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It worked! sort of
August 5, 2008

Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , trackback

Vacuum cleaners are not that complex technically. However it is still frustrating to trouble shoot and to fix if you are like me, a hopelessly non-handy person. But after lamenting about the lost art of fix-it, I had to try and try to fix (or break) our vacuum cleaner.

But sometimes, with enough perseverance even I can fix a simple household appliance. Well, sort of.

After two hours of laying out all the unrecognizable parts, reading the trouble shooting section of the manual, pulling my hair out and cursing up a storm, I managed to make the vacuum run.

I can’t say it is fixed because I still have two small plastic pieces that don’t fit anywhere. The power cord no longer retracts. Yeah, I fixed something while breaking others. Don’t know how long it will last, but the vacuum cleaner is doing its job so far.

Considering other options - tossing it into the garbage or paying half of the price of the vacuum for repair, I am happy with the outcome. Honestly, I even felt an inflated sense of accomplishment. “It’s not like it’s a car or anything, or even a bike,” you say. I know, but someone has to pat me on the back.

But if it breaks again, I am taking it to a repair shop. While playing around me, my kids asked, “what are you saying?” as I muttered too many curse words. THAT is worth avoiding.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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Comments»

1. Joyce - August 5, 2008

Hang on to those spare parts! I’ll bet you’ll eventually find out where they were supposed to be!
Seriously, I think more of us (even without the engineering degree) could try this. It seems like farm families always know how to fix things, and I think it’s just a matter of having a “can do” culture. And think about how so many women assume that men can fix things and women can’t. You know that can’t be a true gender thing, but more of a societal expectation. I’m not too scared of trying, but this inspires me to be even braver. Thanks!