How to Fix Skipping Blinds

It is a common issue. You go to close your blinds before bed, and they start skipping and won’t close! They are expensive to replace, and there’s not much information on fixing them.

I have figured out a trick that is really easy, and works permanently.

Supplies

Scotch Tape (try first. If it doesn’t work, go on)

Hot Glue Gun(Low temp recommended as you will have to cool it with your finger)

Small Pull Spring

Why Do Blinds Break to Begin With?

Most blinds have a gearbox above the adjusting rod that connects to the adjusting rod and the blinds. This gearbox is a cheap, snap together assembly that works well, until you overturn it a small bit. The failure point is almost always the clip on top. When the clip fails, the gearbox comes apart, losing connection between gears, thus making it skip when you turn the rod.

I will show you 2 ways to fix it. A temporary scotch tape method, and if that doesn’t work, a more permanent hot glue and spring/rubber band method.

The Scotch Tape Method

This method is more of a temporary fix, but it works nonetheless. Simply take a piece of scotch tape, and tape together the two halves of the gearbox. Before you tape however, ensure that there is no dust on top of the box, or the tape won’t stick. This will work for a couple of months, but will eventually fail. When it does, you can either replace the tape, or move on to the next method.

The Hot Glue Tension Method

This method is more permanent, but slightly more complicated. You will need a small spring. I used a small pull spring from a $5 box of springs from home depot, though many will work.

USE A LOW TEMP GLUE GUN! HIGH TEMP GLUE GUNS HURT! I learned that the hard way.

All you have to do is clean off the gearbox, apply some hot glue to ONE SIDE ONLY! Put half of the spring on the side of the gearbox first, add a little more glue, and let it cool. Next, add some hot glue to the other side, and let it cool so it isn’t burning, but still liquid. This is so you won’t burn your finger. Then streach the spring over to the other side, and press it into the glue. Your finger will cool the glue quickly, so you won’t need to hold it there long. After is hardens, add a little more for good measure, and test it out. If it pops loose, add more glue, and make sure it is fully cooled off before letting go. It may take a few tries, so don’t get stressed out over it. And the best part about hot glue is when you mess up, you can peel it off and start over.

If you don’t want to use your finger to cool the glue, you can try tweezers, but it is a little finicky. A low temp glue gun isn’t that hot though, so I would just do that.

Testing

If you used the tape method, note that you won’t be able to over tighten it, or it will pop loose.

If you used the hot glue method, over tightening won’t be an issue anymore, because when you do, the spring will snap the gearbox back together, meshing the gears together normally. As long as there was no dust on the gearbox’s surface when you started, the glue should stick for a really long time, or until you peel it off. I use this method whenever my blinds start slipping, and the first one I did 2 years ago is still working today without maintenance.

Good Luck, and happy blind-fixing!