Frozen Zippers

By Don Casey

Revised by BoatUS editors in April 2012

ZipperZippers with metal slides have a bad habit of becoming frozen with corrosion even though the teeth of the zipper are plastic. If you use force, you'll ruin the zipper. Instead, stand the cushion with the zipper up and place a small rag soaked with vinegar over the corroded slide, cover the rag with a piece of Saran, and wait. The acidic vinegar will dissolve the corrosion and free the slide.

 

 

 

 

 

Don Casey has been one of the most consulted experts on boat care and upgrades for 30 years, and a panelist on our "Ask The Experts" website for a decade. He and his wife cruise aboard their 30-footer part of the year in the eastern Caribbean. His books include Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual, and the recently updated This Old Boat, the bible for do-it-yourself boaters.

 

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