iFixit News

How to Keep Your Robot Vacuum Running for Years (Not Months)

Charlie Sorrel — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:06:00 +0000

A robot vacuum cleaner is a lot more complex than a regular vac, but with the right care it can last you for years. The truth is that you can’t just set one of these things up in the corner of a little-used room, empty it once in a while and leave it at that. You’re going to have to do regular maintenance checks on the bot, change out pads and filters, and also prep the rooms so that the…

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E-Bike Maintenance 101: What Every Rider Should Know

Charlie Sorrel — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:56:25 +0000

E-bikes might take less effort to ride than their human-powered cousins, but they can make up for it in extra maintenance. You have to take care of the motor, the battery, and the electronics of course, but brakes and tires will also wear faster, thanks to the higher weight and speed of an electric bike. The good news is, most of this isn’t any harder than keeping a pedal-powered bike ticking…

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We’re Now Scoring Wireless Headphones (and One of Them Already Hit 10/10)

Carsten Frauenheim — Fri, 01 May 2026 22:30:54 +0000

Earbuds tend to hog the wireless audio repair conversation, mostly because they keep handing us 0/10 scores like party favors. But over/on-ear headphones have been quietly accumulating their own catalog of repair sins: glued-in batteries, soldered charge ports, integrated headband cushions, and “just buy a new pair” warranty responses when the cushions wear through after a year. Today…

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Why Your Washing Machine Smells (and How to Fix It for Good)

Charlie Sorrel — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:31:47 +0000

When was the last time you cleaned your washing machine? Never, because, like soap, it’s self cleaning, right? And yet: it smells. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to return your washing machine to a non-gross, non-stinky status, and there are some simple tricks that will help to keep it from happening so soon the next time. The inside of your washing machine is damp and dark…

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Spring, Solder, and Side Quests

Sandra Hiller — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 06:27:11 +0000

What sticks with me from the past few months of events isn’t the number of calendar days or the names of the people I’ve met (I’m terrible with names, by the way), and it’s certainly not the details of all the talks I sat in on. It’s the stories of the people I met. Their weird questions. The things they carry in their backpacks “just in case.” At Easterhegg, someone came up to me with their…

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What Every Renter Should Know About Plumbing Repairs

Charlie Sorrel — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:07:00 +0000

This is the second post in a “What Every Renter Should Know” series. Also check out What Every Renter Should Know About Electrical Repairs. At home, plumbing is where the biggest repair emergencies will happen. Sinks block, pipes burst, dishwasher hoses leak. Mostly you won’t be installing plumbing like you might install electrical systems, other than hooking up washing machines and…

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Small Appliances Are Flunking Right to Repair, PIRG Report Finds

Elizabeth Chamberlain — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:48:15 +0000

Your coffee maker may be less repairable than your phone, which is really saying something. In a new report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund looked at 58 blenders, coffeemakers, and vacuums, and nearly two-thirds earned an F for repair material availability. Only three products in the whole group offered a repair or service manual, and most didn’t offer meaningful spare parts or any first-party repair…

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What Every Renter Should Know About Electrical Repairs

Charlie Sorrel — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:51:00 +0000

This is part of a “What Every Renter Should Know” series. Also check out our recommendations for electrical repairs. You’ve just moved into your new rental apartment/house/bungalow. Everything is in perfect working order, and the entire place has been beautifully refurbished by the landlord. I’m kidding. Probably the landlord has done little more than force the previous tenant to slather a…

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AirPods Max 2 Teardown: Same Design, No Fixes

Elizabeth Chamberlain — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:20:08 +0000

Your Dishwasher Filter Is Disgusting: Here’s How to Clean It

Charlie Sorrel — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:16:14 +0000

There are two kinds of basic dishwasher design, the filter and the macerator. If you don’t know which one you have, and you’ve never opened it up to clean it/check it out, then you may be in for a very nasty surprise. Filter-based models need to have their filters cleaned regularly. If you’ve never cleaned yours, then you have years worth of food slurry built up in there.

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