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| My laptop on my lap was I write this post. |
Fix: I McGyver'd my laptop by affixing one of those sticky strips used with a Command hook. Then I attached a piece of fabric (from when I put new sleeves on an old dress - I don't think I ever shared that fun sewing project, but if you play your cards right, maybe?) to a safety pin and I jammed the pin into the sticky strip. Bingo. It ain't pretty, but it usually works. I have to adjust the sticky strip sometimes, and it is annoying when the fabric gets too stretched out. But, it gives my kids endless opportunity to wonder at my nonsense.
Food processor: I've had my food processor for maybe 7 years. Recently it wouldn't turn on. I was like HUH? Then I realized, it's missing the little piece on the back of the container, basket-thing. Without that piece, the Danger-This-Isn't-Safe mechanism is on high alert, or something?
Fix: I shove a knife in the spot where the missing part is supposed to click in place. That's my way of tricking the thing into thinking the basket is in place. Don't be alarmed, I don't use it that often.
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| Anyone else have a large safety pin or two on your window sill? |
The dishwasher: Our Bosch dishwasher is amazing. I love it. It was new when we did the addition in 2017. A few months ago, the start button got pressed in and it didn't pop back up. Haven't we all had days like that? I couldn't believe it. I knew it would start working, if only we could just turn it on.
Fix: I pulled out a giant safety pin and stuck it into the crack alongside the depressed button and tried to hoist it up. This, I'm proud to say, is a talent that for several weeks was a talent that only I could manage. Since then, Coach has mastered it - which is really great, because no one should be the sole dishwasher starter. There really is noting better than coaxing a disgruntled dishwasher into starting, is there?
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| Improved, me thinks. |
High chair seats: I am wild about Joovy Nook high chairs. They fold and have a snap off tray. I've bought four of them. All used. Actually one was from someone who was giving it away, so I've bought three of them. Anyway, over time the cushioned seats started peeling. Little gray bits fall off, and they no longer sell replacement seats. 
Gross close up of the high chair
cushion - this is the edge by
the armrest (I cleaned off the
food before I sealed it with
the deco pudge).
Fix: I bought Deco Pudge. I guess it's a cousin to decoupage. I stood out on my deck the other night and I painted the seat cushions where they were crumbling to sort of seal them. I think it worked.
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Have you had any funky fixes at your house? Or do you have something that's broken that you wish you could fix?
You remind me of a tech support guru that I worked with back in the old days. The tagline that everyone said about him was "if he can't fix it, then it's not broken".
ReplyDeleteHubs snagged two very nice Macbook Pros from his former job that we used for a decade or so. Both of them developed non-closing lids toward the end of their lives. Hubs used to put a book on top of his to get it to close, and after a few years of this decided to treat himself to a new laptop. About six months after he retired his, mine developed Non Closing Lid syndrome, which I was happy enough to live with. But then it developed This Mac is Too Old to Run Your Web Browser syndrome, and at that point I was finally ready to move on.
Birchie - If he can't fix it, then it's not broken. - good stuff.
DeleteFunny that your laptops seem to have had the opposite problem from me - maybe if our laptops got together and had a baby, it'd be just right? Too Old to Run Your Web Browser - definitely a step too far.
I dis the knife in the slot so I could work my old food processor as well! Mine had been a hand me down from my parents who had gotten it from friends, so, honestly, it was from the mid- 80s at the latest. But it worked with that small adjustment! Well, until I put a wooden spoon in while it was running.
ReplyDeleteNecessity is the mother of invention, and I can only admire your fixes!
Mbmom11 - I forgot all about the fact that we used to need to use a butter knife to pop open our microwave that was a wall unit thing. Such a pain in the neck, and I had to teach every sitter how to operate it while I was gone.
DeleteI fix a lot of things with a hot glue gun. My husband cringes every time! I love your fixes. I think it’s a sign of high intelligence to use creative ways to get things done!
ReplyDeleteBijoux - I'm a big fan of super glue, but I try to keep a stockpile of items that need to be glued, because I hate getting that stuff on my fingers. Never fails.
DeleteWe keep a butter knife in one of our cars because the fuel door gets stuck and needs to be popped out every few times you need it.
ReplyDeleteKara - I forgot about that one. I think I've posted photos before. The fuel door of the Great White van doesn't stay shut anymore. We have to secure it with medical tape.
DeleteI cannot tell you how many years I had to use a pair of pliers and vise grips just to do laundry. The dial broke off the washer, and there was no replacement available. Finally, a serviceman came to work on the dryer, and he noticed. He said he'd rustle one up from someplace and give it to us for free. I think he just felt so sorry for me.
ReplyDeleteNance - Having to use a pliers and vise to do the laundry would really detract from the pleasure of that chore, right? I love that a serviceman gave went searching for a replacement.
DeleteLoving this line: "it gives my kids endless opportunity to wonder at my nonsense." What a good mother you are.
ReplyDeleteI don't use a laptop. I don't have a food processor. Have a Bosch dishwasher that has been rebuilt, outside the same, inside all new bits. Everything else around here seems to be holding on, not in need of repairs. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Ally - I'll cross my fingers for you. It stinks when the things we rely on fail us. Such a pain in the neck. My kids have tried to suggest they spring for a new laptop for me. I'm like IT WORKS THOUGH, and I think it should work longer than 5 years. I think the hinge broke about 2 years ago. At first I just didn't bother with it, but the hinge went down hill.
DeleteOur dishwasher stopped draining a few weeks ago just before I left on my trip to DC for work. I would have called a repair person. Phil is more industrious. He figured out that the drainage pipe between the dishwasher and disposal was clogged with many years of gunk... so he had the fun job of cleaning that out. GROSS. I cannot imagine how awful the smell must have been!
ReplyDeleteLisa - I'm glad on your behalf that you weren't home when that drain needed unclogging. That would've been really gross. Lad is one to think outside the box. He once repaired our garage door after I drove away with the emergency release stuck inside the door. Knocked the whole door off the track the day before we were driving to Glacier National Park. I couldn't get the door down. I called my dad - he came over, but he just stood there. Lad had just graduated high school but he told everyone what to hold and what to push while he figured it all out.
DeleteWe have a hole in the drywall that I taped a kiddo art project over. Both of our crockpots bit the dust in the last month (one a large crack, the other a broken knob). But the knob stub can be turned with pliers, so I suspect we'll keep using it for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteIf it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it is broke, try to fix it! And you've done a great job of that!
Elisabeth - At our old house the older brothers tackled Mini in the upper hallway. She was about 3 or 4 years old. Her head went thru the drywall and Coach cut out a piece of wallpaper to match the pattern and glued it right over it. Then we moved to a different house and we wonder if they ever figured it out. Our crockpot has a broken handle and somehow my fingers are the only ones strong enough to rotate the dial.
DeleteI have two different types of pliers in my truck. Standard pliers that are used to open the rear door, and needle nose pliers to adjust the heat/cool setting. Fun times.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - That is hilarious. Our Great White van door has a handle, but I have to tell visiting kids when they get out that they need to pull the handle all the way back to their belly button, or risk staying it the car with me. ;)
DeleteAny funky fixes? Umm well yes. I’m typing this next to my kitchen sink which has the faucet being held up by twine connected to two hastily installed and lopsided screws. The countertop started to degrade and it went from “Changing the countertops would be a nice aesthetic upgrade but it’s not urgent.” to “Well dang. Guess we need to replace these asap.” The new ones are scheduled to be installed in two weeks, and while the twine has been surprisingly sturdy, I am looking forward to the faucet not rocking back and forth. Wish I could post a picture in the comments (though I think there may be a picture on my blog a couple of posts back?) as the twine job is pretty funny looking.
ReplyDeleteI love all your funky fixes!
joymarie - That sounds precarious. I hope it gets installed soon. We once had a faucet that broke in the kitchen and we were a few months shy of demo because we were about to do the new addition and redo the kitchen. It was a huge hassle to not use the sink in the kitchen for MONTHS.
DeleteHa! I think you must be related to my Dad, which means by proxy, you are related to me. In my family it is a sin to throw something out until you have tried every angle, or safety pin or pliers etc. When I was a kid, we had a car with a pair of pliers to roll down the window. I had to use a knife to pop open my glove compartment. I jury rigged my am/fm radio, and attached my diskman (yes, I am aging myself!) to my car stereo so I could listen to CDs when I did not have stereo....the list goes on. I love that you are so industrious, but also am annoyed at stuff like the laptop or dishwasher which are not really that old! They really DON'T make things like they used to, seriously. Now get off my lawn! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious Ernie. And you certainly are a woman of many talents! I can’t think of any MacGyver- like fixed in my home at the moment.
ReplyDeletePat - Thank you. I'm a firm believer in if there's a will there's a way - on in the case of our broken fridge in our dining room, if there's space in the dining room there's a fridge.
DeleteYou're the MacGyver of Illinois! I'm super impressed with these fixes, and I might need to know if this is the high chair of your choosing, or should someone look elsewhere? I mean, I'm ASKING FOR A FRIEND.
ReplyDeleteThe dishwasher thing would drive me batty. Do you think it's trying to quit on you and this is just the beginning? I mean, 2017-2025, it really should last longer, but you know, stuff isn't made like it used to be.
The only issue we have in the new house (SO MUCH JOY TO NOT HAVE BROKEN STUFF!) is that our interior doors accidentally lock. Like, the Coach has locked me out of the bedroom before (completely unintentional as he'd like to lock me IN) ...it's something with the fancy knobs. I started leaving a bent paper clip in the cabinet in the powder room (it's closest to the master door) for when our bedroom get's locked, as it's fairly easy to pick it. But now, now the powder room door keeps getting locked, so I need a secondary spot to hold that particular bent paper clip. Heck, this is now considered fun!
Suz - I am all about that title. MacGyver of Illinois. I do love that high chair, but I will say it's not great for tiny babies. They tend to have a gap where the food can drop, because the chair is sorta on the big side. I have rolled up a towel and used it as a sort of backrest so their little tummies are closer to the tray. I love the snap off trip thing. It can go in the dishwasher. I'm guessing they all have that nowadays, because popular. My fav thing for me is that I can collapse the thing with the flip of a switch in the back and it literally folds in half and is lightweight and I stick it in the corner of my dining room when not in use. Super handy as a lady without any actual babies living in my Teen and older headquarters.
DeleteYou're killing me with Coach wanting you IN THERE. I hear you. The auto lock feature of interior doors would be annoying. I don't think the dishwasher will break soon. It better not, or I'm gonna fight somebody.
We had a car once when I was a kid that needed two people to start…one to stand in front with the hood up and put a screwdriver in there to help a connection somehow, and one to start the car. Ridiculous. I can’t think of any fun examples right now, but I am all for trying to fix and make do rather than creating landfill. I prefer a fix to a make do, meaning I want whatever it is to work rather than just be taped together, but sometimes make do is the best we can manage.
ReplyDeleteI applaud your innovation.
This is so relatable. Our five-year-old fancy front-loading washing machine always has the rubber stripping come off, so I have to put it back in place after every load. Also, it only works on one setting — and we have like, 10! I told Mike that next time, we’re just getting the basic old white top-loading washing machine. Those things will work for 30 years without a single glitch.
DeleteJulie - I'm ALARMED at the hood up and screwdriver in the hood area. How did no one die or receive terrible burns in this scenario? Sheesh. I'm with you, I like things to work the way they should. I remember my mom having the same appliances forEVAH. They don't make 'em like they used to.
DeleteKari - NO! Why will that washing machine not allow other cycles. That's wrong. Damn it. I love my new washing machine and it's commercial grade. It's not overly fancy, but I love it. so much.
DeleteKyria - Or should I say, Cousin Kyria. Hee hee. Since we're related and all. We used a knife for years to pop open our microwave that was a built in deal. It was installed (not by us - previous owners) too close to the stove top and the handle melted. Coach told me the other day he thinks I should start looking for a new laptop, but I'm holding on until I HAVE TO. Damn it. It's so annoying when things break sooner than they should.
ReplyDeleteWe are having the same dishwasher issue!!! I'll have to ask Phil if he did something to help it, because it usually works now and the button pops back out but it's testy for sure. Maybe WD-40?
ReplyDelete