Repair Tips

Dare to repair! If you can't repair it, do you really own it?

Most items available nowadays are cheap goods made to break within 6 months, leaving us in a trap of never-ending consumption to replace broken goods. That’s beginning to change. There has been an international resurgence to change our relationship with our stuff – to get away from a "buy – toss – buy" cycle.

Repairing your stuff (rather than throwing it away and buying something new) saves natural resources, prevents waste, and cultivates community. Read on for ideas and resources on how to repair your stuff.

Check out our Repair Cafés

Got a broken something? Bring it to one of our Repair Cafés!

Repair Café is a FREE community event bringing People With Broken Stuff together with People Who Like to Fix Stuff!

Join our next Repair Café

Local Repair

Don’t want to wait for a Repair Café? Here are some local repair and DIY options! Are we missing any? Want to add your own business? Email naomi@envirocenter.org to let us know!

Outdoor gear and clothing
- Gear Fix for outdoor clothing, bike, ski, and gear repair.
- Rugged Thread for technical outdoor clothing, zippers, and soft gear like tents and backpacks.
- Patagonia Bend for Patagonia products.
- The Hub Cyclery for bike repair
- REI Bend for outdoor gear repair
- Powderhouse for ski and snowboard gear

Home & appliance
- Handymandy- minor home repairs and maintenance
  - Handymandybend@gmail.com
  - Sliding scale fees
  - Run by one of our wonderful volunteer fixers!
- Robert Anderson (one of our wonderful volunteer fixers!)
  - Small appliances and lamps
  - Older bicycles
  - Electrical repair that does not involve circuit board repair
  - Fees are negotiable based on difficulty and time
  - Can be reached at robert.frazier.anderson@outlook.com
- The Furniture Doctor for furniture repair
- Cortech Repair for large appliances
- Art Lim (one of our wonderful volunteer fixers!)
  - Sewing machines and small appliances such as lamps
  - No charge except for reimbursement for parts

Contact Art!

Clothing & sewing
- Dumpster Slayer-custom upcycled creations, clothing repairs, and revamping old clothes into new items!
  - madie@dumpsterslayer.com
  - Fees are dependent upon every item and materials used but typically charges $40 an hour
- Run by one of our wonderful volunteer fixers!
  - David Bieber Sewing Machine Repair: (541) 550-9879.
    Beth L. (one of our wonderful volunteer fixers!)- Garment and quilt construction or repair
    - Price is per project, customer proves materials
    - 916-456-5610

Jewlery
- Cascade Jewelers for jewelry repair

Electronics
- Redmond Computer Shop for computers

DIY Repair
- Check out these resources on fixing your stuff at home!
- Patagonia's Worn Wear program offers apparel guides and gear care tips.
- Check out ifixit.com for hundreds of repair guides and manuals, from electronics to vehicles and more.
- Learn on YouTube! Countless how-to videos have been posted by professionals and amateurs alike.
- Attend a virtual repair workshop hosted by Fixit Clinic.

Right to Repair

In this day and age, we are forced to battle with “planned obsolescence”: manufacturers design products to become obsolete after a certain period of time, usually a much shorter duration than they should because of new models and unavailable parts. “Right to Repair” refers to legislation designed to require manufacturers to release manuals allowing product consumers to be able to access the schematics of the objects (especially electronics) that they own. This has been particularly visible:

in the automobile industry
the farming industry — especially with John Deere tractors
the cell phone industry — especially with Apple
hospitals and medical equipment — especially in the time of COVID-19

But we have so many other electronics and appliances that we should be able to repair if they break!

Get involved with the Right to Repair: learn more about state and federal legislation and understand why repair is important for economies and waste reduction.

Learn More on Right to Repair