Screen doors offer the perks of the great outdoors (like a welcome cool breeze) without letting bugs and other critters into your home. Extend the life of your screen doors by trying the quick fix one Redditor shared for repairing a tear.
The homeowner posted a photo of their handiwork in the r/VisibleMending subreddit, a place for people to show off how they artistically repair clothing, furniture, and other items.
The photo shows a patch placed over a screen door tear and stitched into place in a visually interesting pattern. The original poster captioned it, "Mend on a door screen tear," and later shared in the comments that the patch came from a piece of their previous screen door that they saved specifically for this purpose.
This repair, and many others shown in the subreddit, are great ways to keep your possessions in good working condition while saving yourself some serious cash. A brand-new screen door could easily cost $100-$400.
Even a simple magnet screen door, often enjoyed by pet owners, costs about $30 and requires time and effort to take down the old screen and install the new one. A quick fix like patching up a tear instead keeps the door functioning and aesthetically appealing and can cost nothing if you've got a few supplies on hand.
Repairing items instead of buying new ones also benefits the environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported the average American generates about 4.9 pounds of waste every day. That trash piles up in landfills, giving off toxic methane gas as it decomposes.
Fixing things you already own keeps them out of the landfill. This reduces pollution, protects our valuable food sources, and keeps our communities safe from climate-change-driven extreme weather events.
If an item is beyond repair, there are a lot of ways to responsibly recycle instead, and sometimes even get cash or credit in exchange. GotSneakers will take your used shoes and send you a check. ThredUp and For Days will take your old clothing and textiles and give you credit toward your next purchases.
Commenters on the Reddit post loved seeing the patchwork by the original poster. One user said: "This looks great!"
Another commented: "This is the most beautiful thing in the world to me."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
