There is a drawer in every house that never quite slides right. Mine was the one under the stove, and every time I yanked it open, half the drawer ended up on the floor with the silverware. Fixing it took longer to explain than to do.

Pull the drawer all the way out

Empty the drawer first, then pull it out as far as it goes. Lift the front slightly and give it a gentle tug to clear the slides. On most kitchen drawers, the tracks are either plastic rollers or ball bearing slides, and the drawer comes free once you lift it past a small stop clip. Look at the slides while the drawer is out. You will usually spot the problem right away: a bent rail, a broken roller, or a screw that backed out.

The common fixes

• Loose screws: tighten every screw holding the slides to the cabinet and the drawer. This fixes a surprising number of wobbly drawers.
• Misaligned slides: loosen the screws, nudge the slide so it sits level and parallel to the other side, then retighten.
• Broken roller wheel: replace the slide. They come in standard lengths and cost a few dollars.

Level and parallel are the whole game. If the two slides do not match, the drawer will pop off every time no matter how new it is.

Lubricate before you give up

If everything is tight and aligned but the drawer still drags, clean the tracks with a dry cloth and apply a thin coat of paste wax or silicone spray to the rails. Do not use oil or grease. It collects dust and turns into grit. Silicone or wax stays slick without the mess.

Put it back the right way

Line the drawer slides up with the cabinet slides, push in slowly until the stops catch, and give it one firm, level push. Then test it a few times. If it pops off again, pull it out and recheck alignment. My drawer took two tries and about fifteen minutes, and it has slid smooth for a year since. Most drawer problems are loose screws and uneven rails, not broken drawers.