Saturday, June 29

Fix it or Toss it? 5 Items Worth Repairing Over Replacing

Do you know about these repairable items?

So you take care of your house and your belongings, but no matter what, they will sooner or later be the subject of wear and tear. There is not much you can do about it, but you need to know that there are many repairable items around your home.

This means that as soon as an item breaks, there is no need to immediately run to the store and purchase a replacement. Maybe this item can be saved, and this means you will also save some money.

Next time, ask yourself first if that item is one of the repairable items. If it is, search for a guide online and see how you can repair it. The “fix-it-first” mentality has many benefits, including saving a few bucks. You will learn more about how things work, and even more, just imagine how accomplished you will feel after you have repaired something by yourself.

repairable items
Photo by foto_molka from Shutterstock

1. Window screens

You probably have something like this at your entrance door and also at your windows. It is an amazing item and has great functionality: it stops bugs from entering your home. No one wants to have their house invaded by insects, and the window screens do an incredible job of keeping them away.

Take a look at a window screen. What can you notice? It’s made of thousands of little holes that let the air circulate freely. But add one more hole, and you will ruin your window screen. If this happens, what will you do? Toss it away and buy a new one? Better not, because this is one of the repairable items.

First of all, take a sharp pair of scissors and, by cutting around the hole to even the edges, create a rectangular shape. After that, unravel a few strands of the screen from the four edges of the section, then fold what comes out somehow away from you. Then you will cover the hole with a patch and use the remaining strands to fix the patch in place.

And you are done! Now you have a repaired window screen, and you no longer need to buy a new one. Always do your best and repair the repairable items. It is not worth it to just throw them away.

2. Planting pots

Another one of the repairable items you might have around your home is a plating pot. Maybe you like gardening, and since you want to have nature close to you, a few pants here and there in your house seem like an amazing idea.

This is, indeed, a great idea, but keep in mind that planting pots can be rather fragile. A big factor is the material they are made from, but most planting pots can break quite easily.

But don’t throw the pots away if they break. Examine what happens, and you can try to repair it. We will now give you a few tips about repairing clay pots.

If the pot cracks at some point, don’t worry! You will not need pliers or glue for this. All you need is some copper wire. You will take this wire and thread it through the cracks. Then twist both ends together, and you are good to go. Your clay pot is now as good as new!

Now this is how you repair smaller cracks. If you have to deal with bigger ones, you might need some resin epoxy. Also, if the pot is completely shattered, it is still one of the repairable items. You can use the epoxy adhesive and simply rebuild the pot. You can try to repaint it afterward.

3. Lamps

Usually, lamps are items that will last you for your entire life if you take care of them, and they don’t fall victim to household accidents. Lamps can be beautiful pieces that can truly change how a space looks.

But over time, if your lamp survives and doesn’t break, the cables might tear and cause various problems. This is why it is important to learn how to change the old wires and replace them with new ones. A wire stripper might come in handy in this case. Use it to get the new wire inside the lamp when you are installing a new socket or plug.

Keep in mind that every time you work on electrical repairs, you need to be extremely careful. It is not hard to repair the lamp, but some of the electrical raptors can be risky.  Since it is one of the repairable items in your house, it is really easy for your lamp to get a second chance in your living room or bedroom.

If you somehow manage to break the body of the lamp, you are in luck because you can repair it in the same way you repair clay planting pots if the lamp is made from the same material.

4. Furniture

Another one of the repairable items that we all have inside our homes is furniture. Yes, you can repair furniture, and it would be wise not to toss it away so easily if it breaks a little.

If you have old pieces of furniture, they are manufactured to stand the test of time, which means you can repair most of them. The furniture made nowadays is of much lower quality, but even so, you can still have a chance to give it a new life.

Based on the problem with the furniture, you may only need wood glue and clamps to fix it. If the task is too difficult or beyond your ability, consult a nearby furniture repair company to see what is necessary and how much it will cost to fix it.

If the furniture item is still solid in its construction but appears weary and used, try cleaning or painting it, as well as replacing any nobs or pulls that look old or are damaged. The whole refinishing thing will take a while and also cost you some money, but in the end, it is still cheaper than replacing the furniture.

repairable items
Photo by New Africa from Shutterstock

5. Appliances

If your washing machine or dishwasher stops working suddenly, you might think that it is time to replace them. But appliances like these ones are repairable items, so you better give them a second chance.

Now, if your appliance has reached the end of its life or if the repair process is more costly than replacing it, maybe you should skip the repair part and just buy a new appliance. But if this is not the case, just see what the problem is and call an expert, or try to resolve it on your own.

Occasionally, something as easy as clearing out the dishwasher’s trap could restore your machine’s functionality. YouTube is an excellent resource for looking into the specific issue you’re experiencing with an appliance and determining whether it’s one of the items to fix rather than replace.

If you want to start repairing stuff around your home, you might need a repair kit: STREBITO Electronics Precision Screwdriver Sets 142-Piece with 120 Bits Magnetic Repair Tool Kit

You should also read: 5 Must-Visit Stores for Affordable Outdoor Furniture and Accessories

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