Fix it, don’t toss it: Eden Prairie hosts free repair clinic

When your toaster stops working, what do you do?

Most of us don’t think twice about throwing an inexpensive item like a toaster in the trash.

But instead of tossing it, bring it to a Fix-It Clinic and save it from ending up in the landfill.

Each table in the clinic is equipped with everything from drills to sewing machines – small repair stations where volunteers and residents work side by side.

Giving new life to everyday household items

Hennepin County will host a Fix-It Clinic at the Eden Prairie Community Center, 16700 Valley View Road, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9.

Eden Prairie residents are welcome to bring an item from home that needs repair. Volunteers will be on hand to help identify your item’s issue and try to restore it to working order.

The goal of Fix-It Clinics is to reduce the number of items sent to the landfill, help change our mindset about disposing of items that can actually be brought back to life and empower people to be fixers.

Nancy Lo is a waste reduction and recycling specialist with Hennepin County. In 2009, she was inspired to start Fix-It Clinics in Hennepin County after learning about Marine Postma, who organized a Repair Cafe in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Some of the most common household items that Lo and volunteers see are lamps, vacuum cleaners, fans, small kitchen appliances and small electronics.

Every month, more than 200 items are diverted from the landfill.

At a recent clinic held in Minneapolis, volunteers worked together with owners on a variety of items, including a trolling motor, an umbrella, clothing, irons, toasters and toys.

Lo likes to remind people not to be afraid to take things apart because they’re already broken. It’s worth taking time to fix items rather than tossing them in the trash.

With an impressive 79% success rate, Fix-It Clinics play a vital role in promoting sustainability.

The clinics are hands-on and a great opportunity for older kids to learn how to troubleshoot and embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle.

“We love to have kids come because kids are very inquisitive,” said Lo. “Usually at home they’re told to not make a mess or open things up.” But the clinics are very conducive to fostering kids’ natural curiosity.

Everyone is encouraged to participate in the repair process. Volunteers explain what they see as they diagnose a faulty fan wire or explain the right stitch to hem a pair of pants.

“We’re happy to help people figure things out,” said Lo, who wants everyone to feel more confident about fixing everyday items.

Back-to-school and seasonal items welcome

Helping Lo promote a mindset of “fix before you throw,” Eden Prairie resident Carolyn Wieland, a clinic participant, also works for Reuse Minnesota to coordinate Fix-It Clinics statewide.

Wieland encourages her neighbors to consider items they’ll need this fall that can be repaired rather than thrown away, such as back-to-school supplies, clothing, yard tools or summer toys that need repair.

With her husband, Josh, they’ve participated in past Fix-It Clinics. They brought in a small TV that wouldn’t turn on and a ripped soccer bench cover.

“I know the basics of sewing,” said Wieland, describing the heavy canvas that needed a three-foot repair. “I just didn’t think my machine at home could handle it.”

At every clinic, there are volunteers with sewing machines to help with everything from basic mends to more complex repairs.

Over the past 16 years, Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics have achieved impressive results:

• 79% of items fixed
• More than 9,000 attendees
• 14,400-plus items repaired
• 14,500 volunteer hours
• 72,000 pounds of waste diverted from the landfill

Volunteers share their knowledge

Eden Prairie resident Lee Rosenberg started volunteering after he retired. He visited a clinic in 2018 to learn more about it. Another volunteer took him under his wing, and that’s all it took.

He has participated in more than 35 Fix-It Clinics across the Twin Cities. He specializes in electrical repairs and enjoys breathing new life into items with sentimental value.

“If somebody brings something in and they say it used to be their mother’s or grandmother’s, and I’m able to repair it and keep it going, that’s what I enjoy the most,” Rosenberg said.

He has found a niche repairing KitchenAid stand mixers, the ones that have adorned kitchens for generations.

Rosenberg diagnoses what’s wrong, and if a part is needed, he helps find a place to purchase it. The owner is invited to bring the mixer and part to the next month’s clinic, and he or another volunteer will install the part.

Rosenberg has an electrical engineering background, but “everything that I’ve repaired, I’ve learned along the way,” he said. At each clinic, he works with 50 to 60 volunteers who come from a variety of backgrounds. The common thread is that all the volunteers like fixing things and are patient teachers.

Repeat Fix-It Clinic attendees, like Eden Prairie resident Sylvia Wiens, no longer throw things away without a second thought. At a recent clinic in Minneapolis, Wiens and her husband weren’t the only EP residents there with items in hand.

There’s a feeling of community and collaboration at each clinic. Yet despite hundreds of monthly attendees, many people don’t know that the free clinics exist.

How to participate

To attend the Eden Prairie Fix-It Clinic, you don’t need to register ahead of time.

Simply show up with the item you want repaired, check in at the desk and be ready to participate and learn.

There’s no cost to participate. Items must be carry-in size.

• Hennepin County Fix-It Clinic
• Saturday, Aug. 9
• Noon-4 p.m. (last items accepted at 3:30)
• Eden Prairie Community Center
• 16700 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie

If you’re interested in volunteering at the Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics, contact Nancy Lo at nancy.lo@hennepin.us.

Fix-It Clinics are held across the metro throughout the year. For more information:

Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics

Carver County Fix-It Clinics

Online resources:

At ifixit.com you can find step-by-step guides, shop for parts and join an online forum.

---

If you have an idea for this series, contact the editors.