One of the best ways we can reduce our household’s carbon footprint is to repair things instead of throwing them away. But it’s also a way of life for many people.
“Seems I’ve spent most of my life fixing stuff because I was brought up that way,” observes Phil, from Bedfordshire. “I look at everything that comes my way as potentially useful and more often than not, it is,” writes Richard, a designer from Essex.
Sometimes, as Stew from London notes, “repair is about purchasing choices as well as deciding to do the work”.
From practical items such as appliances to the more sentimental objects we’re reluctant to part with, Guardian readers share some of their repair success stories, and offer tips for those wondering where to start.
Appliances: YouTube is your friend and keep spare parts ‘just in case’
My Dualit toaster is getting on for 30 years old. It’s had a new element costing about £5 and is as good as new. It was easy to fix. They aren’t cheap to buy but they are massive value as every part can be replaced easily and cheaply.
– Sarah, Somerset
The locking mechanism on the plastic door handle of my washing machine broke. I eventually found a YouTube video showing how to replace it. I had nothing to lose so gave it a go, taking the door off the machine and then stripping it down to reveal the locking mechanism. £30 for the parts but it saved me buying a new washing machine, and gave me a lot of satisfaction.
– Hitesh, Warrington
We had a Bosch dishwasher that I replaced the pump on (burnt out when blocked, £39), the manifold (hard water damaged, similar price) and finally the input water pipe (mouse nibbled). All done with YouTube videos and standard toolbox and no prior repairing experience. Extended its life to 13 years.
– Ian, Derbyshire
Espresso coffee machine. Luckily the Italian machine included a wiring diagram in the instruction booklet. I have found a small workshop that sells generic spare parts for coffee machines and have conducted “open heart surgery” several times. Failed thermostats, coils, valve internals, seals – all tackled. It is now 22 years old. Very satisfying. I will always have a go at fixing anything. I always keep bits “just in case”.
– John, Netherlands
Our front loading washing machine had been leaving shreds of white plastic in the completed wash for some months before we noticed a small puddle of water on the floor under it. Upon investigation, I found a 22min video on YouTube made by someone who had had the same issue – one of the 3 legs of the aluminium frame holding the drum had broken after which the drum had rested on the plastic tub that holds the water and worn a hole in it as it ran. The first part of the video listed the tools required and suggested I make a cup of tea before starting the disassembly! Once apart, I ordered a few spare parts (about half the cost of a new machine) and then put it back together for another 5 years reliable operation.
– Harry, Melbourne
Sentimental and unique items: endless memories retained
I had a fishing rod given to me by my nan and grandad in 1972 when I was 10. A short, hefty, fibreglass boat rod. It got used but over the years it sat in the garage rafters and the rings went rusty and came undone, the whipping rotted, and the wooden grips came loose. It had mould on it, and the paint peeled off it. About 10 years ago I stripped it down, sprayed it, re-ringed it with new rings and smart new blue and white whipping, I varnished the wooden grips and epoxied them firmly into place. It looked as good as new. Once done, I took this rod with me every time I took my boat out even though I used a more modern one when out on the water. It didn’t matter. I know how my nan and grandad would have felt when they gave it to me, and I know how they would feel if they knew that I had restored it exactly to how it was when they first gave it to me as a 10 year old boy, on my birthday over 50 years ago.
– Mark, Bournemouth
Because a lovely person at the Blairgowrie & Rattray Repair Cafe soldered one of the whisks on my hand-held mixer back together, my 44-year-old family heirloom is good for a few more decades! It was a present from my mother when I went off to university. I have never owned any other mixer. Repair Cafe impact: 36g whisk repaired, 1.345kg of waste avoided, and endless memories retained.
– Gina, Blairgowrie
My parents bought a sideboard circa 1965-68. It is beautiful 1960s craftsmanship. In the late 80s the end door, a drop-down flap as opposed to the other 3 side-hinged doors below the draws broke, at first it was the part that held it horizontal but later the large hinge failed. I at first tried to replace the hinge but replacing a 12-16” hinge proved difficult partly as the wood would not easily take a new hinge and the bracket had failed. Finally in the early 2010s, after a decade or so of an open gash where the door had been, I took on the challenge and with some lovely brass hinges mated the door again but in the same alignment as the other doors and fitted a catch mechanism to keep it closed. As a total amateur I am so proud to have this beautiful cabinetry returned to full function even if the door no longer drops down as originally.
– Mark, Preston, UK
3D printing: a new way to source replacement parts
Our local library network offers access to basic 3D printers for use by patrons. I’ve 3D-printed all kinds of small plastic parts that have broken through use or accident – clips on the inside of bathroom exhaust covers, anchors for the little wheels that fridge drawers run on, bike computer clips, slots for the legs of a board game tile holder, dish-drying rack parts, even little hinges and cupboard doorstops. Mostly I try to model the part in SketchUp from scratch, because there is often nothing available on the internet, although Thingiverse is not bad for stand-alone items. Sometimes it’s hit and miss with my own models/redesigns, but the library only charges for material, not time, and I enjoy the challenge of remaking a small something that can save a bigger item. Sadly, libraries with 3D printers seem far less common in England than in Canada.
– Anon, Kelowna, Canada
