Undoubtedly, everyone has a pile of clothes in their closet or dresses that hasn’t seen the light of day in weeks, if not years. Rather than allowing it to collect dust and take up space, maybe it’s time to reevaluate things and make tough decisions. When assessing your older clothes, deciding whether to repair or replace them can be difficult. So, let’s go through the thought process for each decision.
There are many reasons why someone opts to repair their older clothes. You can’t put a price on sentimental value, so that could carry more weight than the cost of the job. When making a pros and cons list, you can see if the following reasons why repairing is the correct decision apply to your situation.
Sewing skills come in handy when you must repair a small tear in a garment, add a button, or put on a new zipper. If you’re not confident in your capabilities, you can become a student of YouTube. The tutorial videos there will guide you through clear step-by-step demonstrations and explanations. Plus, acquiring such skills will be useful for any other textiles that have imperfections now or down the line.
While the opportunity cost doesn’t have a monetary value, the real dollars and cents play a significant role in your decision-making. The average costs of alterations and repairs are between $20 to $50 per item. When the repairs are substantially less expensive than what it would cost to buy something new, it makes sense to repair a clothing item.
Living in a populous city makes you more likely to find a tailor. Thus, you can help a small business by bringing in your damaged goods and letting the tailor work their magic. It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved.
There could be several reasons you no longer want to wear the clothing item in question. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean it no longer has a purpose. You could upcycle it to make something better.
Upcycling repurposes your garments and turns them into unique items near and dear to your heart. To begin, don’t start with an elaborate project. Keep it simple and use something you don’t want to wear again, such as a ratty t-shirt.
Let your imagination run wild from there. Doing so will help you create something from nothing that can show off your personality. There’s no limit to what you can do when upcycling clothes, considering you can do some of the following projects:
Tucking away flawed clothing is typical in most people’s closets. Instead of keeping it there to take up space for items you want to wear, consider giving it the good old heave-ho if it falls into one of the following categories.
The most obvious sign that you should replace the item is that you no longer wear it. There are probably several reasons why you buried the clothing article in your closest, so let it go to let your new items in. Stop delaying the inevitable and toss clothes you aren’t going to wear. It will save time when you next go through your wardrobe.
Fashion trends come and go like clockwork, making some wardrobe choices from the past seem questionable now. If you have a jacket that looks like something a character from That 70’s Show would don, and that’s not your style, you may want to get rid of it and bring trendier clothes into your life.
If you’re sighing and grunting with every movement because your pants are riding up on you or the fabric is making you itch, then there’s no hope for this garb in the future.
It’s easy to fall victim to your emotions when you’re going through your things. You could find a t-shirt of your first concert, a TV show you used to love, or one of those ironic shirts that give you a chuckle.
Regardless of their sentimental value, they may have no use for you now. Sentimental items are perfect for upcycling if you feel so inclined. But if arts and crafts aren’t your jam, then an emotional sendoff is in order.
Weight fluctuations are common, even for the most adamant workout warriors, so many folks are prone to keep clothes that accommodate their various body sizes. Ditching your old clothes might even provide the motivation you need to fit into those items again. But if you know that isn’t in the cards in your future, then there’s no point in keeping them around.
Even if a repair is easy for you to complete, it could still be a process that takes quite a bit of effort to finish. Weighing the opportunity costs of the time it will take to repair your items and to replace them provides insight into the best course of action.
Some items aren’t worth repairing. The odds are that low-cost, dime-a-dozen garments will rip easily. So it’s a mistake to spend time fixing them in the first place. But it may be worth spending the extra time restoring costly apparel with high-quality construction.
Assessing your older clothes and deciding if you should repair or replace them can be an enjoyable experience. It can take you on tour down memory lane and free up some much-needed space so that you can include wardrobe selections that you appreciate and use more.
If you want to repair clothes, you can use our zipper slider replacement for any garments needing a new zipper. Our one-of-a-kind zipper kit will save you time and doesn’t require any sewing skills. The FixnZip works for a wide range of zipper sizes and styles, so grab it today to repair anything from your clothing to a sleeping bag.
One of the most helpful fashion tips you could ever acquire is learning how to repair a zipper. This is because practically every dress, coat, skirt, and pair of pants in your closet has one. However, zippers can also cause problems, especially if you're out in public without access to household tools. Therefore, these fast fixes for public zipper emergencies may come in handy.
The anxiety of someone seeing you with your fly down is enough to be on edge all day, making it difficult to focus on daily tasks. While there are some preventive measures you can take to keep your fly from unzipping, sometimes the unthinkable happens. Luckily, a few quick fixes help resolve the issue at hand.
The most effective but least convenient way of handling your stubborn zipper is to grab a pair of pliers and put the fastener's teeth back in position. Considering most folks don't have a pair of pliers they can use on a whim, you may need to use an alternative, albeit unique, method.
Your fly might not stay up because it's wearing down from constant use. If that’s the case, you can use clear nail polish, paint a few coats on the teeth, and watch the magic happen. The clear polish should thicken the teeth, preventing the fastener from having a mind of its own.
If you coated your zipper like you were painting a portrait, and it still won't stay up, you can move to plan B. This approach consists of finding any means necessary to keep the zipper fastened until you can completely replace it.
Thus, you can use a paper clip or safety pin to keep it from dropping down. Since both are standard office or school supplies, you can rough it out until you get to your destination. Then, you can head to the restroom to put one of them through the hole on the zipper slider.
If your zipper won't budge, that's an entirely different situation that requires a whole new set of innovative solutions. There are a variety of ways to unstick a zipper that’s jammed. One is using a pencil to coat the teeth with its graphite tip. The graphite should act as a lubricant, causing it to run smoothly.
Another way to loosen up a zipper that's dead in its tracks is using Vaseline. Instead of putting some on your finger and spreading it, dab a cotton swab into the jar and apply it. Using too much may cause the gunk to stick in the crevices.
Trying one of these fast fixes if you experience a public zipper emergency may sound strange, but they work like a charm. To permanently repair your troubled zipper, you should try FixnZip to replace a broken fastener. FixnZip works on plastic and metal teeth, so there isn't a piece of clothing or equipment it can't handle. Check out our “How To” page for more specifics.
