Bedroom Basics

Give your sleeping space some love by freeing wedged dresser drawers, creating a new closet  layout, and hanging a pretty printed wallpaper.

- Lynn Elliott

Unstick Drawers

If possible, remove the contents of the sticking drawer and slide it out. Check that no item is caught behind the drawer. If the drawer is too stuck to remove, take out the drawer above or below to reach behind the stuck drawer and push. If that fails, carefully slide a putty knife between the bottom of the stuck drawer and the dresser frame to pry it out, taking care not to damage the wood. Drawers may have metal or plastic slides or wooden runners. If your drawer has a slide, check to see if the track is misaligned or bent. Realign the track and, if possible, bend it back into place. If the track is too damaged, un screw it and get a replacement piece from the hardware store. For sticky tracks or wooden runners: Rest the drawer upside down on a towel, then rub soap or paraffin on both slides or on the runner edges so that the drawer will glide easily. The slides and runners alternatively may be coated with silicone spray.

Rearrange a Problem Closet

Sometimes located in the eaves or in cave-like corners, often with limited space, bedroom closets in old houses are a challenge to arrange. Here are a few layout ideas to make old closets more functional.

NARROW CLOSET

If it’s narrow but deep with room along the sides, run two tiers of rods front to back. High ceiling? Install a shelf above the main rod. No room for side rods? Consider shelving or drawers in the center or to one side, and run rods from that unit to the walls. Use hooks or hanging baskets on the inside of the door.

SLOPED CLOSET