Zippers are impressive feats of engineering, but sometimes they break. Try one of these tried-and-tested solutions before throwing away clothing with zipper issues.
If your zipper seems off, chances are its teeth or slider is the source. Luckily, these problems are typically simple to repair, so your jeans or bag won’t end up in the trash can!
Remove the Bottom Stop
If your zipper appears broken, give it some TLC by applying some lubrication using a pencil eraser, a cotton ball soaked in liquid laundry detergent or rubbing alcohol, and a pencil. If that doesn’t do the trick, replacing its bottom stop may be necessary; installing one is simple, using a needle and matching thread. Sew back into place, preserving as many original stitch lines as possible, then close up seams with matching stitches before cutting any excess cord; when complete, zip away without anyone knowing your zipper was ever broken!
If the zipper is coming loose, it could be that one or more of its teeth is misaligning. Carefully inspect each zipper tooth to ensure they are straight; if any appear bent or misalignments exist, gently use slim needle-nose pliers to turn them back into position.
Alternatively, it could be that your zipper slider has become stretched out and no longer engages its teeth when zipped up properly. Pinching both sides of its opening with pliers can do the trick to tighten it back up again.
Your zipper may also not work because its insertion pin has broken. While this problem is more challenging to resolve, drinking straws and hot glue may provide temporary solutions – though take note that they won’t last!
Forks can also come in handy during emergency zipper situations. Slide the bottom of the zipper over the middle prongs of a knife, and this should help its teeth move back into place and work again. However, be wary not to put too much strain on it, or it will break.
Unstuck the Zipper
Zippers are almost everywhere, from jeans and sweaters to shirts and coats, offering convenient closure. However, zippers can sometimes become stuck for various reasons: fabric getting caught in them, one of their teeth breaking or becoming worn, or becoming ineffective altogether. Sometimes you may need to replace the entire zipper; however, there may be simple fixes you can try without needing professional seamstress services.
When your zipper becomes stuck, you should first inspect its teeth to see if anything has become caught between them. Tweezers can help if this occurs. Otherwise, move onto step two – applying some lubricant to help unstick them; laundry soap works great for this as it removes dirt or debris that has become stuck between them; but other options such as Vaseline, baby oil, or even just rubbing alcohol may work too – rub all sides of its teeth then test by sliding the zipper until its teeth loosen again! Repeat as necessary until it’s unsticks from being stuck again!
If none of these methods work, there’s always the option of buying new clothing altogether; but before taking this route, consider some of the expert-recommended fixes in this article, as it could save both time and money by providing solutions instead of hiring a seamstress and purchasing something new.
Stuck zippers may be caused by obstructions getting caught in their teeth or becoming sticky over time. Once you’ve checked for any snags and other problems with the zipper, it could just need some additional lubrication to start functioning again correctly. Use some of these tips from this article or use soap and water to loosen any grime stuck there; if that doesn’t help, try using graphite pencils, lip balm, petroleum jelly, or laundry soap as lubricants.
Tighten the Slider
As it can be nerve-wracking to force something that appears stuck or misalign, it is vital that it be done safely using safer techniques instead of brute force when zipping up your jacket. Remember that zippers are fragile pieces of hardware; applying too much pressure could even break them or their teeth inside!
If the teeth on your zipper aren’t falling as quickly as expected, first check for obstructions (such as thread or fabric fibers). Remove these manually, retry zipping it, and move on to other fixes if that doesn’t solve it.
Another frequent zipper problem occurs when the teeth lose their ability to clinch together correctly, leading to it breaking open or becoming undone. A likely source is the zipper slider itself which may become disassociated from its teeth over time and cause them to separate further. You can quickly correct this by slightly stretching open openings of the slider with pliers – this should help realign them and re-align the teeth.
When your zipper teeth aren’t coming up as high, using scissors to snip across from where the damaged teeth are can help close gaps and raise it again, though this will shorten it by some amount.
This trick works well on metal and plastic zippers alike but is incredibly efficient on nylon pants zips due to its ease. Take off the zipper slider, remove any metal pieces at the top of the track known as top stops using pliers, then re-insert with its openings slightly stretched to realign its teeth evenly – be careful not to overstretch it as this should hold your pants zip for some time!
Repair the Teeth
If a zipper’s teeth have come completely off – there is no easy way to replace them without replacing the entire zipper itself; therefore, in such an instance, it must be taken to a seamstress or professional sewing repair shop for repair. However, if only some have fallen off, there may still be an effective way to address this problem.
Before using pliers to loosen and remove metal stops at the top of a zipper, carefully realign any teeth that have come loose from its tape – this may require effort and patience – but will be well worth your while in the end!
If the teeth of your zipper are correctly aligned, but it still isn’t catching, another issue may be at play. Over time, teeth on a zipper may bend, making catching and closing harder than expected. In such instances, use some lubrication on its teeth.
One way of doing this is to apply a thin coat of clear nail polish to the teeth on a zipper to thicken and increase their traction, temporarily thickening up their size and increasing traction. Unfortunately, this solution will eventually wear off.
Liquid laundry detergent can also help lubricate zipper teeth by thickening their edges and increasing their ability to grip onto the zipper tape.
Finally, using a pencil, coat the zipper teeth with a small amount of graphite to form a thin coating and act as a lubricant between their teeth. This should help the zipper teeth stay together more quickly than otherwise.
If all else fails, an alternative temporary solution would be using cardboard or metal as a zipper tooth replacement until professional help arrives to replace or repair your zipper.
