Sentry Page Protection
If It's Broken, Fix It!
The annoying thing that clothes, backpacks, towels, shoes, handbags and other such articles have in common is that they are not made to last forever. Sooner or later, you'll need to replace them, because constant wear and tear will have rendered them either unusable or unpresentable. While buying a whole new wardrobe and accessories might give you the pleasant feeling of a fresh start, the costs involved in the process can be enough to overshadow the bliss. How do we fix the problem? The answer is... fix the clothes.
As with most problems, wear and tear tend to become worse if you ignore them. If, however, you take a few minutes to repair damaged items as soon as you notice the first sign of wear or notice that hem is down or button about to fall off, you might be able to save quite a bit of money in the long run. Not to mention postponing the painful moment of saying goodbye to your favourite jacket or backpack.
Is it easier said than done? Not necessarily. It doesn't even require outstanding organisational skills or advanced craftsmanship. Fixing the problem as soon as you notice it will help to keep everything in tip top shape as long as possible.
That includes treating stains as soon as they happen or notice them. The longer you leave something with a stain the harder it is to shift. Check our Stain Removal chart if you're not sure how to clean a stain up.
Stitching loose buttons back on or replacing missing buttons immediately keeps the garment in circulation. To keep the button in place use dental floss to sew it on and then dab the front and back with clear nail polish. That's a button that will stay where it's meant to be.
Taking up loose hems isn't hard. All you need is a needle and matching thread. Not sure how to do a hemming stitch? No problem, buy some iron on hemming tape from a the haberdashery aisle of a supermarket, Spotlight or Lincraft and you won't need to sew. But really, it's not hard to get on YouTube and find a video to show you how to do a hemming stitch, and once you know how, it only takes a few minutes to stitch that hem in place. By the way, getting a hem stitched at a dressmaker's or even one of those kiosks at the shopping centre will cost you around $15, so learn to DIY it!
You can buy iron on patches to match all types of fabric too. Never again throw out those school pants because Junior has gone through the knee. Just buy a patch in a matching fabric, trim to size and iron on (or be a super Cheapskate and cut a patch from a pair he's outgrown or are too worn to wear and use hemming tape to iron in place). You can also use iron on patches to reinforce the knees of track pants, especially useful if they are part of a school or sports uniform.
Fix sticky zippers by running a candle up and down the teeth and then zipping up and down a couple of times. It works like a charm to stop the sticking and could save you having to replace a broken zipper or toss the backpack or jeans or jacket and buy a replacement.
None of these repairs takes a lot of skill or requires complicated tools. All you need is a basic repair kit and a small cantilever tool box keeps everything together and neat, with all your bits and bobs stored neatly in individual compartments. Two dollar shops carry them for around $5, well worth the investment.
As with most problems, wear and tear tend to become worse if you ignore them. If, however, you take a few minutes to repair damaged items as soon as you notice the first sign of wear or notice that hem is down or button about to fall off, you might be able to save quite a bit of money in the long run. Not to mention postponing the painful moment of saying goodbye to your favourite jacket or backpack.
Is it easier said than done? Not necessarily. It doesn't even require outstanding organisational skills or advanced craftsmanship. Fixing the problem as soon as you notice it will help to keep everything in tip top shape as long as possible.
That includes treating stains as soon as they happen or notice them. The longer you leave something with a stain the harder it is to shift. Check our Stain Removal chart if you're not sure how to clean a stain up.
Stitching loose buttons back on or replacing missing buttons immediately keeps the garment in circulation. To keep the button in place use dental floss to sew it on and then dab the front and back with clear nail polish. That's a button that will stay where it's meant to be.
Taking up loose hems isn't hard. All you need is a needle and matching thread. Not sure how to do a hemming stitch? No problem, buy some iron on hemming tape from a the haberdashery aisle of a supermarket, Spotlight or Lincraft and you won't need to sew. But really, it's not hard to get on YouTube and find a video to show you how to do a hemming stitch, and once you know how, it only takes a few minutes to stitch that hem in place. By the way, getting a hem stitched at a dressmaker's or even one of those kiosks at the shopping centre will cost you around $15, so learn to DIY it!
You can buy iron on patches to match all types of fabric too. Never again throw out those school pants because Junior has gone through the knee. Just buy a patch in a matching fabric, trim to size and iron on (or be a super Cheapskate and cut a patch from a pair he's outgrown or are too worn to wear and use hemming tape to iron in place). You can also use iron on patches to reinforce the knees of track pants, especially useful if they are part of a school or sports uniform.
Fix sticky zippers by running a candle up and down the teeth and then zipping up and down a couple of times. It works like a charm to stop the sticking and could save you having to replace a broken zipper or toss the backpack or jeans or jacket and buy a replacement.
None of these repairs takes a lot of skill or requires complicated tools. All you need is a basic repair kit and a small cantilever tool box keeps everything together and neat, with all your bits and bobs stored neatly in individual compartments. Two dollar shops carry them for around $5, well worth the investment.
Some things to put in your repair kit:
- Reels of cotton in basic colours (black, white, navy, cream, dark green are good to start)
- A reel of strong cotton in a neutral colour
- A packet of sewing needles
- A packet of upholstery needles (these are handy for fixing straps on luggage, stitching the seams in runners etc.)
- A tin of dressmakers pins
- Good fabric scissors
- Hemming tape
- Buttons in a variety of colours and sizes (choose them to match the most shirts i.e. Clear or white for school shirts etc.)
- A variety of iron on patches
- A candle
When you are fixing something, do it in such a way as to ensure that it will last long enough. Otherwise, you're just wasting time. For instance, stapling the straps of your backpack might solve the problem for two days, but that's not the kind of solution you should be aiming for.
Naturally, you won't be able to fix everything yourself. For broken shoe heels and other similar problems, you will need to go to a cobbler or shoe repair booth. It won't be free, but it will definitely cost you less than buying a new pair.
Prepare your all-purpose repair kit now, and you can stop worrying about having to replace things too often.
Naturally, you won't be able to fix everything yourself. For broken shoe heels and other similar problems, you will need to go to a cobbler or shoe repair booth. It won't be free, but it will definitely cost you less than buying a new pair.
Prepare your all-purpose repair kit now, and you can stop worrying about having to replace things too often.
Related Tip Sheet |