Most luggages can withstand years of handling to and from different locations. However, you should expect your luggage to break sometime when you travel. Unfortunately, even heavy-duty luggage could be damaged due to the way travel bags are handled in airports.

Although most airlines can offer luggage repair or reimbursement, going through the paperwork can be a long process. As a result, many people just entrust the luggage repair to service centers for faster and better experience. Plus, since service centers have plenty of spare parts for your luggage needs, you are guaranteed a complete luggage fix.

Be aware that some damages to your luggage can be fixed easily without asking for professional help. When these problems occur, you can extend the lives of your luggage by simply following easy-to-do luggage repair tips.

Do-It-Yourself Luggage Repair

You could repair your own luggage by following these simple and straightforward basic repair tips. For instance, when metal zippers become hard to zip up, you could use wax and rub it along the zipper’s teeth. On the other hand, if your luggage has coil zippers, which are made to be self-repairing zippers, you can easily push the zipper back to its starting position.

When your hard-side luggage accidentally becomes dented, you could repair it by using a hair dryer (1600 watts or higher) in heating up the dented area. Once the damaged area becomes hot for around 10 minutes, the heat will reshape your luggage back to its original state.

One of the most common luggage repair problems people ask help for is combination locks. When you accidentally change the lock, you should look at the metal action (tumbler), which is located under the wheel. Once you see through the tumbler, turn the wheel and watch out for a notch. This flat area or notch will be the precise number for that wheel. If it doesn’t work, you may have to go determine five digits from the given number.

When you’re having problems with the wheels, many people recommend asking luggage repair from professional service centers. However, if your luggage has a consumer-friendly wheel that you can replace easily, you could use a screwdriver or wrench to replace the damaged wheels.

If you’re short on extra cash and you have time to spare, you can work on the luggage repair without professional help. By following these common repair tips for basic luggage problems, you can ensure that your luggage’s life will extend for years.