You know what it’s like when your kitchen cabinets are rallying against you. That drawer won’t open. The cabinet won’t stay closed. More than one of your cabinet doors looks like they’re ready to come off the hinges. But these issues are more than just annoyances; little problems can turn into big problems really fast. Run down this checklist of common kitchen cabinet annoyances to weed out and repair your problem areas.

Creeping doors

Problem: You’re in the kitchen cooking and out of the corner of your eye, you see it: a cabinet door slowly creeping open. It’s not a ghost, but it is frustrating, especially when it happens for the 80^th time in a week.

Solution: Tighten the screws in your cabinet door hinges. If that doesn’t work, check the level of your cabinets; mis-leveled cabinets will continue to creep until they drive you out of your mind.

Hinges won’t remain in place

Problem: Every time you open your kitchen cabinet it feels like the door is going to come off in your hand. And that’s probably because it actually is about to since the door is no longer fully connected to the hinges.

Solution: Tighten the screws in your cabinet door hinges. If you find that the screw holes are stripped, remove the hinges from the door and put a wood filler into the stripped hole and let it dry. Then use a drill to make a new hole and replace the hinge.

Well-loved cabinet doors are no longer lovable

Problem: If your cabinets have been around a while, they’ve seen some things, and while they may have come out on the other side still intact, scratches, wear and tear, and even gouges can come with them.

Solution: A wood filler matched to the color of your cabinets may be able to help with small imperfections; you may also choose to embrace and highlight imperfections over time with a coating of dark furniture stain wax. If the damage and wear is more serious, it’s time to get your cabinets refinished or refaced. The designers at KitchenFX can help you to decide which is right for you.

That…one…really…really…stuck…drawer

Problem: You go to open the utensil drawer and it…doesn’t. A sticking drawer is a pain in the…tush.

Solution: You’re not stuck with this problem forever, and you can probably fix it in five minutes with supplies already in your home. Remove the drawer and clean the tracks and slides. Then spray with a lubricant. WD-40 will usually do the trick, and you don’t need a lot. This is also a good time to inspect for anomalies; maybe you leaned on the drawer and bent the slide; this can be easily fixed by prying the metal back into place with pliers. If that doesn’t work, purchase new non-stick drawer slides and replace the current ones.

Most “big trouble” in the small spaces that make up your kitchen cabinets are relatively simple to fix. And if you fix them right away, they’re less likely to become “real” big trouble.