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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Create Your Decor » How to Fix Sticky Drawers in Seconds

How to Fix Sticky Drawers in Seconds

by Lindsay Ballard on January 9, 2015 6 Comments

A few months after I finished updating the Miss Matched yellow dresser for my bedroom, I noticed that the drawers didn’t slide as easily as they once had.  Old wooden drawers have the tendency to stick and drag, so I didn’t worry too much about it.  My “I’ll get to that one day” attitude about it didn’t help the problem, and four years later I was growing more annoyed by the day over having to twist and jerk the dresser drawers every time I wanted a pair of socks.

Earlier this week, I woke up and decided that today was the day to fix the sticky drawers.  I looked into retrofitting the drawers with slides from Home Depot.  I researched adding metal strips to the bottom of the drawers so that they would slide more freely.  I was irritated that I was going to have to spend money to fix the problem.  Then, I remember one of the oldest tricks in the DIY handbook – candle wax.

I took a cheap tea light out of its metal lining and rubbed it onto the bottom of the drawer were it comes into contact with the dresser frame.  If you don’t have any tea lights or old candles, paraffin wax (if you are a canner) or a bar of soap (if you bathe) will also serve the same purpose.  Hopefully, you participate in at least one of those two activities.

How to Unstick a Sticky Drawer in Seconds

Then, I rubbed the candle on the dresser frame.  I made sure to lightly coat each surface that touched the dresser drawer.

How to Unstick a Sticky Drawer in Seconds

Within seconds, my dresser was sliding freely with no hint of the irritating sticking.  The drawers now work better than they have in all the years that I’ve owned this piece of old furniture.  Once they feel like they are sticking again, I’ll just do this little wax application to them again.

How to Unstick a Sticky Drawer in Seconds

Three cheers for a few seconds and cheap tea light candles (I bought at package of 100 for $3 at Ikea about 10 years ago – I have about 88 left)!

Have you ever used wax or soap to fix sticky drawers in old furniture?  Any other tips or tricks?  Please share them in the comments section!

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Cindy says

    January 9, 2015 at 11:00 am

    “(if you bathe)” HAHAHA

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 9, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      Ha! Glad you caught that. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Sam says

    November 28, 2016 at 9:43 pm

    How long until you have to do this process again ?

    Reply
  3. Carol says

    August 20, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    Okay…I have an 1800’s dresser and it smelled bad. The antique store sold me a cleaner and sealer and told me to use on inside bottom and back of dresser. I followed instructions letting each application dry between steps. The drawers worked fine before this process. However after they would hardly open. I had to use a rubber mallet to get them open. I then lightly sanded down all areas. Still stuck!! I used wax paper…that helped a bit but not much. Then I used beeswax candle …nope. Then I used wax paper and went over beeswax to smooth surface. The drawers now open but with some aggressive tugging…ugh. I’m at my wits end. I love the dresser, it has the Knapp corners…please help…what to do now??

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Bookmark Dump: Yummy snacks, learn to knit, and The Price is Right says:
    February 13, 2015 at 9:36 am

    […] How to fix sticky drawers in seconds. […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Home Repair Tips and Tricks | Handyman Home Service says:
    January 22, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    […] rely on a secret trick, and for this one, you’ll never guess what it is. To have your drawers sliding smoothly again, all you need to do is rub a stick of old candle against the bottom of the drawer where it […]

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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