How to Fix a Squeaky Office Chair?

Squeaky chairs can be annoying. Not only are you left wondering what’s causing it, but you’re also distracted from the work you have to do.

There are many reasons why your office chair is making that noise, and we’re here to find out what’s causing it.

The most common reasons for a squeaky office chair are a loose screw or bolt, a loose tilting mechanism, or a lack of lubrication. The best way to solve them is to take a full check of your chair, identify where the sound is coming from, and do a little tightening of the screws and some lubrication.

By the end of this post, you’ll have an idea of the causes of those squeaking noises and you can already start investigating on your office chair.

And in no time, you’ll be able to stop that noise from distracting you even further!

Why is my office chair so squeaky?

There are many reasons why your office chair is making squeaking noises. Let’s talk about those reasons.

Loose Bolts and Screws

Since office chairs are made up of a lot of parts (both small and big), there’s a high chance that those parts have gotten loose over the time that you’ve been using your office chair.

This is one of the most common reasons why your chair has been squeaking. And this is usually caused by a loose bolt or screw.

Loose Adjustable Parts

The second most popular cause is due to the joints and moving parts being loose (as opposed to just loose screws and bolts). This is different from the first reason because we’re now talking about the adjustable areas of your chair – the seat, tilt, wheels, armrests, etc.

If your chair has a few adjustable features, then it’s most likely to produce squeaking. It’s only natural for these moving parts to produce noise when they’re not lubricated or tightened enough.

Dirt and Dust Stuck on the Chair’s Parts

Another reason why your office chair is squeaky could be due to dirt and dust on your wheels or your wheels need a replacement. If you aren’t sure, then it’s best to check your casters every once in a while so that you can give them a good cleaning.

And of course, there’s the possibility that rust has formed on some of the parts of your office chair. This is natural especially when you have parts that are made of steel and you’ve been using your office chair for some time already.

How do I stop my office chair from squeaking?

So now for the most important part – how do we stop the squeaking noise? Let’s get through the solutions based on the cause of the squeaking noise mentioned above.

Tighten Loose Screws and Bolts

The first is if the sound is caused by loose screws and bolts. What you want to do here is grab a screwdriver for small to medium screws and tighten all the loose screws and bolts.

As the best practice, I recommend that you check all the screws even if they don’t look like they’re loose. At the same time, make sure that you use a screwdriver even if you can tighten the loose screws with your hand.

Tighten the Tilt Tensions

If the squeaking sound is not because of screws and bolts, then it’s most likely coming from a movable part of the chair. The best way to know where it is is to sit on your office chair (or have someone sit on it) and let them move around on the chair.

Ask them to lean back, place their arms on the armrest, etc. When they move, focus on finding where the sounds are coming from.

When you’ve found the noise, tighten those parts. For example, if your backrest is making a squeaking sound when you lean back, tighten the backrest’s tension using the knob under the seat.

To do this, turn the knob underneath to a counter-clockwise direction. Doing so will tighten the tension of your office chair’s back so that it doesn’t tilt back too easily.

Not all office chairs are adjusted with a knob, some have levers that adjust the backrest. While this is just an adjustment, you can use the lever to lock your desired backrest tilt so that it doesn’t move back when you lean on it (which in turn, produces the squeaking noise).

Clean Your Casters

Another way to stop those squeaking sounds is to clean your casters. Sometimes, the casters produce the squeaking sound especially when they’re filled with dirt and grime.

To clean your casters, simply turn your chair over, and disassemble the casters. If you have single-wheel casters, you don’t need to take off the casters since it has fewer areas where hair can actually get stuck in.

Take off the hair from the casters and vacuum any excess dirt. You can also wipe it with a damp towel to make sure that you clean all areas properly.

The same cleaning process applies when there are areas of your chair that have accumulated rust. But as part of the whole cleaning process, you’ll also finish it off with lubrication.

To lubricate the parts of your office chair, place a paper towel around the area that you won’t be lubricating. This makes sure that the grease doesn’t go to the other areas where it’s not needed.

When you’re good to go, spray some lubricant onto the moving parts. This way, there will be less friction between the areas that bump into each other.

What can I spray on a squeaky office chair?

The best spray you can use on a squeaking office chair is a lubricating oil like the WD40.

The WD40 is readily available in hardware stores and it also has an easy-to-use spray. All you really need to do is press the top of the bottle and aim the nozzle to the area that makes the squeaking noise.

To make sure the oil doesn’t spread, wipe the excess oil with a paper towel.

You can also use other types of lubricating oil, but to make your life easier, find one that has a spray mechanism.

 

Conclusion

Squeaking noises on your office chair can definitely distract you from your work.

The best way to remedy this is to find the source of the squeaking by letting someone sit on the office chair. When you’ve found the source, you can either tighten the loose screws or parts and do a little cleaning.

Don’t forget to lubricate too! A little spritz from a lubricating spray can help reduce the noises.