A Reddit user has revealed a helpful tip for fixing damaged goods, and all it takes is a cheap black Sharpie.
The Scoop
In a recent post on the r/Frugal subreddit, user u/pawsitivelypowerful shared their favorite way to avoid costly replacements or expensive repairs to their darker-colored goods that have been damaged: coloring in the scratched areas with a black Sharpie.
"Black Sharpie is my new Frugal BFF!" the user wrote. "Can't believe how well this blends. Scuffed my new Fitbit bad but black Sharpie made the scratches largely unnoticeable."
The pictures in the post show the damaged areas, and it's difficult to even tell what parts of the Fitbit are scratched — the Sharpie does a fantastic job concealing the issues.
How It's Helping
If you own expensive products that come in black or other dark colors, the thought of damaging them just got a little less frightening. It can be absurdly expensive to take items, particularly electronic gadgets and gizmos, into a third-party repair shop — and it feels especially unnecessary when the problems are purely visual and not functional.
The Sharpie hack minimizes expenses if you want to keep your products looking sharp, as you don't need anyone's help to fix or replace your damaged goods.
Electronic waste is a massive problem. In 2019, people around the world threw out 48.6 million tons of e-waste, according to TonerBuzz. Less than 20% of that e-waste was properly disposed of, which means that around 80% of electronic waste was improperly discarded. This can have serious environmental consequences due to toxic and hazardous materials.
By holding onto your gadgets as long as they're functional, you can help reduce the staggering amount of environmental waste created each year. Hanging onto older models of phones, computers, watches, and tablets means avoiding trendy upgrades while your devices still work — which means if your electronics end up with some scratches, don't hesitate to whip out the Sharpie!
What Everyone's Saying
Commenters shared additional uses for Sharpie repairs in the Reddit thread.
"It works on small bleach spots on black clothing, too," one user commented.
"My car is black. People hit the side of it with their door here and there. I use the magical black Sharpie to cover the scratch and then coat with clear nail polish to protect it from rust. :)," another said.
"When pianos in concert halls get scratched in the process of being moved back and forth, the technicians use Sharpies to cover the scratches. Those things cost well over $100K," a third user wrote.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
