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DARE TO REPAIR by Crissy Trask
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hat would you do if the garbage disposal stopped working, your headphones broke or one of the prongs of an extension cord snapped off? Although each of these problems can be fixed easily and economically, most people have become accustomed to replacing the defective item with a brand-new one instead of repairing it. When we fix things, we extend their useful life and save money. We also stop frittering away valuable resources on superfluous replacements. All it takes is a little expert help and the right information. Casting off injured possessions to buy something new is a relatively new behavior in our society. Before we became rabid consumers, repairing stuff was the norm in the U.S., as it still is in much of the world. A half-century ago, any American homeowner wouldn’t have thought twice about dragging out the toolbox or sewing machine to put something back together. It all hints at a silver lining in today’s era of waste, stressed resources www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com
and economic struggle: The wisdom of our grandparents’ natural fix-it mentality is being resurrected. People are waking up to the logic of shifting from a throw-away society to one that values permanence. Whether we’re game for a do-it-yourself project, or prefer to avoid anything to do with tools, thread and glue, resources abound to help us transform what’s in need of a fix-it.
Do It Yourself Many things around the house can be restored with low-cost replacement parts and basic tools by an interested do-it-yourselfer, and fixing things ourselves can leave us with a genuine sense of satisfaction. We may need to look no further than our local hardware store, but the Internet also serves up a slew of how-to Web sites, with step-by-step DIY instructions for repairing, refurbishing, cleaning and maintaining common household items. At Instructables.com, people share what they do and how they
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