Use this hack to keep your cabinet doors shut
If you have cabinet doors in your bathroom or kitchen that just won't stay shut, use this quick fix to keep them closed.
Through most of my high school days, I lived in a 1960s construction house that had settled a lot. Some doors wouldn't close all the way, the paint on the walls and ceilings had cracked and, worst of all, there was a specific spot on the kitchen floor that when stepped on would cause two or three cabinet doors to swing open.
If you have similar issues in your home, there is a very simple fix you can apply to every cabinet door in your kitchen or bathroom in minutes and without breaking the bank.
Here's how it's done.
What you will need
The most important parts of this hack are the magnets. While just about any magnet will help, what you're actually looking for are neodymium magnets, also known as rare-earth magnets. These have a much stronger pull than your typical ferrite magnets.
You can usually find them near the fasteners in your local hardware store. You will need at least one magnet per troublesome cabinet door.
You will also need one large binder clip per cabinet or some other thin piece of metal. I chose to use binder clips because they're cheap and easily removable if you decide to upgrade to something more official later on.
How to hack your cabinets
On the inside corner of the door, find a place where the magnet will make contact with the cabinet trim. Use the adhesive to mount the magnet.
Next, line up and attach the binder clip. Pull the arms back and stretch the clip over the trim inside the cabinet, then pinch the sides of each arm to remove them from the binder clip.
When you close the cabinet door, you should feel a small amount of pull from the magnet. This will help keep the door closed when it would otherwise swing open.
As inconspicuous as this is, it obviously isn't meant to be a permanent solution, especially when you consider that more permanent latching mechanisms for cabinet doors are relatively inexpensive. However, this is useful if you have only a few cabinet doors that won't stay closed and it will hold you over until you can find a more permanent solution.