Home Appliances

A levitating lounger, a toilet seat that rises to greet you, a fold-out balcony. Some of these household gadgets are useful, and some are absolute fluff. Which ones are the wackiest?

By Jennifer Pocock

We know which is greener when it comes to gas and electric cars. But which is greener when it comes to stoves: gas or electric? There's more than one way to save energy when you cook.

By Cristen Conger

We've all heard of a potty break, but have you ever heard of a potty breaking the bank? What's the most expensive toilet in the world made of?

By Josh Clark

It's either too cold or too hot in your house. So, you turn a dial, press a button or move a lever -- do you know what happens after that? Look inside a home thermostat and see how it controls your indoor climate.

By Karim Nice, Patrick Brothers & Emilie Sennebogen

Give your home lighting a stylish and inexpensive update with these easy instructions for making a table lamp, building a stovepipe lamp, or covering a lamp shade for a brand new look.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

Every morning you scoop in the coffee, add the water and turn it on, but have you ever wondered what is happening inside your coffee maker? Find out how that precious gadget delivers your wake-up dose.

By Marshall Brain & Jessika Toothman

Appliances are the workhorses of your kitchen. While features and performance are important considerations, how they'll look in your kitchen probably matters to you, too.

By Mary Wynn Ryan

Because washing machines do so many things, they may be harder to diagnose than they are to repair. But diagnosis is possible: All it takes is some patience. Learn how to repair a washing machine.

By Fix-It Club & Lance Looper

A dryer is a large drum into which wet laundry is loaded. Air heated by a gas heater or electric heating element is blown through the drum to dry clothes. Learn to repair a dryer.

By Fix-It Club

A refrigerator is one of the few appliances in your home that runs continuously. On the rare occasion your refrigerator does stop working, you may face a high repair. Learn how to repair a refrigerator.

By Fix-It Club

The control panels on dishwashers can look intimidating. They're loaded with so many dials, push buttons, and other features that the machine looks too complex to repair. It isn't. Learn to repair a dishwasher.

By Fix-It Club

Coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, hair dyers -- you probably have one or all of these in your home? Learn about the differences between heating appliances, motor appliances, and combination appliances in this article.

By Editors of Consumer Guide

A home intercommunication system is more than just an easy way to call the family to dinner or to summon someone for a phone call. Learn more, including how to install one in your home.

By Dan Ramsey

Dishwashers are not very mechanically complex. We'll show you how they work from the inside out, plus tell you how to get the most out of yours.

By Ed Grabianowski & Melanie Radzicki McManus

Is the water in your home not getting hot? Chances are the pilot light on your hot water heater has gone out. Find out how the pilot light in your furnace or water heater works.

By Marshall Brain

When the floor needs a good cleaning, most of us reach for the portable vacuum cleaner and drag it around the house. Well, what if your whole house were a vacuum? Find out how central vacuum systems work.

By Allison Klein

They both have blades for chopping food into smaller pieces, so do you really need both kitchen appliances? Learn how food processors and blenders work, and when to use each.

By Nancy Lewis & Sascha Bos

There's a certain mystique to fine bone china - have you ever wondered why? Lenox is the only manufacturer of bone china in the United States and they've even produced china for five U.S. presidents. Take a trip inside the Lenox factory with HowStuffWorks.

By Katherine Neer

The sewing machine took a time-consuming, laborious task and made it super fast and easy. Find out what goes on inside this ingenious device (and check out the high-tech upgrades!).

By Tom Harris & Yara Simón

Is the air feeling a little too dry in your home? A humidifier can help make things more comfortable -- and even save a little wear and tear on your house. But what does a humidifier do, exactly?

By Marshall Brain & Karim Nice

Most of us can enjoy an ice-cold beverage any time, anywhere we want. With an icemaker, there's no need to crack, dump and refill a single tray yourself. See how icemakers do all the work for you.

By Tom Harris

Electric vacuum cleaners have been helping us keep our homes clean for over a century. There's a lot going on inside these devices -- learn how they suck up the dirt (and whatever else finds its way onto your floor).

By Tom Harris

Espresso, cappuccino, latte, double latte, double mocha latte... Espresso drinks have become coffee-shop staples all over the world. Watch us take apart an espresso machine!

By Karim Nice

You may not have given it much thought, but your hair dryer is specially designed to prevent bad things from happening to you and your head. Why is it that your hair dryer doesn't get too hot to hold? And how does it avoid burning your scalp?

By Jessika Toothman & Ann Meeker-O'Connell

Is your wardrobe filled with fabrics like rayon, silk, and wool blends? Tired of those escalating professional dry cleaning bills? The answer may be as close as your clothes dryer. See how home dry cleaning works.

By Ann Meeker-O'Connell