Ever been trapped in the bathroom? We were. All the time. Every spring and summer, thanks to a bit of increased humidity, our full bathroom’s door used to swell just enough in the top left corner to keep the door from opening on the first pull. Or the second. Or the third. In fact it usually took some serious “door flapping” (grabbing the knob and rocking back and forth until it sprung free on the fifth or sixth tug) to get out of the bathroom every time we used it. And forget about our poor friends and family members who innocently ducked in there and then freaked out about a minute later when they thought they were locked in the bathroom permanently (screaming and pounding usually occurred in those instances- if not at least some mumbled obscenities).
The odd thing is that we put up with this silly inconvenience for such a long time. Especially when there’s such a simple solution. One day when John had our $50-ish Black & Decker hand sander from Home Depot out (while working on something for our new office- more on that tomorrow) I mentioned that he should hop up on a chair and sand down that dastardly left side of the bathroom door to keep it from sticking ever again.
And it worked like a charm. It seriously took him less than sixty seconds of running a hand sander across the top of the door to ever-so-slightly slim it down so it no longer got caught by the door frame as snugly on those hot and humid days. And even if we didn’t have a hand sander, we’re sure about five minutes with a sanding block or even a piece of sandpaper and some elbow grease would have also done the trick. Oh and painting the top edge after you sand it (priming first = extra credit) will further keep it from expanding again, so your door will be shaved into submission for the long haul.
So if you have a sticky bathroom (or any other room) door that you’re dealing with, just break out that sandpaper and get ‘er done. Or you could wait four years and titter every time you hear friends and family members panicking when they think we’re trapped in the restroom forever. Either one.
And we’d love to know what simple project you guys have been putting off for weeks, months, maybe even years. It always seems like the tiniest to-do’s get put on hold the longest…
Monica says
Another even easier solution…run a wax candle over the edges. At my house, part of the humidity/sticking problem is actually the latex paint which never truly cures the way oil paint does. For me it was my front door sticking…had to shoulder shove the door open. Started to use a sander…got lazy and just took a tealight that had been used and ran it all over the top edge and the front of the door that actually touches the door jamb. Its been 4 years and no more sticking.
Laura J says
Hey Sherry and John! I totally know what you mean about putting off the little things on your “To Do” list. For me, it’s cleaning the sink. For some reason, I hate to clean it even though it only takes a couple of minutes. It’s so silly…
This post made me think of John the most though. I’ll explain… There are so many women (and men I’m sure – I just know more women in this particular situation) out there that would love to tackle this project or that or have ideas about keeping things neat and tidy but have no backing from their spouse or significant other. I just want to commend you on being willing to work too to make your beautiful home what it is today. You and Sherry really are a great team who really does work together to get things done and it shows. I just wanted to thank you for reminding your readers that it’s not just one person’s responsibility to make a house a home. I’m really excited that you’ve come on board to be a full-time blogger on top of your full-time dad duties. You both are truly an amazing couple (with an incredibly cute little Clara and Burger, of course) and an inspiration in so many ways to your readers.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m blushing over here.
-John
Lena says
That is so funny you mention this because we had the exact same problem with our bedroom door at our place. The people before us, just kept the door shut at all times and snuck out the door in the closet. Kind of a pain, so I told my husband to sand down the top of the door and it worked like a charm. I just keep thinking of the poor renters before us who lived with a stuck door for three years!
amanda says
Oh, you wanna hear about trapped in a bathroom? My jr. year of high school my friend had a sleepover graduation party. In the morning, I went to the bathroom and locked the door and couldn’t get out! I tried everything and it wasn’t opening! The bath was in the back away from where the guests were so I had to shout until someone finally heard me and came looking. My friend got her parents (who I had never met before) and her dad eventually had to take the door off the hinges to get me out! So embarrassing!
Suzanne says
Thanks so much for this wonderful tip! We had the same problem with the door to our master bedroom. It would stick and make an awful noise when you opened it. We’re expecting a baby in two months, so it was important that we have easy access and a quiet door! So I whipped out the hand sander today and went at it – it worked beautifully! Thanks so much!
CourtneyM says
I know I’m very late returning to this party, but thank you, Lynn! I’m going to try that.
Amanda C says
So I’m over 2 years late on this one, but we had the SAME EXACT problem this summer, same corner or the door and everything. And we did the same exact thing you did, and just like you guys, it worked like a charm!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! that’s hilarious!
xo
s
Stephanie says
Wow, I think our doors are long lost twins, except my door has been sticking for far longer (hangs head in shame). I just decided today to go out and buy a palm sander rather than lose and arm trying to sand down a pair of sliding closet doors by hand (10 minutes was long enough to convince me it was worth the $40), but now I think our bathroom door has been bumped to the top of the sanding to-do list!