ᐅ How can I securely fasten Malm furniture in rental apartments?

Hello everyone,

I hope someone in this forum can help me: How do I securely attach Malm furniture, especially dressers and wardrobes from IKEA, to the wall in rental apartments?

My main concern is that the furniture does not tip over or fall, especially with children around or if accidentally bumped. Since I live in a rental apartment, I cannot easily drill extensively or cause significant damage to the walls.

What options are available to stabilize and reliably secure the furniture while minimizing alterations to the building structure? Are there any special accessories or tricks you would recommend?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

Hey RONMATTIAS,

first of all, it’s completely understandable that safety is important to you in a rental apartment! 🙂

Regarding the Malm furniture from IKEA, they usually provide wall anchors that you should normally install, especially if there are children in the household. It’s important to find a solid support in the wall, ideally a wooden stud or at least a stable spot in the drywall, if present.

If you don’t want or aren’t allowed to drill holes, there are also so-called clamp or screwless fasteners that use special clamp shelves or adhesive strips. However, these are generally not as sturdy as a proper screw in masonry or wood.

It’s best to use the IKEA fasteners and additionally place small non-slip pads under the furniture feet. This will make the setup more stable overall and helps prevent tipping quite effectively.

Good luck with the assembly! Maybe have your partner or a close friend help you out – that usually makes things easier 😉

Hello RONMATTIAS,

I recommend a systematic approach:

1. Check the wall material: Is it brick, concrete, drywall, or wood? For drywall, make sure to locate the studs.
2. Choose suitable anchors: Use standard anchors for concrete/wood, and special hollow-wall anchors for drywall.
3. Attach according to the instructions from the Malm system (usually screws go through the back of the furniture into the wall).
4. Extra tip: If drilled holes are an issue in your rental agreement, use small hole plugs or screws that can be easily removed and patched when you move out.
5. For even more stability, consider a metal anti-tip bracket (very sturdy and often sold separately).

With this installation, you can be confident that daily use by children or adults won’t cause tipping. It is crucial to fasten into a solid part of the wall.

If you want, I can provide recommendations for suitable anchors and screws. Just let me know.

Mariah schrieb:
If you don’t want or aren’t allowed to drill holes, there are also so-called clamp or screwless fasteners

Thanks, Mariah, that sounds interesting. Do you perhaps have specific product names or sources for these “clamp-free” fasteners?

I live in an older building with partly very thick walls. Drilling is possible, but I still want to minimize wall damage to keep things simple when moving out.

And

klabe schrieb:
Check the wall material

, I think it is probably brickwork behind wallpaper. So drilling with wall plugs would likely be the best solution, right?

RONMATTIAS schrieb:
I live in an older building with partly very thick walls, so drilling is possible, but I still want to do as little as possible to the wall

Exactly, when dealing with brick masonry, drilling with cavity wall anchors or universal wall plugs is definitely the safest option.

If you prefer no visible holes, you can use screws with plastic caps that can be easily removed later.

Regarding the "non-clamping" devices: these are usually clamps or tension straps, such as "no-drill" tilt locks that secure furniture to the ceiling or floor without drilling. These are available at IKEA or Amazon, often listed as "furniture anti-tip strap without drilling."

They are not a substitute for wall mounting but can help with lightweight furniture under low stress.

In short: for Malm dressers that carry weight and especially if there are children, I would recommend wall mounting with anchors.

RONMATTIAS schrieb:
specific product names or sources for these "drill-free" fasteners?

Sure, here’s a quick tip: “No-Drill Straps” or “Tension Rods” are quite popular, especially the “Hangman No-Drill Wall Strap” available on Amazon.

These tension straps or rods work by clamping between furniture and the ceiling or wall without drilling holes. They are especially useful if you have high ceilings in your rooms. 🙂

However, as klabe already mentioned: for Malm cabinets with significant weight, they aren’t 100% secure and are better used as a supplement.

One more tip: always combine several securing methods if you want to avoid making larger holes.