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How to STOP Zippers From Falling Down (And Why It Happens)

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A zipper falling is discomforting, but it’s also annoying at times. It’s disappointing to purchase clothes, shoes, or any other item with a zipper, and then the zipper fails to meet its intended purpose.

If you don’t want your zipper to keep falling, check out the information below. 

Types of Zippers

A standard zipper should be durable, weather-resistant, and available in various colors and materials. Zippers are used in multiple items, including handbags, bookbags, vehicle covers, and clothing, among many others. 

Generally, zippers are classified into three main categories, as illustrated below.

Metal Zippers

Metal zippers have two rows of protruding teeth featuring nickel, aluminum, or brass. They are designed to interlock like clasped hands creating a continuous clothing closure. The metal zipper is fitted with a metal slider operated by hand. These zippers are primarily found in shoes, leather outfits, denim jackets, and trousers.

Molded Plastic Zippers

Plastic zippers feature injected teeth molded and fused directly onto the zipper’s tape. The molded plastic elements are manufactured using high-performance resins to make them incredibly strong, flexible, and durable. Plastic zippers are suitable for heavyweight and outerwear garments.

 Coil Zippers

Coil zippers are also known as nylon zippers. They are made of a continuous coil of monofilament instead of individual teeth. They are also available in various gauges (sizes), apart from being flexible. Their application ranges from fashion wear to tents and canvas bags.

How Do Zippers Work?

Now that you know the different types of zippers let’s look at how a zipper works to keep it from falling. A zipper track features a row of teeth with a hook and a hollow on each side. A slide pushes the teeth together to enable the zipper to ride up and down without restraint. 

Note that a high-quality zipper has a strong bond that is difficult to break without moving the slide in the opposite direction to separate the teeth. For the mechanism to work correctly, zippers require all the teeth to be the same size. 

Why Do Zippers Break?

You must have experienced the unfortunate event of a zipper breaking while zipping or unzipping. There are several reasons why a zipper may break. They include:

 Zipper is Stuck

There is a good chance something is blocking the slider from moving when your zipper is stuck. This may be caused by loose fabric or threads. You can solve this problem by lubricating the slider to free your zipper. The recommended lubricants include YKK Zippy Cool, Zip zap, or IOSSO E-Z Snap. 

 Zipper Keeps Popping Up or Will Not Close

This mostly happens when your zipper has a thread or cloth stuck. Crooked teeth or a broken slider may also cause this problem. You can free the zipper or repair the crooked teeth to fix this condition. If this doesn’t work, then you have to replace the zipper. 

Slider Pulls Off

You should replace the slider with a new one if it keeps on coming off. Try to ensure you choose the right size for your zipper and its teeth to prevent it from riding down.

Can You Fix Zippers?

With prolonged usage, zippers may become loose and start falling. The good thing is that you can apply several DIY methods to ensure your zipper stays zipped up. They are:

 Fix the Zipper Using Pliers

The slider is one of the most common causes of a zipper falling. Over time, it may begin to stretch and warp. To get it back into its original form, you can gently pinch one side of the zipper slide using the needle-nose pliers. 

Next, test the zipper to check whether it separates or falls. If it does, then pinch the other side of the zipper slide. This will help the zipper return to its original shape.  

 Fix the Zipper Using Nail Polish

If you have a small zipper that keeps falling, you may hold it in place using clear nail polish. It would be best to do so by painting both sides of the zipper teeth with the nail polish when the zipper is open. Keep in mind that you need to allow it to dry completely. 

Depending on how loose the zipper teeth are, you may need to use several coats of clear nail polish. Why? This is because the added bulk keeps the zipper teeth locked together.

Fix the Zipper Using Hairspray

This is a short-term solution for a zipper that keeps falling. Close the zipper and then spray it with a strong-hold hairspray. In this case, the hairspray acts as a glue to hold the zipper teeth together. Each time you open the zipper or wash the item, you must repeat this process. Take note that this method works best on short zippers.

 Fix the Zipper Using a Key Ring or Hair Tie

Last but not least, you can fix a falling zipper on a pair of jeans or dress by using a hair tie or key ring to hold the zipper slide in place. First, you need to thread a small hair elastic or key ring through the zipper slide. 

Next, pull the zipper up and then place the keyring/hair elastic around the top button of your jeans. As a result, this keeps the zipper from falling. When you button up your jeans, this should be almost unnoticeable. 

How to Stop Jean Zippers from Falling Down

It’s embarrassing to have your jean zippers falling in a gathering. Zippers play a critical role in ensuring your jeans are secured around your waist by creating a tight fit. Do the zippers on your jeans tend to fall often? Consider the following tips to ensure your jeans is comfortable if you struggle to keep your zipper up. 

 Get High-Quality Denim Jeans

Even though this may sound like common sense to you, it’s still worth mentioning. Because by choosing low-quality denim jeans, you are likely to experience zippers falling down or even breaking. This can be attributed to poor craftsmanship techniques and low-quality materials used to make the jeans. 

Even though they may be pocket-friendly, remember cheap is always expensive. 

I also wrote a guide on stopping your pants from riding up that may interest you.

 Choose the Right Jeans Size 

Getting the right size of jeans helps keep your zipper stay in place. If your jeans are too small for your body, the excess stress may force the zipper down. Therefore, I recommend buying a pair of jeans designed to fit your body shape and size. 

 Wear a Belt

Of course, if your jeans don’t fit, wearing a belt can help keep them safely secured around your waist. Remember that it’s still a good habit to wear a belt even if your jeans fit right. 

Aside from the support it offers, a belt enhances your appearance. It also helps add new colors and designs to your style, provided the belt matches the rest of the outfit. 

More on how to keep your belt from riding up here.

Zip Locker

Zippers come fitted with a built-in zip locker mechanism designed to prevent them from falling. If you want to use the zip locker, position the hook down. This way, it will remain in place until you change its direction. 

The Button Trick

This is the easiest of all ways to stop your zipper from falling. All you need to do is loop the zipper around your jeans’ top button. Once it’s secure, it won’t be able to fall. The good thing about this simple but effective trick is if you don’t have a key ring, you can use any other round object of a similar size. 

Replace the Slider

A zipper slider is a track on which the zipper goes up and down. There are times when it may break or otherwise stop working as intended. When this occurs, the zipper may fall. As a result, you may need to replace the slider by sewing on a new one. I advise you to go to a tailor if you are unsure how to do it.

How to Keep Your Zipper Up on Pants Without a Button

If your pants don’t have a button and you don’t want the zipper to fall, don’t worry. Through the zipper slide, thread a small hair elastic or key ring. Place it around the top button of the jeans and pull the zipper up. When the pants are buttoned up, this keeps the zipper from dropping down and should be flexible.

How To Use Rubber Bands To Stop A Zipper From Unzipping Itself

How to Maintain Your Zipper

To avoid damaging the zipper, you should use caution when washing your jeans. Because when the zipper becomes damaged or bent, the chances of it falling increase. So, try to make it a habit of zipping up your jeans before washing them. 

 Below are some tips on washing and ironing your jeans to ensure your zipper stays in place. 

Step 1

Before you put your jeans in the washing machine, the first thing to do is make sure the zipper is closed. Next, check whether the zipper faces down or up. If it faces down, then make it face up to minimize the chances of the zipper clinging to other clothes and getting damaged in the process. 

Use a safety pin to make the zipper stay closed while washing. You only need to loop and attach the safety pin to the top of your jeans through the zipper slider. 

Step 2

This step involves dry clothing with zippers on low heat. Note that high heat damages zippers, especially if they are plastic. Aside from this, you also need to minimize the amount of time your clothes stay in the dryer because the dryer tumbling may damage certain zippers.

Step 3

Ensure that you lay the clothes flat and straighten them after removing them from the dryer to prevent drying with crooked teeth. As a result, you get rid of zipper jams or other issues that may make your zipper fall.

How to Stop Your Shoe Zippers from Falling Down

There are several ways to ensure your shoe zippers stay up. The first one is using a safety pin. This process involves threading the safety pin through the end of the zipper once it’s zipped up. 

If your shoes are new, I recommend that you try helping the zip closure with your fingers for the first few times when you wear them. Avoid forcing or pulling them too much to avoid excessive strain. In addition to this, ensure your boot zipper is fully open when you put on/off your boots. 

When your shoes get dirty, zipper cleaning is essential. Dirt such as sweat or grease may prevent the standard zip opening/closing. If not cleaned, the zipper might eventually split or suddenly break. The other reason why a shoe zipper may break is if, somewhere along the zipper, a tooth did not fall into place. 

It’s frustrating when you’re up, showered, and dressed up, ready to wear your shoes just for the zippers to separate. If you prefer matching outfits, you have no option but to change your whole outfit. To avoid this, follow the tips below. 

Step 1

It would be best to have a bit of wax (I’m using Johnson Paste Wax) and a wax applicator. I prefer using a finger, but you can also use a Q-Tip or a small rag if you don’t want to smell like paste wax all day. It would help if you also had a pair of scissors and needle-nose pliers.

Step 2

This step involves examining the zipper teeth to ensure that none is bent. If you find any, straighten it out using the needle nose pliers depending on the severity of the bend. 

Step 3

Now, load your applicator with a fair amount of wax and spread it to all the zipper teeth. Next, move the zipper up and down slowly to ensure all the teeth catch the wax properly. If you meet resistance, reverse the zipper and apply more wax. This way, the resin penetrates all parts of the zipper, making it work perfectly.

Applying wax to a zipper.

 Bottom Line

Your zippers will not keep falling, provided you follow the above guidelines. Zippers are an excellent option for those who find it time-consuming to button their jeans or dresses. They are also ideal for those who don’t like shoes with laces.

I also have a comprehensive guide on stopping all your clothes from falling down that may interest you to read next.

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