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How to Stop That Annoyingly Squeaky Drawer Once and for All

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Wooden furniture is truly beautiful, but if you own antique pieces, you need to know how to fix a squeaky wooden drawer. Be honest: You probably already have one in mind, and it’s been driving you crazy for weeks. So why do you keep putting up with it? Silence the squeak once and for all in a matter of minutes with the help of common items you probably already have.

How to Stop Wooden Drawers From Squeaking

Summer brings so many wonderful things: afternoons at the beach, cooling tonics, and the perfect excuse to throw a barbecue. The one part we could really do without, though, is summer’s humidity. As your wood furniture expands and shrinks, it can produce groaning, creaking, and squeaking noises that will irritate you to no end. Fortunately, there are plenty of lubricants — including all-natural options — that will quiet any and all squeaky wooden drawers. Here’s how to stop wooden drawers from squeaking in seven easy steps.

  1. Clear out your drawer and remove it from the cabinet. 
  2. Rub a bar of soap or a wax candle on the sides of your drawers.
  3. Brush off any soap or wax crumbs so they don’t fall into the drawer.
  4. Rub soap or wax on the glide at the bottom of your drawer. If you own a design that has nylon glides attached at the bottom, you can still rub soap or wax on it, though it’s not necessary.
  5. Rub soap or wax on the glide inside your drawer. Again, brush off any crumbs with your finger.
  6. Replace your drawers, testing to see if they still squeak. If you hear any noises, remove the drawers and add more soap or wax.
  7. Place everything you took out of your drawers back in them.

How to Fix Squeaky Drawer Slides

Newer drawers are often on metal slides, so while you’ll never have to worry about wood shrinking or expanding, you may still have to deal with a few squeaks. If the problem is a squeaky drawer slide, you’re in luck — there’s a pretty simple solution for that. Here’s how to fix squeaky drawer slides in six easy steps.

  1. Clear out your drawer and remove it from the cabinet. 
  2. Spray the metal slides with lubricant. (Something like WD-40 will work just fine.) Depending on your model, the metal tracks may be on the other side of the drawers or inside the actual chest of the cabinet.
  3. Dab off any extra lubricant.
  4. Spray a small amount of lubricant on the rollers and remove any excess.
  5. Replace your drawers. Slide them in and out several times to test if they still squeak. 
  6. Put everything back in your drawers.

Now that we’ve shared our quick and painless solution to squeaky wooden drawers, you can stop wincing every time you open your cabinets. The only thing left is to tackle that grimy stove — and lucky for you, we have a no-scrub solution for that, too!

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