3 simple hacks that could extend the life of your vacuum, smartphone and coffee machine

What do blocked vacuums, phones that won’t charge and clogged-up coffee machines have in common? All are problems that can lead to perfectly good items being returned to manufacturers or warranty partners for repairs. However, the good news is they can often be fixed quickly and easily at home.

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More and more people are expressing an interest in repairs to extend the life of products. Almost half (46%) of British people surveyed by OnePoll for Amazon say they have successfully followed a DIY repair video at home, and 16% visited a repairs café last year to repair a broken item. To help customers with quick fixes, Amazon has released a new series of videos showing just how quick, cost-effective and easy DIY repairs like this can be.

With 80% of problems with popular household items like vacuums and coffee machines frequently resulting from simple cleaning and maintenance issues, tips like these can save time and money, while preventing product waste.

Let’s start with a vacuum cleaner. The majority of newer models, including upright vacuums, have two or sometimes three filters. This can cause confusion among customers who believe they have cleaned the filter when, in fact, there is a second or third one full of dust. If left unchecked, this can cause problems, such as much weaker suction.

Bal Sokhal, a repairs engineer who specialises in the maintenance and repair of household electronics, says: “By opening up your vacuum and checking the area near the motor you can empty out the second or third harder-to-find filter. Remember not to force this open, if it’s mean to open you can do so easily, using your fingers to release the catch. Once all filters are clear, try using your vacuum again and you’ll instantly notice the difference.”

If you need help finding the location of additional filters in your vacuum cleaner, search for the user’s guide online using the make and model number.

Microscopic particles are one of the main culprits which can make it harder to charge a perfectly good smartphone. While the phone’s charging port can look clear to the naked eye, a common problem is that pocket lint, pet hairs and other tiny particles can build up inside, meaning that when you try to charge it, you can’t actually get the charger to fit, or connect well enough to charge the phone properly.

This is when a clean toothpick could save the day in seconds. “If you experience slow or no charging, don’t give up on your phone,” Sokhal advises. “Turn your phone off. Then very gently use an un-used toothpick to probe out dust and debris, inserting only the tip into your charging socket. Don’t worry, this won’t push dust further into the phone because the phone itself is sealed. Once you’ve completed this step, you could find your charger connects easily once more, allowing your phone to power up again in no time.”

In the kitchen, residue from coffee grounds can cause problems with coffee machines, as a result of clogged-up internal pipes. “By simply clearing grounds from the sump – which is the gadget that holds the coffee – with an unused toothbrush, rinsing the filter and running either the steam function or hot water through the machine for a full minute, the problem could be eliminated.” said Sokhal.

According to repairs experts, here are a few other common fixes that can be done at home:

1. Wireless headphones: Always try conducting a factory reset if experiencing any technical issues with your headphones, which you can usually find on YouTube by searching for the make and model of your headset with the words ‘factory reset’. This solves the issue most times.

2. Tablets: Saving everything onto the cloud then conducting a factory reset will resolve most tablet issues.

3. Push bikes: Some bikes require 10%-20% self-assembly. Any problems arising with bikes like these are usually the result of the initial assembly instructions being followed incorrectly. It’s best to start the process again.

4. Mouse: If the sensor below your mouse stops glowing and the mouse is unresponsive, sometimes the problem is simply debris and dust. To clean the area, dust the area gently with a clean, new toothbrush or a lint-free cloth. The mouse should work again.

5. Smart TV: If your Smart TV feels like it is slowing down and you’re finding it hard to change a channel or generally operate your TV, try a factory reset. You can usually find this on YouTube by searching for your TV make and model. The reset will wipe cookies and data that could be preventing the TV from working properly.

6. Remote control: If you’ve added new batteries and your remove control seems to be lagging in power or simply not working at all, then try removing the batteries. Using a clean new toothbrush, gently dust around the metal contacts inside the battery compartment and then reinsert them – this should help the issue.

7. Touch top bins: Remove the lid and give both parts of the locking mechanism a good rinse with warm soapy water. After drying it carefully, your bin should work again.

“Amazon is committed to repairing returned products so that we can get them back on sale, and to our customers, at discounted prices,” said Sam Littlejohn, Amazon’s Head of Returns and Repairs in Europe. “At the same time, we’re also seeing a growing interest in home repairs among European consumers as more people look to make their items last longer.”

In spite of this enthusiasm, only one in five (22%) people surveyed in the UK say they would mend an appliance themselves if it breaks. More than half (58%) say they simply wouldn’t know where to start conducting a home repair.

For those who feel brave enough to try fixing something themselves, they’re most likely to start with clothing and textiles (45%), followed by furniture (37%), vases and ornaments (36%), fashion accessories (33%), kitchenware (25%) and then at the bottom of the list, electronics (22%). One in four (24%) would not trust themselves to attempt a home repair on any of these items at all.

For the repair-shy, the most popular way for UK adults surveyed to cope with broken tech is to take it for recycling (36%), while 19% say they would throw the item away.

By creating these videos, Amazon hopes to help people get more confident at simple repairs and maintenance which they could be carrying out themselves on popular home and lifestyle appliances.

“You’d be surprised how many product issues could be avoided by simple maintenance tasks that can be done by anyone, such as emptying of filters on a vacuum, or running the steam function for a minute on a coffee machine,” said Andy Moult, Head of Operations at GXO ServiceTech, which has been a repairs partner to Amazon in Europe for over 18 years.

“By working with Amazon to create these videos with simple repair and maintenance tips, we hope more people will have the confidence to follow these simple steps. And of course, for anything involving circuit boards or requiring specialist equipment, our advice is to always leave it to the experts!”.

UK customers can also make savings of up to 50% on recommended retail prices shopping for quality returned, open-box, used and refurbished items through Amazon Resale and Amazon Renewed. All products are professionally inspected and graded. Purchases are Prime-eligible, backed by Amazon’s 30-day return policy and award-winning customer service, and covered by statutory legal warranty.

For many purchases, Amazon offers free product support to customers, helping with product setup, product use, or troubleshooting issues. Depending on the product, customers can call or chat with Amazon customer support, access manufacturer contact details, view step-by-step troubleshooting instructions, or find out more about their warranty repair benefits.

Product support options can be accessed for eligible items through the ‘Your Orders’ page by clicking Get Product Support. If you’re still unsatisfied with your purchase, you can get replacements or exchanges on eligible products.

Next, find out how to make more sustainable choices when shopping on Amazon and watch some of our Repair Hacks videos to give some of your most-used items a longer life.