Four ways to make your precious items last longer with some DIY know-how
FANS of BBC One’s The Repair Shop will be tuning on Sunday for its Christmas special.
Its skilled experts will be spreading some festive cheer by fixing people’s precious items.
But you don’t need to take your treasures on TV to get them in tip-top shape again.
You can make things last longer yourself with a little bit of know-how.
WOOD WORK: To improve the appearance of scratches on wooden furniture, mix together 60ml white vinegar and the same of olive oil.
Wipe the mixture on to the scratches and give it time to dry.
Doing this should brighten up the wood as well as make the scratches in the furniture less noticeable.
If you plan to upcycle furniture you’ve found, first check for woodworm.
This needs to be professionally sorted before you take it into your home.
ASK AN EXPERT: If you can’t fix something yourself, take it to your local Repair Café or group. See repaircafe.org.
There are experts who share their know-how and repair people’s items.
Also therestartproject.org can help people fix their broken electronics.
SKILL UP: If you have a specific item you want to repair, YouTube is packed with helpful how-to videos.
You can also sign up to repair and DIY classes online.
Search “repair” at eventbrite.co.uk.
Find classes at your local further education college or a specialist centre, such as The Goodlife Centre (thegoodlifecentre.co.uk) or The School Of Stuff (theschoolofstuff.co.uk) in London.
MAKE YOUR OWN MANUAL: Whatever you want to fix, document your progress with photos and measurements.
This is helpful if you need to go back a step and essential if you take an item apart and need a reminder of how it fits together.
Label everything as you separate parts.
Don’t rush in, have all the equipment you need and clean the item before starting.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
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