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When you live with small annoyances, frustration can build over time. You can only catch your belt loop on a drawer handle so many times before you hit your limit. Several of this year’s home innovations address those seemingly small hurdles that can make a big difference in your home life. The monthly chore of replacing an air filter and the seemingly simple task of finding a place to store the lawn mower when not in use get clever solutions. Our grand award winner adds an unprecedented level of accessibility to dishwashers without requiring an entirely new appliance. Living life as usual in your home is a privilege and these innovations help ensure that’s possible.
(Editor’s Note: This is a section from Popular Science’s 38th annual Best of What’s New awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 greatest innovations of 2025.)
Grand Award Winner, Home
Spin&Load rack by Whirlpool: A dishwasher lower rack that actually comes to you
Whirlpool’s Spin&Load rack replaces the typical fixed lower dishwasher rack with a platform that rotates a full 360 degrees, so every plate and pot remains reachable from any side. The accessory drops into standard 24-inch built-in dishwashers across Whirlpool’s brands and spins on a central hub, which means users no longer have to lean deep into the machine or shuffle around the open door just to grab the pan in the back. The rack was developed with the United Spinal Association as well as Whirlpool’s internal advocacy group. The final product was tested with wheelchair users, aiming to make loading and unloading realistic for people with limited reach or balance, not just idealized demo kitchens. It’s also compatible with most of the brand’s standard dishwasher models manufactured after 2018, which makes a much more affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to replacing an entire appliance.
RMA 448 V lawn mower by Stihl: A one-sided handle that simplifies bagging and storage
Stihl’s RMA 448 V battery mower uses a unique-looking handle: instead of the usual two bars, it has a single offset post that leaves the back of the deck completely open. That small change makes it easier to lift out the 13.7-gallon grass bag, flip the integrated mulch flap, or adjust the cutting height without threading your arms around metal tubing. More importantly, the handle folds flat for storing the mower against a wall in tight storage spaces. Despite its foldable stature, It’s still a full-size, self-propelled 19-inch mower with weather-resistant construction and ECO mode to stretch runtime. But the real advantage comes in its streamlined ease of use, because accessories and features aren’t worth having if they’re too annoying to use.
Dyson HushJet Purifier Compact: Jet-style airflow without the jet-engine noise
The HushJet Purifier Compact shrinks Dyson’s bladeless air-multiplier idea into a purifier small enough for a bedroom or home office, then reworks the nozzle to keep things extremely quiet. The uniquely shaped port pulls in room air and pushes it through an electrostatic HEPA filter plus activated carbon, capturing 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns and common gases. It’s strong suction, but, in night mode, noise drops to around 24 dBA. That’s about as loud as a typical whisper. It’s sized for roughly 200 square feet, runs off about 7 pounds of hardware, and uses a sealed filter rated for up to five years, which cuts down on replacement waste and recurring cost. It’s quiet enough and requires so little maintenance that you don’t have to think about it and that’s the way we like it.
Solar Roof Tiles by Jackery: Curved crystalline panels that behave like actual roofing
Jackery’s Solar Roof replaces bolt-on panels with curved tiles that function as both roofing and photovoltaics. Each XBC tile uses a 0.13 mm-thick crystalline silicon cell bent into a 150-degree “smile” shape, delivering over 25% efficiency and around 38 watts per tile—about 170 watts per square meter—while matching the profile of clay or concrete tiles in black or terracotta. The system is rated for hail, high winds, and temperatures from –40°F to 185°F, with a 30-year warranty and integration into Jackery’s home storage gear for whole-house backup. By treating solar as part of the building envelope instead of a separate rack, it aims to make the system acceptable to homeowners’ associations and aesthetics-conscious owners who would otherwise skip rooftop solar—an important barrier if residential rooftops are going to contribute meaningfully to decarbonizing the grid.
Refillable Air Filter Kit by Filtrete: A reusable HVAC frame with collapsible refills
Filtrete’s Refillable Air Filter Kit replaces the usual one-piece furnace filter with a rigid frame designed to live in your HVAC system for up to 20 years and thin “refill” elements that slide in and out. Each MPR 1550 refill lasts up to 12 months, comes folded to take up 75 percent less space, and captures substantially more fine particles than basic filters while generating about 20% less waste over the frame’s life. The kit ships in curbside-recyclable packaging, and Filtrete’s app can nudge you when it’s time to swap the media, which addresses the very human tendency to forget about filters until airflow drops. Given how many homes now rely on forced-air systems for both heating and cooling, a design that cuts bulk trash and encourages longer, more consistent filtration is a small but concrete improvement in how we manage indoor air and HVAC waste.
2025 PopSci Outdoor Gift Guide
