Life Hacks: How to Fix a Zip
We have the solution for you!
Just because a zip is broken doesn’t mean it’s new home is automatically the bin.
Here are three ways you can do a little DIY and fix the problem yourself.
- Get yourself some graphite
Graphite sounds a bit science-y doesn’t it? In other words, have a look in the stationary drawer at home for a strong pencil. If you can find a number two pencil this will probably work best as these pencils contain a natural grease that will help to move a broken or stuck zipper.
All you have to do is rub the pencil along the teeth of the zip or in the area where it is getting stuck, open and close the zip and couple of times and it should be good as new.
- Search for soap
And by soap we mean detergent. As a little goes a long way, use the smallest amount of this in the area where the zip is stuck.
You will need:
- Laundry detergent – again only a very small amount will suffice
- A small bowel
- Some cotton wool
- A little water
Step one:
Pour a small amount of laundry detergent into the bowel and add the water. The amount of water you add depends on the amount of detergent used, but it should be enough to dilute it.
Step two:
Dip the cotton wool into the mixture and coat the teeth of the broken zip.
Step three:
Gently try to open or close the zip (depending on what the issue is) aiming to move it a little further each time. Continue doing this until the zip no longer sticks.
- Give it a machine clean
If you’ve tried both the pencil and detergent and neither seem to have worked, here is another hack you could try. Using a pencil or laundry detergent, run either along the teeth of the zipper and then place the item in the washing machine, leaving the pencil or detergent (or both) on the zip and wash it as you normally would. Continue to do this until the issue is resolved.
