My bathroom door had been slowly closing itself for about two years. I propped it open with a shoe. I learned to pee with one foot holding the door. It was not a good system.

Then someone told me you can fix a swinging door with a single quarter. I did not believe it. I tried it. The door has not moved on its own in over a year.

Why your door swings shut

A door that drifts closed is almost never a hinge problem. It is a gravity problem. The door frame is slightly out of plumb — meaning it is not perfectly vertical. The top hinge pulls the door toward the closed position. The further the frame is off-level, the faster the door drifts.

The quarter fix

1. Open the door and look at the middle hinge — the one between the top and bottom hinges on the door frame side.
2. Remove the two screws closest to the door stop (the trim the door rests against when closed). Pull the hinge pin if needed to access them.
3. Slide a quarter behind the hinge leaf — between the hinge metal and the door frame.
4. Screw the hinge back in through the quarter. The screw holes in the quarter are not perfectly aligned so use slightly longer screws if needed.
5. The quarter pushes the middle hinge slightly out, which angles the door enough to counteract gravity pulling it closed.

If one quarter is not enough, add a second. If the door now swings open instead, you used too much shim and the door is now leaning the other way. Remove a quarter — or switch to a dime for a thinner adjustment.

How this works mechanically

Shimming the middle hinge changes the pivot angle of the door. Instead of the door’s center of gravity being slightly toward the closed side, the quarter pushes it back toward neutral. You are not fixing the frame — you are compensating for it. This is the same principle as shimming a door that rubs at the top or bottom, just applied to the swing axis.

When this is not the fix

• Loose hinge screws: If the screws are stripped or loose, tighten them or use longer screws that bite into the framing behind the jamb. The quarter trick cannot fix a hinge that is pulling away from the wall.
• Bent hinge: If the hinge pin is bent, replace the hinge. Quarters cannot fix bent metal.
• Hydraulic closer installed: Some doors have a spring-loaded closer mechanism. The quarter trick will fight against it and probably fail.

I removed my bathroom shoe prop and I have not had to hold the door with my foot since. My bathroom dignity is restored. Total cost: twenty-five cents.