Unstick Metal Zippers with a Pencil

Written by Charlotte Wood (last updated December 7, 2020)

If you examine your clothes that have zippers in them, you'll find that those zippers are generally made of two different types of materials: nylon or metal. If you have a metal zipper and that zipper becomes stuck, relief may as close as a pencil.

You see, pencils are made of a graphite core surrounded by a wooden shaft. While the wood won't be of much use (except to hold the pencil), the graphite is a great natural lubricant. This may sound a little unorthodox, but when the stupid metal zipper won't unzip, the graphite may provide just enough lubrication to make it work smoothly.

To try this out, just run the pencil's tip (not the wood) along the teeth that make up the zipper. If you have a fine point on your pencil (perhaps even a mechanical pencil), make sure you push in between the teeth of the zipper so that the graphite gets between those teeth. Then, move the zipper up and down a few times (zip and unzip a few times) to make sure the lubricant is well spread into the actual zipper mechanism.

You should realize that this tip won't work that great if you have a nylon (plastic) zipper. It also won't give satisfactory results if your zipper is not a dark color, as the graphite is dark and will discolor a lighter zipper.

Author Bio

Charlotte Wood

MORE FROM CHARLOTTE

Remove Mud and Soil Stains with a Potato

Mud and soil are gross and unfortunately just happen sometimes. Sometimes those stains seem impossible to remove and you ...

Discover More

Investing in Real Estate

Real estate investment started becoming more popular in recent years and now is quite the trend for everyday investors. ...

Discover More

Avoid Check Cashing Companies

Using check cashing companies can be a big financial mistake. They charge you for cashing your checks, but you can often ...

Discover More

Keep Your Hardwood Floors Like New Bona's hardwood floor cleaner is the #1 choice of professionals. The no-residue formula is specially designed to be safe for floors, families, and the environment. Check out Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Refill today!

More Cleaning Tips

Removing the Odor of Sickness

Anyone that has ever been around chronically sick, or terminally ill people know how there is a slight, but significant, ...

Discover More

Cleaning Pillow Shams

Cleaning pillow shams can often present a few unique problems. The reason for this is that pillow shams are simply fancy ...

Discover More

Removing Chewing Gum from Shirts

It is a simple fact of life that if you happen to chew gum, eventually the gum will get stuck in some fabric. Removing ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three more than 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.