Tech
Review: The Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is the first wet/dry vacuum I liked
I first tested a wet/dry vacuum when the technology was still new. It was an early Tineco model — and I hated it. The technology just wasn't ready yet. But the Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is proof that that's no longer the case. When I first saw this wet/dry in operation at a Dreame event in New York City, I was amazed. And after reviewing dozens of vacuums in my career, I am not easily amazed by floor-cleaning technology.
If you've been looking for a wet/dry vacuum that actually works (and can clean on carpets as well), then the Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is a smart pickup at $699.99. Dreame has made similar cordless wet/dry vacuums, but the addition of carpet cleaning sets this new flagship model apart. I took some before-and-after photos and videos to show you how it works.
The Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex: By the numbers
I should note that while the H15 Pro uses hot water to clean itself, it doesn't use hot water to clean your floors. I found it worked well as is, but if you want hot water cleaning, you'll have to spring for the $899.99 H15 Pro Heat Wet/Dry model.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
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Type: Wet/dry vacuum and mop
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Cordless: Yes
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Suction: 23,000 Pa
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Self-cleaning: Yes (cleans with 212 degrees Fahrenheit water)
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Battery life: 60 minutes
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Charge time: 3 hours
The H15 Pro CarpetFlex Review: It easily passes the Swiffer test
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
When I first started reviewing 2-in-1 hybrid robot vacuums and mops, I asked a simple question with each review: Does it pass the Swiffer test? (Not to be confused with my colleague Leah Stodart's Graham Cracker test.) As in, does it mop better than a $20 Swiffer? Considering that flagship vacuums now cost $1,000 or more, they damn well better pass the Swiffer test.
The H15 Pro passes where other wet/dry vacuums and robot vacuums before it have failed. Don't judge me, but in these before-and-after videos, you can see a layer of set-in stains, which my army of robot vacuums has left behind over the years. You can clearly see where the H15 Pro has been to work, and you can watch as the stains disappear relatively quickly. This is a wet/dry vacuum that really can wipe away stains on hardwood floors (or, in my case, laminate flooring and tile flooring).
That's impressive on its own, but the H15 Pro can also make fresh spells disappear just as easily. I spread a swab of butter on the floor, and the H15 Pro gobbled it up faster than any vacuum I've ever tested. That's partly thanks to a scraper, which drops down when you pull back the vacuum. You can lock this scraper in place, and if you look closely, you'll also see a slightly confusing message: "No detach. Just attach — one machine for all floors."
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
The H15 Pro has one major flaw — don't make my mistake
OK, so that's the "wet" part of wet/dry, but what about carpets and other floor types? On paper, the H15 has a lot going for it. A filter to stop allergens, 23,000 Pa suction power, and a brush designed to comb through and clean carpet fibers. However, after rolling this vacuum brush across my hard floors to get to the area rugs in my bedroom, I found that this vacuum left behind a long trail of scuffs on my floor.
Now, I'm not sure if this comes from the scraper being locked in place or from the carpet brush itself. You could call this user error — no one made me lock the scraper in place or roll the carpet brush across laminate floors, but if it's user error, it's an incredibly easy error to make. Now, these scuffs aren't permanent, and I was able to use the H15 Pro to wipe them away, but it was annoying.
So, not great! Once I learned from my mistake, I found that this works fine as a carpet vacuum. It's not the best I've tested (that honor goes to a Dyson cordless vacuum — no surprise), but impressive enough for a 2-in-1.
Battery and self-cleaning work well
The Dreame offers one-button self-cleaning, which is very effective. The self-cleaning dock uses hot water cleaning (212 degrees Fahrenheit / 100 degrees Celsius) to thoroughly clean the roller brush of grease and debris, as well as hot air (194 degrees F / 90 degrees C). It's not as loud as I expected, and it cleans itself fairly quickly. As you can see, after a self-cleaning cycle, the scrubbing brush looks basically like new:
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Is the Dreame H15 Pro worth it?
If you have a lot of hard floors to clean and don't want to put in any elbow grease, the Dreame H15 Pro actually fulfills the wet/dry promise. However, you need to watch for the scuffing that can be caused by the carpet attachment. As long as you don't repeat my mistake, this easily justifies its $699.99 price tag. I plan on updating this review after spending a bit more time with this cordless vacuum, but my initial review has been positive.

Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Would I have bought this wet/dry for my one-bedroom New York City apartment? No, but if you have more square footage and share my disdain for cleaning, this cordless wet/dry vacuum makes quick work of tough messes.
You can buy the Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex from Amazon and Dreame starting today for $699.99.
Tech
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 24, 2026

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're rowdy.
Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Hullabaloo
The words are related to sound.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe ruckus.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today's spangram is Lets Get Loud.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
NYT Strands word list for April 24
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Shout
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Holler
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Clamor
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Lets Get Loud
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Bellow
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Whoop
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Caterwaul
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.
Tech
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 24, 2026

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love a good drink.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:
Intoxicated.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is…
DRUNK
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
Tech
FCC challenges gender identity themes on kids TV

The Federal Communications Commission is using the presence of "controversial gender identity issues" in children's television programming as a pretense for questioning how TV ratings are developed and enforced, according to a notice published Wednesday by the federal agency.
The notice generally assesses TV ratings, but specifically points out that these industry guidelines have rated shows featuring "transgender and gender non-binary programming" as appropriate for children. It argues that parents aren't provided this information, "thereby undermining the ability of parents to make informed choices for their families."
In the document, the FCC poses a series of open-ended questions about TV ratings development, including whether the board responsible for the guidelines is "sufficiently balanced" with viewpoints outside of the entertainment industry and if faith-based organizations should be represented in the body.
"What more could the board do to include family-oriented perspectives — which are not well represented in the media industry — in its ratings process?" the notice asks.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the public notice on X, explaining that "parents have raised concerns with the industry's approach." He added that these parents believe "New York & Hollywood programmers" promote objectionable content in kids programming without disclosing that to parents. Carr didn't mention gender identity in his X post.
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TV parents guidelines can include both a rating as well as descriptors for content that includes crude language, sexual situations, and violence.
LGBTQ+ advocates criticized the public notice, arguing that it amounted to discrimination and censorship.
"Trump's FCC is trying to turn transgender people into a warning label," Tyler Hack, executive director of the transgender rights advocacy group Christopher Street Project, said in a statement. "It is dehumanizing, and it is part of a broader political strategy to stigmatize LGBTQ+ people in every corner of public life."
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, described the notice as government overreach.
"Media companies must be allowed to create and broadcast stories that reflect one-quarter of their audience without interference from a government agency with its own anti-transgender political agenda," Ellis said in a statement.
This isn't the first time Carr has been accused of censorship. Carr has claimed broadcasters air "hoaxes" and "news distortions" that also happen to be unfavorable to President Trump. Carr has suggested the licenses of such broadcasters won't be renewed.
In March, dozens of free speech experts argued in an open letter to Carr that his threats against broadcasters are "unlawful jawboning" and his vague characterization of "fake news" violates the First Amendment. The authors called on Carr to "withdraw" his threats.
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