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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2014/jan/09/how-to-repair-your-broken-goods-from-an-iphone-to-a-washing-machine
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| How to repair your broken goods - from an iPhone to a washing machine | How to repair your broken goods - from an iPhone to a washing machine |
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| When the chief scientific adviser to the energy department says that the economy of this country is built on a culture of “buying lots of stuff and then throwing it away” we all know, deep down, that he is right. Many household appliances are now so cheap, and repairing them so expensive, that people often assume their things are not worth fixing. Sometimes, unless their ethical principles are very strong, they may be right. Yet many common faults can indeed be easily, cheaply and quickly repaired at home, sometimes in a matter of minutes. | When the chief scientific adviser to the energy department says that the economy of this country is built on a culture of “buying lots of stuff and then throwing it away” we all know, deep down, that he is right. Many household appliances are now so cheap, and repairing them so expensive, that people often assume their things are not worth fixing. Sometimes, unless their ethical principles are very strong, they may be right. Yet many common faults can indeed be easily, cheaply and quickly repaired at home, sometimes in a matter of minutes. |
| If you’re not sure at first, try to enlist the help of someone experienced, such as the splendid volunteers on the Restart Project. But if you have the right tools, you feel confident and familiar with the relevant tutorial, and you have definitely unplugged everything, then it can even be fun. Here are a few you can try at home. | If you’re not sure at first, try to enlist the help of someone experienced, such as the splendid volunteers on the Restart Project. But if you have the right tools, you feel confident and familiar with the relevant tutorial, and you have definitely unplugged everything, then it can even be fun. Here are a few you can try at home. |
| Cracked iPhone screen | Cracked iPhone screen |
| Perhaps the quintessential modern mishap. Many companies exist to repair iPhones – some by post, some by visiting you in person – but you can do it yourself provided you have steady hands and a bit of patience. First buy a replacement screen online, making sure it’s the correct model. They cost around £20. Then settle down at a good flat surface and begin dismantling the phone. The method varies between models, but generally involves removing the two screws at the bottom, slipping off the back panel, removing various components, replacing the front panel, and then reassembling it all again. A simpler version of the same method will let you replace a tired battery (for around £10). There are many good online tutorials, from providers such as iFixit | Perhaps the quintessential modern mishap. Many companies exist to repair iPhones – some by post, some by visiting you in person – but you can do it yourself provided you have steady hands and a bit of patience. First buy a replacement screen online, making sure it’s the correct model. They cost around £20. Then settle down at a good flat surface and begin dismantling the phone. The method varies between models, but generally involves removing the two screws at the bottom, slipping off the back panel, removing various components, replacing the front panel, and then reassembling it all again. A simpler version of the same method will let you replace a tired battery (for around £10). There are many good online tutorials, from providers such as iFixit |
| Washing machine won’t drain | Washing machine won’t drain |
| A common problem, and a common phobia, is to see your washing machine stop mid-cycle. Either the door stays closed or, worse, it opens and floods your home with filthy water. First, don’t force it, or you may break the latch. Some machines are designed never to open with water inside them. Second, look for the pump filter. Like the filter in a dishwasher this can become clogged and prevent the machine draining. The instruction manual may help with this, but it’s usually at the front, near the bottom, behind a little childproof hatch that has to be prised open. Inside you’ll often find an emergency drainage pipe, which should let the excess water out. You’ll also be able to remove the filter and clean it. If this doesn’t fix the problem, the cause may well be a blocked hose or a faulty drain pump. This too can often be fixed without much difficulty. You’ll find it all explained on ukwhitegoods.co.uk | A common problem, and a common phobia, is to see your washing machine stop mid-cycle. Either the door stays closed or, worse, it opens and floods your home with filthy water. First, don’t force it, or you may break the latch. Some machines are designed never to open with water inside them. Second, look for the pump filter. Like the filter in a dishwasher this can become clogged and prevent the machine draining. The instruction manual may help with this, but it’s usually at the front, near the bottom, behind a little childproof hatch that has to be prised open. Inside you’ll often find an emergency drainage pipe, which should let the excess water out. You’ll also be able to remove the filter and clean it. If this doesn’t fix the problem, the cause may well be a blocked hose or a faulty drain pump. This too can often be fixed without much difficulty. You’ll find it all explained on ukwhitegoods.co.uk |
| Holes in socks | Holes in socks |
| Time was everyone could do this, and the truth is everyone still could with about 10 minutes’ practice. It really is an easy job. You’ll need three cheap things: a darning mushroom (a large wooden dome to hold the hole open), a darning needle (which has a blunt end so it won’t split the sock fibres) and some darning wool (which is extra thick to fill the hole more easily). Now stretch out the hole over the mushroom and sew stripes of thread across it. When you get to the end, sew a new set of stripes perpendicular to the original ones, weaving above and below them until the hole is filled. Tie up and you’re done. This works just as well on moth holes in a jumper, or anything else. There’s a great tutorial from VideoJug. | |
| Faulty Dyson motor | Faulty Dyson motor |
| They may be expensive to buy, but Dyson vacuum cleaners can be repaired almost indefinitely at home, with all manner of spare parts available online. A ripped hose, for instance, can be replaced in about one minute. If the motor goes, you’re be embarking on more of an Odyssey - even Dyson themselves say that this replacement should be carried out by a qualified engineer - but it can be done. Just make sure the motor is the problem, and not the power cable or anything else, before you buy a new one, which costs around £40. As for the method, you will have to strip the machine more or less right down, prising and unscrewing where necessary, and keeping careful notes about what went where so you can put it all back again afterwards. There’s an excellent video on Youtube from Ransom Spares, and a step-by-step guide on ifixit.com | They may be expensive to buy, but Dyson vacuum cleaners can be repaired almost indefinitely at home, with all manner of spare parts available online. A ripped hose, for instance, can be replaced in about one minute. If the motor goes, you’re be embarking on more of an Odyssey - even Dyson themselves say that this replacement should be carried out by a qualified engineer - but it can be done. Just make sure the motor is the problem, and not the power cable or anything else, before you buy a new one, which costs around £40. As for the method, you will have to strip the machine more or less right down, prising and unscrewing where necessary, and keeping careful notes about what went where so you can put it all back again afterwards. There’s an excellent video on Youtube from Ransom Spares, and a step-by-step guide on ifixit.com |
| Cracked fridge drawers, shelves and lining | Cracked fridge drawers, shelves and lining |
| Some faults, especially when a bit of plastic has broken off something, look like the end of the line for an appliance. A new product called Sugru, however, can often give it a second chance. Essentially Sugru is a type of silicone moulding clay that bonds to almost anything and cures into a solid rubbery mass in about 24 hours. You can therefore use it to cover a crack in a fridge drawer, or sculpt it into a replacement chunk when the original broke off. Sugru is heat as well as cold-resistant, so you can also use it to mend broken plastic inside your dishwasher, along with many other things. | Some faults, especially when a bit of plastic has broken off something, look like the end of the line for an appliance. A new product called Sugru, however, can often give it a second chance. Essentially Sugru is a type of silicone moulding clay that bonds to almost anything and cures into a solid rubbery mass in about 24 hours. You can therefore use it to cover a crack in a fridge drawer, or sculpt it into a replacement chunk when the original broke off. Sugru is heat as well as cold-resistant, so you can also use it to mend broken plastic inside your dishwasher, along with many other things. |
| Fix a puncture | Fix a puncture |
| With the right tools, many bicycle repairs can be carried out at home – including patching up a puncture. | With the right tools, many bicycle repairs can be carried out at home – including patching up a puncture. |
| Tired old computer | Tired old computer |
| Over time, all computers tend to get a bit slow and crotchety as more and more software is downloaded on to them. Sometimes they also fill with dust and overheat, which can be alleviated by sucking the vents at the back with a vacuum cleaner. As a last resort, however, it can become necessary to reformat, which means wiping the entire computer and reinstalling Windows. Obviously - obviously! - you need to make sure that all of your files have been backed up safely before you start. Usually you’ll also need the original CD containing the Windows operating system. Methods vary, and the whole process may take a few hours, so remember that you will not be able to use the computer once you have begun and keep any notes or webpages you might need open somewhere else. There’s a guide for each recent edition of Windows on grownupgeek.com. | Over time, all computers tend to get a bit slow and crotchety as more and more software is downloaded on to them. Sometimes they also fill with dust and overheat, which can be alleviated by sucking the vents at the back with a vacuum cleaner. As a last resort, however, it can become necessary to reformat, which means wiping the entire computer and reinstalling Windows. Obviously - obviously! - you need to make sure that all of your files have been backed up safely before you start. Usually you’ll also need the original CD containing the Windows operating system. Methods vary, and the whole process may take a few hours, so remember that you will not be able to use the computer once you have begun and keep any notes or webpages you might need open somewhere else. There’s a guide for each recent edition of Windows on grownupgeek.com. |
| • Have you ever repaired something instead of thowing it away? Share your success stories and tips in the comment thread and we'll publish a selection of the best | • Have you ever repaired something instead of thowing it away? Share your success stories and tips in the comment thread and we'll publish a selection of the best |
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