Make sure your furniture cannot tip over.
We all want our home to be a safe place. A piece of furniture like a chest of drawers can cause a serious or fatal injury to a child or an adult if it tips over. That is why it should always be securely anchored to the wall. See below for further information about tip-over accidents and how you can prevent them by anchoring your chest of drawers to the wall.
What causes tip-overs?
Selected causes are illustrated below.
An uneven or sloping floor, the edge of a carpet or rug, and soft or thick carpets and rugs can also cause instability and accidents due to furniture tip-overs.
Opening several drawers at once when looking for something. This shifts the centre of gravity of the chest of drawers, causing it to tip over.
Using the drawers as a ladder to reach something. A child that sees a toy on a chest of drawers might be tempted to try to climb up to reach it.
Placing a heavy object on top of a chest of drawers increases the risk of tip-over.
Pulling out drawers or hanging from handles for a joke.
Sitting in a drawer while playing.
Opening all the drawers at once to see what happens. This shifts the centre of gravity of the chest of drawers, causing it to tip over.
Pulling on or leaning against a drawer to get up from the floor.
The science of tipping over
When designing our furniture we do our utmost to ensure it is as safe and stable as possible... but the laws of nature always win out. So, for instance, unless it is anchored to the wall a piece of furniture will tip over when its centre of gravity shifts. And an open drawer works like a lever.
Due to the physical properties of a lever, even a small weight placed in an open drawer (or on an open door) can substantially shift the centre of gravity. So even a small child standing, sitting or climbing in an open drawer can tip over a large chest of drawers that is not anchored to the wall.
Children and chests of drawers tipping over
Children are curious and creative; they are learning and discovering new things all the time. That’s why children aged 1-7 are most likely to be involved in accidents. And the really little ones, aged 1-4, are most at risk of serious injury. So whatever the model or size, a chest of drawers can be dangerous if it is not anchored to the wall. You’ll often see children pulling one or more drawers open and pulling themselves up on them, climbing on them or hanging from handles.
Adults and chests of drawers tipping over
It’s not just children, adults are at risk too. We sometimes open several drawers at once. Or we put too much (heavy) stuff at the front of the drawer. This shifts the centre of gravity of the chest of drawers, causing it to tip over. Pulling on or leaning against a drawer to get up from the floor can also tip over a chest of drawers.
Anchor your chest of drawers simply and safely
When you buy a chest of drawers at IKEA you should always follow the assembly instructions and anchor the chest of drawers with the tip-over protection supplied. Screws and plugs are supplied so it should be easy to assemble. If you move your chest of drawers or you move house, you can smooth the hole away with filler.
The screws and plugs that are supplied with your IKEA product are suitable for most solid and hollow walls. Use the screws without wall plugs for solid wood. IKEA stocks screw and wall plug sets if you don’t have enough. If you’re not sure what you need, ask an expert for advice.
So easy!
Like to know how to anchor your furniture to the wall?
Watch this short video.
If you’re done here and you now want to find the perfect chest of drawers for you, click the link below.