I have a blue winter jacket I bought at Eddie Bauer in Toronto about 30 years ago. I wore it every winter day for years. The colour has faded and it’s a bit too big for me now, but the jacket is generally in great shape, no rips or tears. It’s been my chore and barn coat for a long time.

The zipper stopped zipping a couple of years ago, splitting when I pulled the slider up, the plastic teeth meeting but not grabbing. The jacket also has snaps, so I just used those instead, but it wasn’t ideal.

This morning I wondered if there was a way to fix the zipper. Of course there is! The slider just needed to be tightened a bit, as per this video. Five seconds with a pair of pliers and my coat zipped up as in days of yore and I was off to shovel snow. Magic.