Every morning I opened the silverware drawer and the handle wobbled. Every single morning for probably four months. I would tighten the screw with my fingernail — which did nothing — and move on. Four months. It is a two-minute fix.

Finally I sat on the kitchen floor with a screwdriver and fixed every loose handle and knob in the kitchen. Sixteen of them. Took twenty minutes total. None have come loose since. Here is how to do it so they stay fixed.

The Problem Is Usually Inside

Cabinet handles are held on by machine screws that go through the door or drawer front and thread into the back of the handle. Over time, the constant pulling and pushing loosens the screw. Tightening it once helps for a few weeks, then it wiggles loose again.

The permanent fix is thread locker. Blue Loctite — the kind that says “removable” — keeps the screw from backing out but still lets you unscrew it later if you need to. One tiny drop on the screw threads before tightening and the handle stays put for years.

Step by Step

1. Open the cabinet door or pull out the drawer.
2. Hold the handle with one hand and tighten the screw from the inside with a Phillips-head screwdriver with the other.
3. If the screw just spins without tightening, the threads are stripped. Remove the screw completely.
4. Apply one drop of blue thread locker to the screw threads.
5. Reinsert and tighten until snug. Do not overtighten — you can strip the wood.

When the Screw Hole Is Stripped

Sometimes the problem is not the screw — it is the wood. If the screw hole in the cabinet door has gotten too big, the screw has nothing to grip. Two fixes:

Toothpick trick: Dip a wooden toothpick in wood glue, push it into the hole, snap off the excess. Let the glue dry for an hour, then drive the screw back in. The toothpick fills the hole and gives the screw new wood to bite into.

Longer screws: Often the factory screws are barely long enough. A screw that is 1/4 inch longer reaches fresh wood deeper in the door. Take an old screw to the hardware store to match the thread pattern.

Check the Hinges Too

While you have the screwdriver out, check your cabinet door hinges. Loose hinges make doors sag and not close properly. Tighten all visible hinge screws. If a hinge screw spins, use the toothpick-and-glue trick there too.