, 2010

Reptile and I just fixed our squeaky IKEA bed last week. Pull the mattress off and push on it to figure out where the noise is coming from. Our was coming from the bed having inched backwards and was then rubbing up against the baseboard heater - easy fix. If it's an internal problem, follow fixes as above.
posted by cobaltnine at 8:36 AM on July 16, 2010

I was always freaked out by bed-squeaks when Mrs aksakal and I went on holiday anywhere and needed to adjust our nocturnal behaviour to avoid knowing breakfast-time glances from other holidaymakers. Then I learned to take a can of that oil you use to release blocked nuts and bolts - several brands available. On the first evening, I lay down under the bed, protected my eyes and nose, and sprayed everything in sight. Worked wonders. Even on boxsprings (I note that you don't have them, but anyway...). At home, this needs repeating less than once a year. Same trick works for creaky bathroom-door handles which wake partners up when you go for a nocturnal pee (no holiday-home landlord seems to ever think of that). Now I'm known among friends we go on holiday with as the guy with the spray can, and it's in hot demand.
posted by aqsakal at 9:18 AM on July 16, 2010