Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/13/2007

Question
I have a couple of dressers which I bought from Costco, a couple of years ago, and I have a dresser drawer that will only close half way. Something probably fell behind it, but I can't reach it, and I don't know how to get the drawer out. Can you please give me some advice? Thanks.

Answer
Hi Jim,

If I understand your question correctly, you need to remove a drawer so that you can remove something stuck behind it. Did I get that right? I'm assuming that the drawer has a metal slide, and isn't just a wooden box sitting inside the opening. But- the problem is- there are many different types of drawer slides, and they all work differently.

Some drawer slides have a small button or clip that you must engage in order for the drawer to come out. Other slides require you to tip the drawer up, so that the built in "stop" is disengaged.

Let's try the easier solution first- pull the drawer out as far as it will go. Then, lift the front of the drawer slightly, like an inch or two. If there is an indent in the slide, lifting the drawer front will disengage the wheel from the indent. With the drawer face tipped up, try to pull the drawer out even further.  What you're trying to accomplish is to make the small wheels on the slide slip past that indent, which will allow the drawer to be removed.

If that doesn't work, try this: pull the drawer out as far as it will do, and look at the slides mounted on each side of the drawer box. Sometimes, there is a small clip that must be pressed in (or pulled out ever so slightly) in order to release the drawer box. The clip might not really look like a clip, but rather, a small flat button. I've seen a lot of different styles of buttons, depending on the brand of the slide.

If lifting the drawer box to disengage the rollers doesn't work, and locating a tab or button isn't successful, see if you can find a name stamped into the drawer slide.  Some common brands are Accuride, KV, Grass, and Mepla, to name a few. If you can find the manufacturer, perhaps I'll be able to help you a little more specifically. Write back with the brand if none of the above tips work.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com