Oftentimes, a luggage zipper is stuck because there’s clothing caught in the zipper. If you can gently remove the clothing from the zipper teeth, you can fix your zipper in no time! If you don’t have tweezers on-hand, try gently tugging on the fabric with your fingers.

Try rubbing the graphite on the teeth both above and below the zipper slider itself. That way, your lubricating material will hopefully get inside the zipper slider and unstick it.

If your luggage is made of leather, use caution if you choose to use glass cleaner or bar soap. Both can stain leather, so be sure to wipe it off with a wet rag as soon as you can.

If the zipper teeth are the problem, you’ll probably be able to see that they’re crooked. If they aren’t the problem, move onto the next step.

If the zipper catches but gets stuck, try lubricating the teeth with graphite or wax paper. If your zipper still doesn’t catch, it may be time to replace it.

The zipper stop will probably be damaged from the pliers you used to take it off, so unfortunately, you can’t reuse it. You might have to replace your zipper if the slider is broken or the teeth keep separating. [8] X Expert Source Mia DanilowiczMaster Tailor Expert Interview. 8 January 2021. Old zippers can warp or stretch, which can make it impossible to close your luggage all the way.

You might have to pull the zipper back and forth a few times to lock it into place.

Once your zipper stop is on, you’re done! Your new zipper should work flawlessly, and you shouldn’t have any more issues with your luggage.