I finally fixed my squeaky stairs with a $4 can of graphite
Had this one step on my 110 year old house in Portland that squeaked every single time, drove me nuts for like 2 years. Tried shims, tried screws, even pulled the carpet back once. Then my buddy who does finish work said it's not the wood, it's the nail rubbing in the joist, so I hit it with dry graphite powder. Three weeks now, not a peep. Anyone else ever fought a squeak that turned out to be way simpler than they thought?