How do I take a kitchen drawer out and get it back in?

Almost nobody is told that kitchen drawers are designed to come out. People empty them, tilt them, force them and eventually conclude theirs are different, when the whole thing is a matter of finding two small levers and realising they move in opposite directions.

What you'll need

• A torch
• Nothing else (optional)

Step by step

1. Empty the drawer.Not because the runner cannot take it, but because a full drawer coming free unexpectedly is heavy and awkward and ends up on the floor.
2. Pull it fully out until it stops.The releases only line up at full extension. On a partial-extension roller runner there is no release at all — those come out by lifting the front and pulling.
3. Look down each side, at the point where the drawer meets the cabinet.On side-mounted ball-bearing runners there is a small plastic lever there, black or white, reachable with a fingertip from inside the drawer or from underneath.
4. Work the two levers in opposite directions.This is the whole trick. On most makes one lever goes up and the other goes down, or one is pulled towards you and the other pushed away. Trying both the same way is why people give up.
5. Hold both, lift slightly, and draw forward.With both released the box comes off the runners in one movement. If it stops, one side has not released.
6. For undermount runners, look under the front corners instead.Two small plastic housings under the drawer base, each with a lever pulled downwards or squeezed. Release both, lift the front of the drawer about 20 degrees, and slide the whole drawer forward off two pins in the back panel.
7. Note where the rear pins sit before you take it out.Undermount drawers hook onto two pins or clips at the back. Look at them now, so that putting the drawer back is not guesswork.
8. Push the runners fully back into the cabinet before doing anything else.Extended runners in an open kitchen are shin height and unforgiving. Push them home the moment the drawer is off.
9. Go back in with the rear engagement first.Side runners: line both drawer members up with both cabinet channels, push gently until both click, then push home. Undermount: engage the two rear pins with the drawer front held high, then lower the front until both front catches click.
10. Never force a drawer that will not go home.One side not engaged is the cause every time, and shoving it permanently bends the runner. Pull back out, look at both sides, and try again.

Tips

• If you cannot find any lever at all, get underneath with a torch and look up at the runner. On some patterns the release is only reachable from below.
• Older roller runners have no release. The drawer lifts at the front, clears the front stop, and comes straight out — no lever involved.
• Take a photo before pulling a drawer with a soft-close mechanism. The order the components sit in is obvious with the drawer in place and much less so with it on the floor.

Common mistakes

• Pressing both levers in the same direction — They are deliberately handed. If both moved the same way a drawer could jump out under load, so manufacturers make one up and one down.
• Forcing the drawer home with one runner unengaged — The unengaged member takes the whole force at an angle and bends. A bent runner cannot be straightened reliably and has to be replaced in pairs.
• Leaving the runners extended — They are at shin height, they are steel, and they have edges. Push them in every single time.

Questions people ask