More and more people are ditching the ‘throw-it-away’ mindset - here’s why

When an appliance stops working, it’s easy to assume it’s game over. New fridge, new mower, new pressure washer. But more and more people are doing something else instead. They’re repairing what they’ve got - and saving a fair bit of money along the way. 

eSpares track this shift through what they call the Fixometer, a running count of how many households are choosing to repair instead of replace. That number is fast approaching half a million repair choices*, and it’s still rising. 

And it’s not just an eSpares thing. There’s a definite undercurrent on Mumsnet of: please can we all stop buying more stuff and fix what we’ve got**. One poster summed up the wider frustration with throwaway culture like this: “At the point of production, it’s already basically landfill.”

eSpares wins Mumsnet Rated 40 Mumsnet users tested eSpares and 100% said they would recommend them to their family and friends. Find out exactly what Mumsnet users say about eSpares.

There's no surprise then that recently eSpares won a Mumsnet Rated badge after 40 Mumsnet users tested eSpares and 100% said they would recommend them to their family and friends.

Repair is becoming the first choice 

Sound familiar? The washing machine starts leaking. The oven won’t heat up. The lawnmower splutters into life after winter and then promptly gives up again.

The first instinct is often to replace. But the Fixometer suggests that nearly half a million* of us have already decided it’s worth checking the fix-first option. 

A worn washing machine seal, a blunt lawnmower blade, a faulty oven element, a split pressure washer hose, or a cracked freezer drawer doesn't mean the end of an appliance. It often means one affordable part and a bit of guidance (and potentially hundreds of pounds saved).

You see that thinking on our Talk boards too. As one Mumsnet user put it, “It’s a terribly wasteful thing… to junk a perfectly functioning… item” over something small and fixable.

What people are repairing right now

As appliances get back into regular use, small faults start to show. A lot of them are quicker and easier to fix than you might think. 

Pressure washers

After months in the shed, it's often a split hose or worn trigger gun that's the culprit. In most cases, the motor is working perfectly; it just needs one part to get patios and driveways back to full power.

Lawnmowers and grass trimmers

The first cut of the season can reveal blunt blades, snapped drive belts or worn spools - classic wear-and-tear parts that are simpler (and cheaper) to replace than you may think.

Fridge freezers

Cracked drawers, broken shelves or a worn door seal can make a fridge feel like it's on its last legs. But swapping a seal or shelf can restore performance (and even improve energy efficiency) without replacing the whole appliance.

- Mumsnet tester 

And those are just the seasonal ones. Every week, households are fixing everything from tumble dryers to vacuum cleaners to dishwashers with eSpares’ help. With over 420,000 Trustpilot reviews averaging 4.7 stars at the time of writing, it’s clear plenty of people are getting it sorted without it turning into a massive saga. 

A big reason repair feels more doable now is that people can learn as they go. As one user wrote, “The first thing I do… is go on Google/YouTube and check whether I could fix it.”

Does repairing actually save you money? 

In short: yes, usually a lot. Replacing a washing machine can cost anywhere from £300 to £800. A replacement door seal is often under £20. A new fridge freezer may set you back £400 or more, while a replacement drawer or shelf costs a fraction of that. 

The same goes outdoors. A new lawnmower can cost hundreds of pounds. A replacement blade or drive belt is typically under £15. 

Those savings add up, especially when you consider that appliances don’t have to come with an expiry date. While one Mumsnet poster noted that a “15-year-old appliance doesn’t really owe you much,” the reality is that with the right care and maintenance, a washing machine can last well beyond 15 years and keep saving you money along the way. 

Regular upkeep and timely part replacements can add years to an appliance’s life. The real question isn’t how old it is - it’s has it been looked after? 

Why so many people turn to eSpares

Repair only works if you can find the right part and feel confident fitting it. That’s what eSpares is built around.

As the UK’s leading retailer of appliance spare parts, eSpares stocks over one million parts and offers fast delivery. The website is set up to help you quickly find the exact part for your specific appliance model, so you’re not guessing.

But parts are only half the story. Alongside its range, eSpares has 1,000+ step-by-step repair tutorials on YouTube, over 900 written repair guides in its Advice Centre, plus troubleshooting advice to help diagnose common faults.

“They genuinely have spares for everything you need”

- Mumsnet tester 

This is the bit that mirrors what you see on our Talk boards: people learning from videos, pooling tips and reminding each other that you don’t need a shed full of tools to start. As one user put it, “YouTube gives so many more people the ability to do it themselves.”

It’s the combination that turns “I wouldn’t even know where to start” into “OK, that wasn’t too bad.” When Mumsnet testers recently put eSpares to the test, the brand earned the Mumsnet Rated seal of approval, with 100% of testers saying they’d recommend it to others.

The confidence factor 

There’s something satisfying about fixing an appliance yourself and the women who’ve done it say the same. After all - it’s not about being a DIY person, it’s about realising you can have a go. Lisa, who’d never taken an oven apart before, said “the whole thing was so easy”. Mrs Helena Marnoch said she was “proud… I fixed it myself”, while Sara Few said it gave her “the confidence to fix it”. Twylah’s now “fearless”, and Mrs Lena Cornwall (75+) put it best: “You can do more than you think.”

And that mindset doesn’t stop with appliances. In a popular de-influencing thread on our Talk boards, Whowhatwerewolf wrote: “Repairing things we already have is a great idea… quite satisfying.” Another gave a simple example of not rushing to replace: “I went and bought some Nikwax… my coat is looking really nice again.” Or the blunt reminder that maintenance counts too: “Get your Mulberry serviced so it looks like new again.”

About eSpares

As the UK’s leading retailer for appliance spare parts, eSpares helps everyday appliance owners save money and reduce waste by fixing their appliances at home - from washing machines and tumble dryers to dishwashers, fridge freezers, ovens, lawnmowers and more, helping make home repairs feel achievable for everyone.

Alongside their range of over one million appliance parts, they provide the guidance needed to carry out repairs with confidence. That includes 1000+ repair tutorials on their YouTube channel, which has generated over 135 million views and supports a community of 170K+ subscribers, as well as 900+ written repair guides on their Advice Centre page - making it easier to repair rather than replace.

To highlight the growing movement towards repair, eSpares has also created the eSpares Fixometer - a counter designed to track how many people are choosing to repair rather than replace their appliances, highlighting the collective impact of small decisions that help households save money, reduce waste, and feel more confident carrying out repairs themselves.

*Estimate based on UK spare parts customer orders from January 2025 to March 2026, subject to change depending on product returns in accordance with our Returns Policy. Before considering a self-repair, please check both eSpares’ safety information and whether your appliance is still under warranty first and any impact on your consumer rights.

**Taken from conversational analysis by mumsGPT between 7 April 2025 to 7 April 2026.