50 Times People Tried To Fix Something And Somehow Made It Worse

Experts claim we can mend many everyday products ourselves, while iFixit, a free online repair guide, even says that we should ‘never take broken for an answer.’ 

For many this is not news, but repairing broken items offers many benefits, with the most important being reducing waste. Each time we throw things that in our eyes no longer work, we not only clutter our planet with rubbish and pollute it but also waste resources like trees, metal, energy, and manpower required to manufacture these products. This is a deep issue that could be helped if more people repaired their things instead of trashing them at the first opportunity.

Another benefit repairment offers is saving money. And who doesn’t love that? Often, fixing something is cheaper than buying new, and even simple repairs like sewing a button or a patch on clothing extend their life for years. In the process, you can learn useful skills like sewing, using tools, and following instructions. This boosts our self-reliance and makes us feel more accomplished, as fixing items is hugely satisfying.

And even though the quality of products we purchase is getting worse (so we would buy more), Gordon-Byrne, the executive director of the Repair Association, still believes it’s important to repair the ones we currently have, as most likely, future products will continue to decline.

“Basically, you take a thing that’s [crappy] today and you buy something that’s [crappier],” she says. “You’re really making your situation even less long-term because the product that you’re buying, even though it may come with a 90-day warranty, it’s not fundamentally going to last any longer than the one that you’ve already gotten frustrated with.”

However, if the cost to repair your item is higher than what you would spend for a new one, it might be time to think about purchasing a new one. Otherwise, definitely consider a fix.

Of course, not everyone feels confident diving headfirst into fix-it-yourself projects. The thought of repairing your toilet or a vacuum can be intimidating at first, so try to go with something more simple if you wish to start repairing your things instead of throwing them out.

There’s also a wealth of resources online that can guide you through any fix. Like the previously mentioned iFixit, which has 117,767 free repair manuals for more than 65,118 devices. Experts in all areas of mending, from furniture to clothing, offer their advice on how to best repair your items and why it’s worth doing so.

Speaking of clothing, it’s a great starting point for anyone interested in starting to repair their belongings. To be able to repair clothes, all you really have to be armed with is thread and a needle. Almost any garment can be mended, from sock holes to sweaters with pills. Well, except maybe for stretched-out jeans.

“It’s the elastic fibers, like the Lycra or the elastane, in the fabric breaking down at a different rate to the cotton,” explained Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald, author of Modern Mending: How to Minimize Waste and Maximize Style. However, the stretching out could be avoided in the first place by buying tougher jeans made out of 90-100% cotton. They might not be as comfortable at first, but after some wear, they get comfier and tend to last longer.

Other beginner repairs that anyone can do around their house include kids' toys, furniture, toilets, leaky or clogged pipes, shoes, accessories, some electronics, walls, squeaky hinges and so on and so forth. For more helpful repair resources, check out these ones: iFixit, Repair What You Wear, Restart Project, Sojo, and Loom.