ᐅ Are there any tips for opening Malm drawers smoothly and gently?

Hello everyone, I have a somewhat specific question: Are there any tips or tricks to make my IKEA Malm drawers open more smoothly and prevent them from slamming open so harshly and quickly? With my drawers, there is often a springy popping open, which can be unpleasant, especially with lightly loaded or heavier drawers. I am particularly interested in practical solutions or adjustments that work well for the Malm series. I would appreciate any experiences and concrete tips, for example, on protecting the drawer slides or improving the opening and closing action. Thanks in advance!

DIHAU schrieb:
Are there any tips or tricks for opening my IKEA Malm drawers more smoothly so they don’t slam shut so harshly and quickly?

Hey! I know that problem all too well. What worked for me was installing self-adhesive dampers on the drawer fronts – small rubber buffers that significantly soften the closing impact. 🙂

Also, I find that the drawer slides should be cleaned regularly and lightly lubricated to ensure smooth operation without sticking. Simple silicone spray or PTFE spray works wonders.

Maybe this will help a bit.

Install dampers or apply silicone spray to the tracks. If necessary, align the guide rails. This is usually sufficient.

pautanner schrieb:
I found that installing self-adhesive dampers on the drawer fronts works well for me

I’m wondering whether these dampers truly make the movement ‘softer’ or if they simply slow the drawer down at the last moment when closing. Isn’t this more of a symptom treatment?

Maybe it would be better to look at the entire drawer mechanism – perhaps the focus should be on the technology that primarily controls the speed during opening, rather than only when closing.

Does anyone have insights into the damping technology used in Malm drawers?

The Malm series from IKEA does not have built-in dampers in the standard models, except if you choose a version with soft-close.

For the regular drawers, retrofitting dampers is the only reasonable solution if you want a smooth closing.

The Malm drawers use simple wooden runners with plastic sliding rails. Standard versions do not include any damping mechanisms.

To achieve smoother opening and closing, the following steps are recommended:

1. The sliding rails should be clean and free of dust and debris.
2. Then, the sliding rails can be treated with appropriate lubricants (e.g., silicone spray).
3. Self-adhesive bumpers applied to the contact areas of the drawer fronts can reduce noise and the speed of slamming.

Alternatively, you can switch to soft-close drawers that have built-in damping. However, this feature is not standard on all Malm models.