My vertical blinds drooped for three months after the string snapped. I kept telling myself I would call someone, then I watched a repair video and realized the fix needed about four dollars of parts and a patient hour. If you have ever fixed a necklace, you can restring a vertical blind.

What you need

Vertical blinds hang from a track with two strings: one that tilts the vanes and one that opens and closes them. You only need to restring the one that broke. Grab a replacement string kit made for vertical blinds, a small screwdriver, and scissors. Most kits come with the little connector clips you will need.

The step by step

1. Take the whole headrail down. It usually lifts off its brackets. Work on a table, not a ladder.
2. Lay the vanes out in order and label the first one so they go back in the same sequence. They have a front and back, and getting them flipped looks wrong.
3. Open the cover on the end of the headrail to see the pulleys and the old string path. Take a photo with your phone before you remove anything.
4. Pull the old string out and thread the new one along the same path, following your photo. Most kits use a color coded cord, which makes this part easier.
5. Reconnect the vanes in order and pull the cord to test the slide and the tilt.
6. Snap the cover back on and hang the headrail back on the brackets.

Things I got wrong the first time

I threaded the cord before checking which direction the tilt hook needed to face, so the vanes opened the wrong way. The photo on my phone saved me, but it cost me an extra ten minutes. Also, do not overtighten the cord. The vanes should slide smoothly with a little give, not feel like a guitar string.

The whole job took me about an hour, including the wrong direction detour. My blinds have worked for eight months since, and I felt unreasonably proud every time I opened them.