We’ve all dealt with a stuck zipper at one point or another. Whether it’s your favorite jeans, a pair of killer boots, the little one’s coat, or a Jeep soft top, a stuck zipper can be downright infuriating! Tug and tug and tug all you like, but when that thing doesn’t budge, throwing a temper tantrum just feels right.
Instead of tossing an item with a stuck zipper (or cursing at it…), next time just look around for one of these 7 common household items to help you get it unstuck!
1. Candles
Light colored candles work great if you have a stuck zipper! Just rub the teeth of the zipper with the candle wax, which helps make the teeth slicker. Work it a little and the zipper should unstick in no time.
2. Crayons
Don’t have any taper candles laying around? Reach for the kids crayon box instead, and rub the teeth of the stuck zipper with a white or light colored crayon. The crayon wax works just as well as candle wax.
3. Bar Soap
I’ve found that glycerin bar soap works best on a stuck zipper, but most bar soaps should work. The soap should make the zipper teeth slippery enough to free them. It’s least messy if you use a dry bar of soap for this!
4. Dish Soap
If you really need to pull out the big guns on a stubborn stuck zipper, reach for the liquid dish soap. Start by dabbing a bit of dish soap on the stuck zipper with a cotton swab. If that doesn’t work, you may need to put a couple drops directly in between the zipper teeth.
5. Cooking Oil
Use cooking oil on a stuck zipper the same way you would use dish soap. Keep in mind, though, that cooking oil will stain most fabrics, so use it sparingly and only in areas that you won’t notice a stain!
6. #2 Pencils
Graphite is actually a dry lubricant. Rubbing the teeth of a stuck zipper with the graphite in a #2 pencil should make them slippery enough to work them free. You can also use graphite on zippers that are prone to sticking to help prevent it.
7. Lip Balm
Lip Balm, like Chastick, contains oils and waxes, so it makes sense that it would work on a stuck zipper. You can scrape off a bit with your fingernail and apply it to the zipper, or you can rub it right onto the stuck zipper from the tube. Like cooking oil, though, lip balm will likely stain most fabrics, so be careful.
Can you think of some other common household items to free a stuck zipper? Let us know in the comments below!
