That old trick my grandpa told me about fixing a squeaky floor actually worked after 10 years of ignoring it

I found this beat up table at a flea market in Columbus last month, and the legs wobbled like crazy. Instead of just shimming it like usual, I remembered my grandpa saying to rub a bar of soap on the screw threads. Tried it with a generic Ivory bar and the thing locked up solid, no more shaking. Has anyone else had luck with weird old fixes like that from stuff you pick up at markets?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden_rodriguez14d ago

That old soap trick works on some stuff but I've had it backfire on me with old wood that's already dried out. The soap lubricates it at first but then it can gum up and make things worse after a few years.

abby_martin2814d ago

yo @hayden_rodriguez i used to think that soap trick was just an old wives tale but after trying it on a squeaky door hinge last year im a total convert. the door had been driving me nuts for like 5 years and i finally caved and rubbed a bar of dial on the hinge pin. no more noise. i was worried about the gumming up thing you mentioned but so far so good, maybe it depends on the wood or soap brand.