While you may be willing to take on DIY projects around the house, you may not realize how many of them you’re overlooking when it comes to fixing purchases you’ve already made that have become worn or broken. So roll up your sleeves and commit to be even more frugal with these fixes you can do yourself (or outsource to a specialist for less money than you’d spend on a replacement).
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Broken Zipper
Ever have a kid break the zipper on their winter coat in the middle of a below-zero day? Be prepared to fix it on the spot with a zipper repair kit from Zipper Rescue ($13 on Amazon), YKK ($14 on Amazon), or your local shoe repair retailer. Not only does the repair kit work for jackets, but also for other clothing items such as jeans, skirts, purses, and more. Worth a try before splurging for a new winter coat halfway through the season.
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Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner whose spin brush stops working is an easy fix. It just needs a replacement belt. Best of all, you don’t need to take it anywhere for the repair, but can do it yourself at home. Simply get a new belt, remove the belt cover, take off the old one, and replace it with the new one. Belts start around $3.
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Broken Yeti Tumbler
After spending $30 on a tumbler to keep your drinks hot or cool, you may despair when you lose a lid or, if it’s a Yeti, the magnetic slider that closes the top. Luckily, there are cheaper options than picking up a pricey replacement. Visit the brand’s website to find new lids and magsliders (as well as other replacement parts) for a fraction of the price of a new tumbler.
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Sticking Wood Doors
True wooden doors tend to expand in humidity, and this causes sticking. The good news is you don’t need to hire a maintenance person to fix this problem. While tightening the screws is a good idea, it usually isn’t the fix you need. Instead, take the door and hinges off the frame and use a chisel to carve out a deeper groove in the frame for the hinges. Prime, paint, and reinstall the door. If this doesn’t solve your problem, take it off and try again, this time shaving a little off the door side with a hand planer. Finally, prime, paint, and reinstall.
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Busted Pants Seams
Split your favorite pair of pants? Don’t worry — you can fix the damage. Seams intimidate people, with good reason. They aren’t the easiest fix, but learning to fix a busted seam is still cheaper than hiring someone to do it for you or replacing the garment altogether. Collect the following supplies: thread to match the garment, a thimble, a needle, and scissors. Helpful online videos will walk you through this repair.
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Leaky Faucet
If your shower or sink is leaking, chances are it’s an easy fix and there’s no need to call a plumber. Instead, turn the water off. Loosen the fastener and take the handle off. Replace the inside cartridge (replacements can be found at any hardware store). Replacements usually start around $8. Pull out the old cartridge and replace it with the new and reattach the handle.
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Worn Heels
If you’ve walked through your favorite pair of high heels, don’t toss them or (if the damage is minor) turn to a shoe repair shop. Try heel protectors and caps from GoGo Heel ($16 on Amazon), Heel Hunks ($13 on Amazon), or other retailers. You get four heel covers, enough to fix two pairs of worn-out heels or protect two pairs of new heels from meeting the same fate. Multiple cap sizes are available to accommodate any size heel.
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Filthy Suede and Leather Shoes
If you have mud-caked or salt-water stained shoes in your closet that you don’t have the heart to throw out, there’s a good chance they can be salvaged. Try this special brush from Amazon for just $7. It’s a four-way brush designed to clean suede and leather shoes without damaging the surface. It gets thousands of positive reviews and is said to revive shoes destined for the trash.
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Leaky Dishwasher
When it comes to any appliance leaking, most people are ready to pick up the phone and call a repairman. Don’t make that mistake. A leaky dishwasher could be an easy fix costing less than $20. Examine the thick rubber gasket that runs along the tub of the dishwasher. Is it brittle and cracked? If so, it needs to be replaced. Simply remove the old one, soak the new one in warm water for a few minutes, then set it in the tub where the old one was. Shut the dishwasher tight and let it sit for a few hours until it sticks to the tub.
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Pilled Material
Don’t toss a favorite sweater just because it looks like you’ve worn it 100 times (which you probably have). Instead of throwing it away or paying a dry cleaner to fix it, invest in the Conair Fabric Defuzzer-Shaver ($13 on Amazon) With more than 60,000 positive reviews, it’s worth a try to save your favorite clothing items. It’s said to work wonders on furniture too.
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Slow Dryer
It can be frustrating when a dryer won’t do the job, but don’t despair. Before shopping for a replacement, make sure that the vents are clear of lint and that the dryer can get good air circulation. If this is the case, it’s likely the blower. You can get a new blower wheel starting around $22. Replace the wheel yourself and save a ton of cash.
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Torn or Worn Out Jeans
If you’ve worn out your favorite pair of jeans, don’t get rid of them just yet. Patching jeans can be daunting for some people, but it really isn’t a hard task. Get some thread that matches the color of your jeans and a swatch of fabric that matches the jeans or is as sturdy as the jean material. YouTube has some step-by-step videos.
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Furniture
Most trashed furniture can be easily saved. Fix wobbly legs by making new holes and using new screws, or you can even replace the legs of an old table altogether. Find table legs at any hardware store. When it comes to aesthetics, simply scrape off the old paint (be sure to do a lead test first with these simple swabs or sand the finish lightly and repaint in a color you want. After you’ve painted it, cover it with a water-based, clear top coat. This is easy to apply with a foam brush to minimize brush strokes, and this top coat will protect the color and finish for years to come.
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Grill Burners and Parts
Replacing a grill is expensive, but what most people don’t consider is that you don’t have to replace the whole unit. You can easily, and cheaply, fix broken parts on your grill. Most hardware stores sell parts for your brand of grill and you can find replacement instructions easily to walk you through the process.
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Worn Out Birkenstocks
Birkenstock sandals and clogs can last for years or even decades — but with regular wear, they won’t last forever. Given that new kicks are pricey, the company has authorized repair shops such as Ibirks and Birkenstock Express offering repairs of the shoes for a fraction of the cost of a new pair, including new footbeds, resoling, and cork recrafting.
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Upholstery
Part of fixing outdated or seemingly ruined furniture is replacing ruined upholstery. Many people shy away from this task or hire someone to do it for them, when it is remarkably simple to do it yourself — even if you aren’t handy. The Family Handyman can walk you through the supplies you need and steps to do this task.
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Stained Microfiber
Do not call bulk trash pickup for a stained microfiber couch, even for severe stains. Instead, try this magical cure: rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Spray the stains — even water marks — and use a soft sponge to rub them out. Let the fabric dry. Finally, go over the dried areas with a carpet brush. This can be done on an entire couch to make it look brand new.
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Discolored Ceiling Spots
Did you have a leak that seeped through the ceiling? Is your ceiling textured? Even if you can paint the ceiling, you probably have no idea how to match the texture. The good news is, you don’t need to pay a professional painter to come out and fix a discolored ceiling. Instead grab a bottle of Kilz Upshot for less than $6. It’s a ceiling spray that matches most ceilings and will easily cover up water marks, smoke stains, grease marks, and more.
