Shoutout to the guy at the hardware store who told me to use a candle on my stuck zipper

I was whining to the clerk about a broken zipper on my 5 year old winter coat and he just said 'rub a candle on it.' I tried it on the pull tab and it slid smooth after 2 minutes. Has anyone else got a weird fix like that from a random stranger that actually worked better than any tool you own?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver5233d ago

Pull the tab back a little and pour some dish soap right into the zipper track. Works like a charm on stuck zippers on jackets and even on old duffel bags. I learned that from a old lifeguard when my bag wouldnt close after the beach.

jade323d ago

Works like a charm"? I have to disagree with you there @oliver523. Dish soap can actually leave gunk in the track that attracts more sand and dirt over time.

jamiesingh1d ago

Four times I tried that dish soap trick on an old Jansport backpack last summer. Each time it felt like it worked for about a day or two, then the zipper got grittier than before. The soap mixed with all the sand and crumbs in the track turned into this gross paste that just jammed things up worse. Ended up having to rinse the whole track out with a garden hose and then use a dry lubricant spray to actually fix it. That lifeguard probably meant well, but dish soap is just a short term fix that makes more work later.