If You Hate Taking IKEA Furniture Apart, I've Got A Genius Hack For You

Don't lose that Allen key.

IKEA furniture! Sure, it's cute, but it can also make you want to burn your apartment to the ground.

Becky Barnicoat / BuzzFeed

Tell me I'm wrong.

Assembling it is one thing, but readjusting or disassembling it?? I'd rather pull my teeth out with an Allen key.

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Once I put my IKEA furniture together, I refuse to move out of my apartment for at least twelve years.

Speaking of Allen keys (AKA Allen wrenches), those buggers IKEA so generously provides are actually great when it comes to disassembling — if you can remember where you put them.

furnitureparts.com

You probably already tossed them out the window, and I don't blame you.

So! The next time you assemble a piece of IKEA furniture, tape the key to the underside so that it's at the ready when you need to tighten screws or take it apart.

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Reddit user Rotjenn shared this genius hack in the Life Pro Tips subreddit, and said: "My desktop chair's armrest was coming loose, so I looked under it to find out which screw needed to be tightened. The original key that I had used to assemble the chair was taped to the underside, making it quick and easy for me to tighten the screw. The funniest thing was that I had completely forgotten that I had done it, and was stunned at how smart of a trick it was."

Bonus points if you use painters tape for easier removal.

And yes, dear reader, toolboxes do exist, but this trick makes it so that you don't have to go rummaging through anything — you can just fix the piece right then and there!

Twitter: @SallyAlbright

So, you can @ me all you want about screwdrivers. I'm not listening. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Your future self will be so proud when you find that key exactly where you need it. Happy shopping!

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