The quest for the ideal desk for your home office is a crucial one. It should offer ample legroom and be able to accommodate all your paperwork. A well-suited desk can make long hours of work more manageable and spare your back from unnecessary strain. This is why IKEA's ALEX desk has become a popular choice, particularly for those seeking a suitable desk alternative for their compact home office.
Available in black-brown, gray-turquoise, and white, the ALEX desk boasts a sleek design with a finished back, allowing for easy repositioning within your workspace. Despite its seemingly endless drawer space, some users have encountered an issue where the drawer track gets stuck. This problem arises when attempting to open the drawer causes the track to jam within the main body of the desk, hindering the smooth operation of the drawer. However, there may be a workaround to resolve this inconvenience.
Discover a simple hack to make assembling your IKEA furniture even easier. TikTok user @shearpearl shared a step-by-step video showcasing how to ensure your drawer tracks slide out smoothly using just an interchangeable screwdriver. This tool is a must-have for every homeowner looking to simplify furniture assembly.
Because the tool is small and flat, it fits quite nicely in the holes of the track, making it the perfect tool for aligning an overly sticky drawer. First things first, pull your drawer all the way out of the dresser. Even if it feels like it won't budge, the track will surely reveal itself once you pull it out far enough. Add pressure against the specific side that you'd like to realign the track on if you find it difficult to move. Once it's partially pulled out, align your interchangeable screwdriver head with the first opening on the track. Be sure to hold it firm. Then, slowly push the drawer back into the dresser. During this process, the only pressure that should be applied is on the drawer, as attempting to pull the track out with the screwdriver can result in the tool flying back at you. This solution makes the process a lot quicker than having to deconstruct your dresser or, worse, completely ditching this affordable desk.
If you don't have an interchangeable screwdriver, you can probably find another tool or object that can help you align your drawer track. All you really need is something small enough to fit inside of the track's holes, something you can get a firm grip on, and ideally something with a flat tip that can press flush against the side of the drawer so you don't have to worry about it slipping around.
If the issue becomes deeper and can't be fixed with this method, one Reddit user has a few recommendations on what might work. Maybe during construction, the screws in the back of the drawers weren't tightened enough. If you have the bandwidth, take the dresser apart and tighten each side for better alignment. Another great option is putting cardboard between the dresser and the track to stop any screws from spinning.
