Saturday, June 19, 2010

Buy Good Quality

Stuff breaks. Pencils, bones, hearts, promises. This morning it was my shower head. It couldn’t withstand the coursing water pressure as I turned the dial to a different setting, and its head came unglued. I know the feeling.

Though I’ve had this shower head for years, I don’t plan to toss it at the neighbor’s barking dog. I will try a time, or two, if necessary, to repair it. The throwaway society that began in the 1960s never suited me, though I wish my parents would have thrown their marriage away 17 years before they did.

My id must be very strong, because I derive great pleasure from repairing rather than replacing things that have broken. Sure it takes time; I fix things each week. But through my action, I have not added to landfill waste, I’ve saved gas and money, and I wear a satisfied smile that looks as if I were doing something better.

Remember back in the olden days, things were solid, built well, constructed to last: tools, clothing, a lot of marriages. That was the American way. Then Made in China started appearing on the same kinds of products that Americans also made, except the much-less-expensive Chinese items broke rather rapidly turning into a much-more-expensive second trip to buy the American-made version.

Buying cheap isn’t smart, and you can’t repair the thing because its materials are inferior and flimsy, so into the landfill it goes.

Anyway, I superglued my shower head and didn’t realize the glue dripped onto my fingers. I was able to pry my fingers from the head, but two fingers were still stuck together. Warm, soapy water didn’t get the glue off. Neither did Goo Gone or Goof Off. Superglue wears off skin in a day or two, but it stays on fingernails longer.

The next day I tested my repair job with a pull of the shower activator and pop! The shower head is in the garbage can, the old stationary head is back in place. and I have regained complete functioning of my fingers.

So when something breaks, don’t come unglued. Give repairing a shot. And if you use superglue, have debonder close by.

3 comments:

  1. What part broke? I've been able to replace single parts on the kind with the hose.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When the pressure was too great within the head as I turned the dial to change settings, it burst the plastic, fused back portion. The poor dear near resides in the dreaded landfill…

    but I'm sure there are other things that need to be fixed. Have you seen my nose?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Superglue isn't likely to fix your nose!

    ReplyDelete

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