How to Silence a Squeaky Door With Three Household Items

Got a squeaky door that's driving you nuts? The acoustic range of a squeaky door is right up there with a Mariah Carey high note on the annoyance scale. But don't fret, there are three common household items that can provide a temporary respite from the high pitch annoyance, which will give you some peace and quiet between the quick fix and when you get around to replacing the door hardware.

For a temporary squeaky clean solution, directly rub a bit of soap on the hinges for some instant noise relief. We recommend using a soap that's been well used already, since you want to rub it across all the hinges and get into the offending parts. Some have noted success with liquid soaps, but a dry hand soap will quell the noise a lot longer.

In a similar fashion, petroleum jelly (not KY Jelly...much different application) will do an even better job of lubricating those hinges into silences. Using a hammer and a larger size nail, tap out the hinge pin from underneath. Coat the hinge pin and repeat with each hinge on door.

If you happen to have some paraffin candles around, metal hinges quiet when rubbed across with this wax. It's recommended you disassemble the hinges and apply the wax directly onto the pins to limit excess residue; unlike the soap solution, oil or even lubricant, the paraffin leaves little dust-accumulating residue. A smooth move indeed.

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Comments (12)

soap works on a squeaky bed as well!

Or, you could just use WD-40 or mineral oil.

Not sure how KY is relevant or why it was even mentioned; I'm pretty sure most people know petroleum jelly = Vaseline.

hey uptight - party of one, calm down

I've even seen margerine used. But since this is AT, I'd recommend Danish butter.

WD40 works beautifully...

the reason *KY Jelly won't work well is because it is water based, it will only serve to worsen the corrosion that is causing the squeak....
(*besides, a natural product like YES! is much healthier than KY Jelly)

I like Mariah's high notes, Mr. Han.

I usually use wd40 for hinges, but Ivory soap is great for when the actual door is rubbing against the frame (forget sanding!) And if you are a DIY type that builds stuff from scratch, Ivory soap is good for screws that won't go into wood well.

On production sets, an old sound technician's trick is Lemon Pledge. Just spray into the hinges and you've got quiet (at least for as long as it takes to film)...

I'm guessing the only reason WD40 wasn't mentioned is that Vaseline, soap and candles are a more common household item?? Or am I missing something?

I used olive oil on my squeaky doors and after 1 year they still don't squeak. It also helped on a window that was hard to open and close.
WD-40 also works great.

My mom swears by cooking spray (Pam) for squeaky cabinet hinges.