Ever had to deal with those stuck drawers? Those with metal slides are quite easy to deal with using a blast of good ol’ lube. But wooden drawers are from a whole other dimension. If you had to struggle with one of these just to get a pair of socks, then you might have to do a bit of maintenance. Here’s how.

High humidity can cause wood to swell up and stick. But if the drawer still sticks in drier weather, you need to calibrate the wooden slides. This can easily be done by lightly sanding the wooden runner guides. Since you can’t use ordinary lube for wood, use wax of soap to coat the runners. For those with metal slides, cleaning them and applying some light grease will do the job.

Sometimes, drawers that are flush in front may get pushed way back. To prevent this, glue on or tack a small piece of wood to to the rear of the runner to serve as a stopper. Use wood glue or strong white glue to do this.