unzipping zipper

April 6, 2006 9:55 AM

I have a pair of jeans and the zipper is always coming unzipped. Is there anyway to fix this?
posted by philcliff to Computers & Internet (18 answers total)

Put the tab down, on most zippers this acts as a locking mechanism.
posted by borkencode at 9:59 AM on April 6, 2006

pull tab down, should lock it in place...and if that doesn't work, a safty pin...
posted by killyb at 10:00 AM on April 6, 2006

Replacing the zipper with a new one shouldn't be too hard, if you or someone you know is handy with a sewing machine.
posted by Gator at 10:26 AM on April 6, 2006

I second killyb's advice: if you can get away with it, try hooking a small safety pin through the eye of the tab and pierce it through the denim. I've done it before and it works a charm. But it works better if you wear your shirts out rather than tucked in, of course.
posted by macdara at 10:30 AM on April 6, 2006

I flagged this question since it doesn't have anything to do with the computers & internet category.
posted by purephase at 10:34 AM on April 6, 2006

My girlfriend has a pair of jeans that do this. She put a small rubberband through the hole in the zipper pull, and then loops that over the button at the waist. If you do it right you can't see it at all, and it seems to work.
posted by Who_Am_I at 10:38 AM on April 6, 2006

a safety pin is not a solution!

the problem may be a worn slider--the part of the zipper that moves up and down.

you can gently apply pressure with a pliers to each side of the slider to tighten it up.

if that doesnt work take it to a place that fixes zippers to get a new slider put on. my neighborhood shoe repair shop does this sort of thing.

if the teeth are ok, it's only the slider that needs replacing. replacing a zipper in a pair of jeans is not particularly easy for the amateur sewer btw.

that said, i like the rubberband-fix!
posted by subatomiczoo at 10:48 AM on April 6, 2006

This happens to me, especially with cheaper brands like Lee or Wranglers. My solution was to go back to classic button-fly Levi's 501s.
posted by Robert Angelo at 11:02 AM on April 6, 2006

Yes, the rubberband fix is a good trick to salvage jeans that can't otherwise be fixed. Use a hair elastic with a metal tab - the tab helps you poke the band through the tiny hole in the zipper, and the elastic is stiffer than a regular rubberband so you only have to wrap it around the button a couple of times, and it stays put.
posted by peep at 11:14 AM on April 6, 2006

I had the EXACT same problem. I loved this pair but the zipper wouldnt stay up. So, I took a paper clip and hooked one end through the zipper tab and the other end over and into the button hole. Easy solution. I dont tuck in my shirt with this pair so this has worked fine for the last two year.
posted by special-k at 11:14 AM on April 6, 2006

I forgot to mention that I first straightened out the paper clip to look like this (particularly the second one).
posted by special-k at 11:17 AM on April 6, 2006

I would hesitate to put a safety pin close to very important anatomy.
posted by JJ86 at 12:11 PM on April 6, 2006

If you're unwilling to get the zipper replaced you might try rubbing a bit of wax on it. It's an effective lubricant for sticking bits but viscous enough to discourage pointless movement.

There may be nothing wrong with the zipper; perhaps these pants just have a cut such that they're tugged on in a way that causes the zipper to open.
posted by phearlez at 12:38 PM on April 6, 2006

Safety pins can be a pain (no pun inteded) because if you get stuck having to go you'll suddenly find yourself unable to open the damn thing.


been there done that
posted by bitdamaged at 2:11 PM on April 6, 2006

I once had a pair that I could not let go of that had this problem. I took a metal keyring (the really standard kind,) attached one end of it to the hole in the part of the zipper you hold on to, and then loop the keyring around the button that fastens the jeans. When the jeans are on the keyring is around the button so it holds the zipper up, but you cant lower the zipper without unbuttoning the jeans.

Hm that was harder to explain than I expected..
posted by cmicali at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2006

I live in a city and the local tailor fixes zippers. In a less populated area it might not be cost effective for shops to do this, but if you live in or near a city, I would check a tailor.
posted by slow, man at 5:52 PM on April 6, 2006

I have had this problem for a long time, it's a mystery. Every pair of jeans I buy, within a month or so, the zipper constantly goes down. Open fly, all the time. :S
I tried rubbing wax, I tried getting the zipper replaced, I tried the bent paper clip (it jabs you in the stomach when you sit down), I tried the elastic band (it usually wraps around the button too thickly for the buttonhole to go over it), and finally I found my imperfect solution:
I string a twist-tie (you know, from a black garbage bag) through the zipper's tiny hole, then twist it around my button, then close the pants.
Works like a charm. You just have to replace it when it finally breaks after a few months.
posted by Radio7 at 12:32 AM on April 7, 2006

I like the pliers solution - I'll have to try it.

Seems like many of the jeans at thrift stores that are in otherwise excellent shape have zippers that don't stay up.

Ahem... It took buying a pair or two to figure that out.
posted by orchidarea at 10:43 AM on April 7, 2006