Loops and Clips for Zippers

I swear, it's so much easier than trying to grab the little zipper toggle.

This is brilliant

Okay, so this is and isn't necessarily art related. But I definitely recommend is as a sort of accessibility hack. Maybe it's a system? Hmmm... 🤔

I buy those keyring loops in bulk and put them on pretty much every zipper I have (then I decorate it, if I have a clippy dangly thing I enjoy-- for example, behold my PomPomPurin thingy that clearly needs scrubbing, but antibacterial wipes only do so much and I'm afraid to put him through the wash).

These keyrings help for days when the finer points of dexterity elude me, or my hands are shaking a little too badly to navigate ordinary zippers, or if I'm just not having a great day overall.

They're also good for when the little handle/toggle bit of the zipper breaks off, because on a long enough timeline they all do and then you're sitting there with a zipper that technically works but like, you're frustrated every time you go to use it.

And again, you get to add fun charms like PomPomPurin! 😀

Also, I use these clips, which I use to fasten loops to other loops I've put on at the other end of my zippers. This keeps them closed.

Now, this is partly because I'm that disaster of a guy that you'd see exiting the train with their bag unzipped and flapping open, apples falling out onto the platform, an Adventure Time water bottle threatening to wiggle free, receipts flying out like crumpled, embarrassing confetti... so it's also to limit the amount of times I become that disaster.

It's also partly an AuDHD hack, because as part of my routine I'll pack my bag to leave and then clip everything shut-- so when I'm ready to leave and see the bag all clipped up I go "okay, I've packed." and go about my day. It doesn't mean I haven't forgotten something (I usually have), but the visual culmination of a completed routine makes me feel better.

I buy the clips on Temu as well; they're sold by many folk in many sizes. I don't have a link, but if you've got the app you can just search "safety clip" and they come up en masse, as well as other options, so I recommend doing that.

- Toren Gunn

Pros

Easy to grab
As I said, you can add cute things to the clips or rings to customise your bag
You can buy multipacks of the rings and the clips on Amazon, Temu, or you can sometimes find them in your local Dollar/Pound store. Or you can just buy a bunch of actual keyrings from wherever.
If a zipper toggle breaks, depending on where you've applied the ring or the clip, you're still set to use the zipper
Easy to assemble
Comes in a range of colours depending on where you go

Cons

Other things can grab them, like door hooks or corners of inconveniently placed cabinets
Some zipper toggles don't have holes in them at the end, so you'll need to hook it into the actual zipper mechanism (as seen above), which can be difficult
Some clips are stiff, some are unfortunately really loose; it's a bit of a "luck of the draw" situation (clip example pictured; the first ones I bought were okay, the second were a bit too loose)

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