April 27
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Putting up Christmas decorations is one of my favorite holiday activities. If your inflatables are damaged, don't throw them away; consider repairing them instead.
Over the years, I have collected several fun and cute-looking Christmas inflatables for my front yard. And every year, my family and I spend weeks blowing them up and placing them all around our yard.
This year, I noticed a few of them had small tears. I was crushed, thinking I wouldn't be able to replace them in time for the holidays. Before I could throw them out, my husband surprised me by saying he knew how to repair Christmas inflatables at home. Are you in the same position as me? Don’t worry, I can help.
Hi! I'm Stacy, and today I will tell you how to repair your Christmas inflatables at home. Read on to find out more.
Before you begin the task of repairing your Christmas inflatables, conduct a primary check on the air blower. It often happens that people throw out their Christmas inflatables, thinking that it is damaged or torn. However, after purchasing brand new ones, they realize that there was nothing wrong with the inflatables after all - the problem lay with a faulty air blower.
To avoid this common mistake, check the air blower properly before inspecting the inflatables. Look out for slow-moving air, leaks, and whether the quantity and force of air is normal or not.
If everything is working as usual, you have no reason to worry. However, if you notice any unusual hissing sounds, slower-than-usual air force, or air leaking from the outlets, it may be time to replace your air blower.
The next step is to inspect the inflatables. You can do this without inflating them with air first, but the process is time-consuming and arduous. Instead, I recommend attaching them individually to the air blower, inflating them, and checking for tears or leaks.
Another way to check for leaks is to take a thin piece of paper and move it over the surface of the inflatable when it is full of air. Any place where there are leaks and tears will have air surging out of it, which will create movement on the paper.
Once you have found the source of the leak, mark the area using masking tape. Then, deflate the inflatable entirely before moving on to the next step.
After you have located the tears, remove the masking tape gently. Ensure that you don't pull at the surface too hard, or you may end up enlarging the tear further.
After removing the masking tape, clean the area around the tear carefully using paper towels and any mild household cleaner. Make sure you don't use any abrasive cleaner or anything too acidic, as it may affect the integrity of the inflatable.
You will need to purchase a vinyl repair kit for the following step. If you don't want the damaged area to stand out, try and purchase a vinyl repair kit in the same shade as your Christmas inflatable. If you can't find one, consider using clear vinyl tape for the repair.
Cut small pieces from the vinyl repair kit and cover the hole from all directions, leaving an inch or so to spare around the damaged area. Use this generously, as you don't want the leaks and tears to have any room to leak air.
Ensure that you read the manufacturer's instructions carefully before you begin. Apply the adhesive supplied with the vinyl repair kit to the damaged area and allow it to rest for as long as required. The time it should rest for may vary from brand to brand, so read the instructions carefully.
Once the surface is dry and ready, your Christmas inflatables are good to go for use!
I recommend hanging them up carefully, as most tears and scratches occur when the inflatables brush up against trees, branches, shrubs, and other surfaces. Secure the inflatables carefully to ensure that they don't fall over and get damaged.
Similar to my previous inflatable repair, the first step is to locate the tear. It is relatively easy to locate a tear in a nylon or fabric inflatable. Once you have located the tears, follow the same steps and mark them using masking tape.
There are two ways in which you can repair a fabric tear. You can use transparent duct tape. However, be warned, this method is not very reliable or long-lasting, and the tear is likely to reappear.
Another method is to use a needle and thread to stitch the tear. Use a simple loop threading technique to repair the tear. However, you may go over the same area twice, just to be sure that the tear won't reappear. Ensure that you match the color of the thread with the damaged area that you are repairing so it doesn't stand out awkwardly.
Once you have repaired the tear, cut the excess thread carefully. Make sure you don't damage the inflatable further and keep it away carefully till your next use.
Well, that’s about it! Repairing Christmas inflatables isn’t as challenging as you may think.
In fact, it can be quite fun to repair old inflatables and reuse them for the holidays. It surely saves money and eliminates unnecessary wastage, don’t you think?
I hope you enjoyed going through my guide, and it helped you repair and reuse your old or damaged Christmas inflatables again. Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite Christmas inflatables look like after your repair work!
Until then, stay happy!
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