How to Fix a Pants Zipper That Went Off the Track

Most women have dealt with a broken zipper at least once. The most common problem with zippers on pants is having them fall of the track. Whether the zipper fell off the track in the wash, slipped off while you were trying to do the pants up or broke off any other way, you can usually fix a pants zipper fairly easily with basic tools you probably already have at home and without having to actually remove and replace the entire zipper.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Pliers

Instructions

1. Unzip the zipper all the way down and try to connect the zipper onto the bottom of the track. It is easiest to do this when the pants are laid flat on a table or other surface when you are not wearing them. This allows you to access the zipper track more easily and move the pants around freely as needed. You may be able to place the bottom of the zipper track into the mouth of the zipper and slide it up.

2. Cut away any loose threads or pieces of fabric from the zipper track. Oftentimes, random pieces of thread or other debris get caught up in the zipper track and can cause the zipper to fall off the track. Removing any thread or material caught in the teeth of the zipper closure may be enough to repair the pants zipper.

3. Turn any bent teeth on the zipper track back into place with a pair of pliers, working gently to avoid damaging either row of teeth. The teeth should be straight with one row of teeth facing the other, fitting together smoothly to allow the zipper to zip up securely.

4. Remove the metal stopper at the end of the zipper track with a pair of pliers, slide the zipper down the track, realign the teeth, move the zipper back up and either replace the metal stopper or sew 6 to 7 stitches in place of the stopper. Creating a new stopper out of thread can help if the metal stopper was previously bent or damaged or became damaged during your repair of the pants zipper.

Tips & Warnings

• If there are any teeth on the zipper track which are broken off or parts of the zipper are otherwise missing altogether, your only option may be to remove the entire zipper and replace it with a new one.

References

• "Mother Earth News": How to Mend a Zipper