Silence the Squeak – How to Fix Your Recliner Like a Pro

Have you ever had the honor of stretching your back on a recliner only for it to create a gut-wrenching sound that is just too similar to a witch having her pinky toe stubbed on old furniture?

Well, if your answer was anywhere in between the affirmative region, I might be interested in a quick fix. A fix is so handy yet nifty that it could save you generations of headaches; you just need to follow my quick yet comprehensive guide on how to fix squeaky recliners.

Be assured I would also be throwing in a couple of tips and tricks in order to prevent this fiasco from happening ever again because, being a recliner enthusiast, we know how embarrassing it could get for a person.

How To Fix Squeaky Recliner 

lets discuss on How To Fix Squeaky Recliner?

Identifying The Problem

First of all, you are going to roll up your sleeves because identifying the squeaky sound is going to get a little bit tedious, especially if you are doing it for the very first time.

Listen Closely

All you need to do is get down on the floor next to the chair and listen intently as you move it in different directions.

Make sure you Wiggle, rock, and recline the chair to replicate the noises, whether it’s the backrest,  seat, or the base of the chair. This will allow you to help isolate where they’re coming from.

Feel for Vibration

If that doesn’t help, try placing your hand on various parts of the chair frame while noise is occurring. Feel for vibrations or movements that coincide with the squeaks.

This likely indicates the point of friction and wear and tear that is happening from moving parts inside the recliner.

Check Wheels and Glides

Start by inspecting the wheels or plastic feet that contact the floor. Spin and move these parts, noting any that feel rough or stuck.

Friction here is a common culprit because most of the dust and debris is often stuck in this place; after all, this region is the most exposed part that is right next to the floor, so there is no way it is not going to accumulate any kind of unnecessary gunk that is going to hinder its operations.

Test Joints and Connections

Just like the wheels of the recliners, the joints are also quite susceptible to getting rust and other gunk stuck into them.

All you have to do is perform a gentle move and twist sections of the chair frame that connect, like the lower legs or reclining mechanism. It’s no surprise that loose screws, nuts, or fittings often squeak once it catches rust.

Evaluate Upholstery

While not the biggest culprit at hand, it is still in your best interest that you perform a thorough inspection on parts where your body pressure often lies, make sure you change sides and even stand on the padding, to see if the springs or other support underneath is making any other kind of squeaking noise. These interior components may be at fault.

Listen from Different Angles

Stand or sit in the chair and have someone else move it to get a fresh perspective on the noise location. Two sets of ears are better than one!

Eliminate Potential Sources

Once you’ve identified a possible trouble spot, try to recreate the noise while avoiding that area. This can confirm your diagnosis of whether or not the noise indeed originated from the spot and if it needs to be rectified.

Narrowing down the noise will allow you to focus repair efforts on the real problem rather than guessing. With patience and careful listening, you can isolate the true source of those irritating squeaks!

Fixing A Squeaky Recliner

Once you have identified all the problematic regions, it is about time that you get down and dirty by rolling up your sleeves and fixing the issues by lubricating the areas because, obviously, most of the squeaking is often due to dry or worn-out parts that need some love and attention.

Things You Will Be Needing

First of all, grab these things if you are going to repair your squeaky recliner all by yourself; you do not want to do errands later on when you are midst of the repair.

• Lubricants such as WD-40 are used to lubricate joints and hinges.
• Screwdriver ( Any Phillips or Flathead would suffice)
• Replacement Parts (Optional, in case you break any)
• Flashlight( If you are working in poorly lit rooms
• Cleaning Scrub Or gentle Cloth

Tighten Those Screws

Before you start applying lubrication, I would highly suggest that you take a look at things that are either too loose or worn out; this includes screws, bolts, and nuts that may have come loose over time.

However, after years of use, these bolts and nuts might have lost their integrity, causing them to become stripped and preventing them from gripping correctly.

In that, you need to replace the stripped bolts and nuts with new ones of the same size and thread. Luckily, they are easily available at your local hardware store.

Use Light Spray

For the gliding wheels, I would highly suggest that you use sprays like WD-40 or light oil, avoiding greasing those areas because once it is back in the field, the dust from the floor is going to get mixed with the grease, which becomes solidified after a couple of hours, causing the movement even more stubborn than before.

So, in other words, light oil would do the trick and rectify the problem better than you could expect. Moreover, a WD-40 spray could also get rid of unnecessary rusting, which introduces friction into the equation.

Plastic Or Nylon Lubrication

There might be some components in between the recliner that are made from plastic or nylon, in such cases, it is best that you use silicon spray or graphite power spray which acts as light grease that doesn’t accumulate debris that would otherwise be the case with traditional grease.

The noise generated from these parts should instantly be removed, if not, try moving the chair around and check other parts which may also require lubrication.

For solid metallic components that are inside the recliner machinery, it is best that you use an appropriate variant of grease that can withstand the heat, primarily if a recliner is electrically powered.

Use Alcohol Rubs

Some areas might need degreasing because sometimes even the best form of grease can get clogged and make the movement of the inner mechanism quite hard. So, use alcohol rubs to clear out any hardened grease and reapply the grease on it.

Be as liberal as possible, but don’t try to make a mess. Try to apply grease onto one part at a time and check for any squeaky noise afterward.

Use 3 in 1 Oils

Next comes the most crucial part: applying a 3-in-1 oil on regions that are holding your recliner together. These include pivots, bolts, nuts, screws, you name it. Moreover, you also need to cover Any areas where one part of the chair frame rotates or pivots against another, like the lower chair legs or reclining back mechanism.

Make sure to use 3 1 oil; any reputable brand would do the trick.

If your recliner wheels have bearings or bushings inside, applying oil helps lubricate these wear points to extend their lifespan. Moreover, A light coating of 3-in-1 oil on nuts and screws should prevent noise and vibration.

The whole point of a 3-in-1 oil is to work its way into small spaces and crevices where needed, all while reducing friction between moving metal parts to keep them sliding smoothly since it has a unique formula that also displaces water to protect against rust and corrosion on surfaces.

How To Prevent This From Happening

While it might be true that your recliner may not return to its mint condition after a decade, a little bit of routine maintenance and after-looking could drastically reduce the chances of corrosion and squeaking sounds taking over. Here is how you can do it.

Food Restriction

We all know for a fact that eating on a recliner while watching a game of football or catching an episode on Netflix might be the best experience in the world right now; however, once you are captivated by the television, you neglect the food, you are munching might be ruining your recliners hardware and the culprit behind its squeaking sound.

Foods like fried chicken or pizza can leave an oily residue on hands and clothing. Over time, this oil can rub off onto the chair fabric or upholstery. While it may not be noticeable, too much oil buildup can seep into the frame and attract more dirt/debris. This gunk inhibits smooth movement and lubrication of parts.

But that is not even the worst part. Foods like candy or desserts are notorious for leaving sticky messes behind when eaten near furniture. Sticky residue is like glue for trapping dust and dirt that can grind into mechanisms.

It also hardens over time, acting like an abrasive that causes increased friction. And god forbid any gunk or build is left over the wheels because you will end up with a recliner that has poor mobility and super noisy mobility.

This might seem like an exaggeration, but trust me, as using a recliner for over a decade, you might never know what makes its way through the cracks and seams of such machinery that is being used on a regular basis.

So, even if you are in the mood to eat or drink your cold soda, try to use a table to place it on so that any accidental beverage spills or food droppings shouldn’t be made on the recliner, especially around the pivotal parts.

Avoid Overloading

Recliners usually have a limited weight capacity and shouldn’t be crossed, especially if you are planning to use an electrical recliner, because those things are incredibly intense due to the integrated sophisticated machinery installed in them. 

In any case, be mindful of the weight limit, or at least invest in a recliner that is appropriate for your weight scale; if you are planning to exceed the weight limit while holding a kid in your lap, it is best that you don’t recline all the way through because it could take a toll on the pivotal parts like the backrest connecting to the seat and make the squeaking sound even more prominent.

Wrap it Up

Whenever you are out on vacation or simply out of reach for a longer duration of time, try to wrap your recliner with plastic or other form of wrap that could protect the recliner from accumulating dust and debris. 

Make sure you thoroughly cover the regions such as wheels, hand rests, and the backrest with tightly separate covering so that the upholstery and inner mechanism remain in mint condition. This could also prolong the lifespan of your recliner and make it look like brand new.

An unwrapped recliner is also quite susceptible to rust and other forms of corrosion since it is pretty exposed to oxidation.

Keep it Clean

That right, it might seem a little obvious, but there are some individual who are lazy enough to look after their hard-earned investment. A recliner is just like every other home decor, so make sure it remains clean. 

Not only will it prevent your recliner from becoming noisy, but it will also look nice and tidy, especially if you have guests coming to your house every now and then.

Tighten them Up

Most of the time a recliner making weird noises is due to screws, nuts, or bolts becoming too loose, it is a natural phenomenon, especially after months or years of using a recliner, the movement could take a toll on its parts which makes yank a screw or two loose in the process.

Take a Philips screwdriver or a flathead driver and give it a good old twist; make sure you hold the recliner in its ideal state and tighten those bad boys up just right.

Utilize Your Warranty

The most surefire method to get your recliner back to its mint condition is to utilize your warranty period, nowadays most reputable brands are offering massive warranties over their flagship-grade recliners.

If your recliner is making a squeaking noise, there might be chances that there are some bits inside that are either broken or completely worn out.

So a part replacement might be imminent, if you have run out of warranty, you can replace parts by requesting them from the original manufacturer. If that is not possible by any means, try to look online or at your local repair shops for spare parts to replace yourself, such as wheels or glides.

Bottom Line

We are hopeful that the tips mentioned above could rectify your problem and get rid of the lingering noise. However, we still insist that you take care of your recliner to prevent it from unnecessary corrosion or rust by wrapping it up whenever you are away from home for a couple of months.

Regular lubrication, especially around the glides and the base of the seat if your recliner has a rotational or swiveling moment, also helps by tenfold. That being said; hopefully, my guide on how to fix a squeaky recliner has helped you. Feel free to let me know if you have any other queries.