Can you tighten food container snap lids?

[StephenFord]

I have been using this type of container for years, and now have a collection where the lid no longer snaps tightly closed. I'm too stingy to throw them in the bin and buy new! Is there a way to tighten them? It's a very simple mechanism, but I have googled the question to death, and the internet has failed me miserably. I have tried reshaping with boiling water, using mole grips, and more, but nothing works...

 

[TomsFocus]

Can you see which part has worn?

I'm guessing either hard plastic worn off the actual clip area, or the rubber seal has got squashed?

[unofix]

5 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

or the rubber seal has got squashed?

I fancy the seal has become squashed !

Remove seal from the grove and add a thin strip of "something" and then put the seal back in.

OR

Remove seal from grove and turn it over and put it back in.

Of course if its the clips just forget I just said that 🤣

[StephenFord]

To be fair, some of them are quite new. The rubber seals are fine, it appears to be the plastic clip on the lid that snaps over the molded lip on the base. If it were metal, I could just bend the clip a teeny bit to fix, but the plastic is only a couple of mm in width, so there is nothing really to get a good grip on to bend!

Oh, @unofix duly ignored! LOL

[TomsFocus]

Looks like it's knackered then...

I have one where a single clip never did work from new.  Poor quality control and tolerance setting I guess.  Still works fine with the other 3 clips, just annoying as I lose half inch of shelf space with the clip sticking out.

[Turvey]

22 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

 Still works fine with the other 3 clips, just annoying as I lose half inch of shelf space with the clip sticking out.

Break the clip off then! 🤷😀

[TomsFocus]

48 minutes ago, Turvey said:

Break the clip off then! 🤷😀

Not a bad idea...I've had it over 10 years and never considered that. 

Thinking about it now though, I'm not sure if my OCD would be triggered more by a missing clip than a faulty one!

[StephenFord]

Finally found something that worked for me. Not sure if it's 'permanent', only time will tell. Filled the container with hot water and placed in the microwave till boiling. Then, I clamped the lid and waited for it to cool. The plastic kept it's 'tight' closing and the lid now snaps shut properly as it should! (Knew those clamps would come in handy LOL)

[unofix]

56 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Finally found something that worked for me.

Stephen you take 'tightness' to a whole new level 🤣

[isetta]

I have never tried this but I might have tried heating the clips with a hot air paint stripper and reshaping them . Being careful not to totally melt or scorch them of course.  In case anyone else needs to try this and doesn’t have those clamps or microwave.