What's the broken thing in your house that everyone just puts up with?

[Yebbie]

I'll start. We have a three legged Henry Hoover, and any time anyone hoovers you hear lots of banging and "fuck offs" as it falls over every 3 seconds. It's been like it for five years and rather than replacing it we all have just grown to accept our disabled Henry.

What's that broken thing in your house that everyone just accepts and lives with, despite how annoying it may be? I feel every family must have one

For those people missing oven and hob numbers. You can buy replacement stickers on Amazon.

Replace plastic loo seat bolts and make two washers with sandpaper put washer on bolt then sandpaper washer grit side down on each bolt put rubber washer underneath followed by nut and slowly tighten ,do not over tighten or you will strip thread.

@LaBelleSausage

Oh. And the light switch that Does Nothing.

Keep intending to take the plate off the wall to see if it's even supposed to go anywhere

We have one of these! I occasionally flick it to see if it does anything - definition of madness, doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. I worry it’s turning something on or off outside or something.

Also, our washing machine that tries to make a break for it every time it’s turned on. It’s made grooves in the floor. But we inherited it, and the grooves, from the previous owners of the flat and the damage is already done, so…

For posters saying fix this like this fix this like that, the point is some of these things have been fixed and keep going wonky, so it's a case of sod it, it is what it is now.

Fixing things/replacing things costs money and time. Something a lot of us don't have in abundance. Many of these little things have become part of the quirks of the house now.

It's just me and my DC living here, since we moved in I've turned my hand to all sorts of big jobs on my own - re-turfing the garden, re-tiling the kitchen and bathroom, laying laminate flooring, carpeting, plastering, erecting fences, not to mention painting and decorating and building furniture.

But there are a few niggly things that no matter how many times they're tackled, they carried on being wonky. So now they can stay wonky and we've adjusted our lives just a little to make them liveable with. It's all part of the charm of living in an old house

posters saying fix this like this fix this like that, the point is some of these things have been fixed and keep going wonky, so it's a case of sod it, it is what it is now.

Fixing things/replacing things costs money and time. Something a lot of us don't have in abundance

Absolutely. Also it's not just a one off thing usually. In a house there's usually endless issues and maintenance and things breaking. Tradesmen are really difficult to come by. Sometimes they do work or fix things and actually cause more issues.

The shower. The rain but works but the normal bit doesn't and hasn't for a year. It's very annoying as that's the bit I use more and also when cleaning the bloody thing. But have we done anything about it? No..

Bathroom lock. The little grub screw fell out and went missing, so now we just accept that when the door is closed, nobody else walks in. I could get another screw, I suppose...

@silverhairedcat we have very old crumbly walls and the only thing that worked for our curtain rails was putting a plank of wood up with multiple holes abs using cork screw screws and the fastening curtain pole fittings to that (and painted same colour as wall). It sort of distributed the weight if the curtains a bit more I think?

@Yebbie

I'll start. We have a three legged Henry Hoover, and any time anyone hoovers you hear lots of banging and "fuck offs" as it falls over every 3 seconds. It's been like it for five years and rather than replacing it we all have just grown to accept our disabled Henry.

What's that broken thing in your house that everyone just accepts and lives with, despite how annoying it may be? I feel every family must have one

www.ransomspares.co.uk/parts/vacuum-cleaners/numatic-(henry)/twin-wheel-castor/146199.htm

Treat yourself. Go on, I'm sure you can afford £2.30!

The door handle in the living room which is hanging off and has been for 2 years. We have to put our finger in the hole to open the door.

I've got a wonky ironing board, I can't complain as I got it free from Woolworths because of it, I just put a book under one leg. I've only had it 32 years

The little diddly thing in the microwave that enables the turntable to spin.

It's been broken for a few years and a replacement only costs a tenner.
I don't know why I just haven't replaced the damn thing.

Bugger it...I'm going to order one right now!

@Theoldcuriosityshop

I've got a wonky ironing board, I can't complain as I got it free from Woolworths because of it, I just put a book under one leg. I've only had it 32 years

@Theoldcuriosityshop - underneath it there is a book complaining that for the last 32 years there's been a wonky ironing board stuck to it's cover.

Lots of things tbh. Toilet downstairs has been out of action for months, can’t afford to fix it. Upstairs toilet flush has been dodgy for ages- you have to sort of pump it lots of times in quick succession to flush it. DH decided to change the light switch in our bedroom but ended up blowing the fuse three times (he clearly isn’t an electrician) and we now just have exposed wiring and no main light in our room. Fridge doesn’t have a milk holder anymore, DH broke it just before Christmas. Doubt we’ll be able to afford a fridge for a long time so just dealing without it. Washing machine leaks sometimes. Our bed frame is appalling and rocks and shakes whenever we roll over. We just deal with it.

* jamandmarmalade

• I make sure I rotate the books so that doesn't happen 😂

This thread has warmed the cockles of my heart. 😁I have a sister and a SIL who are of the 'Crack On and Sort It' school of thought. I thought it was just us who put up with annoying things.

Oven knob isn't there. It's just a bit of metal that I have to turn.
Come to think of it, slow cooker has the same problem.

And a roller blind that will only stay rolled up if you wedge something into the mechanism.

And the shower door keeps falling off.

And the kitchen kick boards. 3 are just balanced in place and fall
Over every time I hoover

@poshme

And the kitchen kick boards. 3 are just balanced in place and fall Over every time I hoover

Oh yes, I'd forgotten, we have one that collapses dramatically if I sweep near it/if someone drops a can on the floor anywhere nearby/whenever it feels like it.

@Theoldcuriosityshop

* jamandmarmalade * I make sure I rotate the books so that doesn't happen 😂

@Theoldcuriosityshop

Well i've certainly learned my lesson:

Never judge a book by its cover

Another one. A double plug socket in the kitchen the was put in the wrong way 13 years ago so the surround won't go on. It's perfectly safe, works, and is hidden behind the slow cooker so I can't see it.

Every time I use the blender I think -must do something about that - then the second I put the blender away I forget all about it until next time.

It annoys me for 30 seconds maybe twice a week. Would probably take 3-4 hours to sort out. I have so many other things more important to do with 3-4 hours.

DS has a dishwasher that needs a broom or similar to keep it shut/working when on.
Turns out it was fitted too low and can't be removed without cracking the expensive stone or damaging the underfloor heating. Been like that for years.

I really love this thread...my friends are all childfree and have heaps of money and immaculate homes. It's reassuring to hear lots of people have the same issues we do!

Over time all the markings for temperatures and settings on my oven have been cleaned off, so I cook everything on the same setting because I've no idea where to turn the knobs to.

Our ironing board cover was knackered and kept coming off and was full of holes.

Rather than buy a new one l taped parcel tape round it for some reason. Then we had to avoid homes, it slipping off AND parcel tape. And parcel tapes and irons don’t mix