Repair Cafe Odense

Sorry for the delay here! We’re doing a two-month roundup this time.

Before we get into it, be sure to visit RCO at Havnekulturfestival this month. Not only is it a great way to have fun and enjoy Odense, it’s the best excuse to get that pesky household item you’ve been procrastinating fixed. 

📅 Mark your calendar for May 28 (Saturday) and May 29 (Sunday).

We’ve been having a lovely year with repair so far, and this continues into the good weather and into the late spring. Have you been out and biking yet?

March 2022 stats

This month, we saw 7 unique visitors and worked on 11 items. We got to practice our skills on a few types of different items and welcomed a customer with multiple items (all fixed).

We also had a variety of items – electronic, transport, and clothing – including some heavy ones, that add significantly to our carbon emissions saved from the landfill.

Items seen:

• 🔥 Clothing iron
• 👖 4 pairs of trousers (yay wardrobe refresh!)
• 🛴 Electric scooter
• 🌬 Vacuum cleaner
• 📺 TV and remote
• 💻 PC monitor
• 🧵 Sewing machine

Items fixed / problem found: 8 of 11

Success rate: 7️⃣3️⃣%

We were able to repair the majority of what we worked on today (including all of the trousers – don’t worry). 

In a couple cases, we weren’t able to find the problem with an item. 

April 2022 stats

This month, we saw 9 items, and again, a lot of variety. We got to work on some electronics with the lamp, radio, and computer, some engines with the lawn mower, some textiles with the tote bags, and even a trusty old tape dispenser. 

It looks like the grass is starting to grow and the pollen is starting to fly because we don’t see lawn mowers very often. If you’re doing outdoor repair and you find your tools are failing you, let us take a crack at it 🙂 

Items seen:

• 🔩 Kitchen machine
• 🕯 Lamp
• 📎 Office supplies
• 📻 Radio
• 🎒 2 totebags
• 💻 Computer
• 👖 Trousers
• 🏡 Lawnmower

Items fixed / problem found: 8 of 9

Success rate: 8️⃣8️⃣%

Stories from the March and April Repair Cafés

🤗 During the April event, we welcomed 3 new volunteers. We hope you’ll meet them soon! Plus, it’s really good to see that we have returning customers – we love to help you and the best way more people can learn about us is for you to have a great experience and spread the word.

🧵 We also got to repair the very sewing machine we use to make repairs! Our expert and volunteer Ditte’s sewing machine decided to break in the middle of our event, and it was quite the dramatic scene. That said, the sewing machine couldn’t have chosen a better time to break… at a REPAIR event! We got to work immediately and it was up and running in a matter of minutes.

🔥 One of the items we were unable to repair was the clothing iron. The resistive/heating element was badly damaged, and unfortunately, a new part isn’t available in Denmark. This means we have to throw out a machine and buy a new one… which makes us sad. The worst part in this case is that the iron was fairly new, bought in late 2019. We couldn’t give it a second life, and its original life was too short for our liking.

⚙ There’s a bigger story here. We’d love for governments to pass laws requiring companies to provide spare parts for a few years after an item is purchased so consumers have a reasonable opportunity to repair them and get their money’s worth. 

Be sure to research what your local government is doing to support consumer rights and the right to repair.

What’s coming up next?

You’re lucky this month – we have two events. In Odense, May means the Harbor Festival (Havenekulturfestival), and RCO will be there accepting your items!

We’d usually have a regular event the last Sunday of the month, but this time we’ll be there both Saturday and Sunday, back-to-back. It’s a great chance to come on by… check it out… then check if you have any broken items at home… then come back the next day 😉

Mark your calendar for May 28 (Saturday) and May 29 (Sunday).

Do you love our work? Consider a donation to support us: