Zip to It! Fast Zipper Repair

(Photo: punkinpatterns.com)

A broken zipper can mean certain doom for a favorite garment. But don’t exile your outfit to the darkest part of your closet or, worse, the donation bin. Whether the slider is jammed, the teeth are misaligned or separated, or the whole thing is broken, that zipper can be saved! Zipper repair is not as difficult or as time-consuming as you might think. In these quick fixes, you have what you already need to make the repairs at home without replacement parts or special equipment. Here’s how to get things zipping along again.

(Photo: naturallyerin.com)

Stuck Zipper

A stuck zipper that won’t budge is so frustrating. Frequently it is the zipper pull that is the culprit. Try to get things moving again by using some pencil graphite on the teeth. Simply color the zipper teeth lightly. If a more powerful lubricant is needed you can also try rubbing candle wax or a dry bar of soap along the teeth to get things gliding along again.

(Photo: applegreencottage.blogspot.com)

Zipper Pull is Broken

Sometimes the pull falls off the slider making it hard to zip up or down. In a rush? Use a paper clip, safety pin, hair rubber band, or a key ring as an instant zipper pull. Or try this version where you sew a bit of ribbon onto the slide to create a pull. If you have a replacement pull and slider available, here is a tutorial to replace the whole piece using a pair of pliers.

(Photo: kyliiesthread.blogspot.com)

Slider Came Off the Track or the Tracks Are Not Lining Up

We’ve all tossed out an item where the slider has come off the track. No need to do that again. It’s actually a lot easier than you think to repair this common problem. All you need are sharp scissors, a needle, and thread. This tutorial shows you how to snip the zipper at the base, feed the slider through, and whip stitch it shut again. The result, a zipper repair with no special equipment in less than ten minutes!

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(Photo: instructibles.com)

Other common problems

There are a myriad of other zipper issues that can easily be repaired using a good pair of pliers. Take a careful look at the zipper. Sometimes one of the teeth is bent out of shape causing havoc. Simply pull out the pliers and bend it back into place. If the slider keeps coming off the track, try using a pair of pliers to squeeze the metal tighter onto the tracks. The stopper bar can also come loose. This can easily be repaired with a squeeze of the pliers.

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