What we do

Industry research from IDC and Gartner puts typical laptop lifespans at just three to five years, and desktops at four to five years. But the underlying hardware tells a different story: CPUs can last a decade, and light-use laptops can deliver seven to eight years of service with basic maintenance. The gap between when consumers discard these machines and when they actually stop working often spans several years.

DurableWorks exists in that gap. Here's what happens when a device comes to us.

1. Intake

   Equipment reaches us three ways: pickup from individual donors across Greater Cleveland, partnerships with municipal e-recycling events where we divert working items before they're shredded, and items rescued directly from curbside waste before collection.

   Every item gets logged on arrival: make, model, condition, source.

2. Triage and testing

   Each device is powered on, tested, and assessed. We check for working displays, keyboards, batteries, ports, speakers, and storage. Machines that boot and pass basic function tests move to refurbishment. Machines that don't move to parts recovery.

3. Data sanitization

   Every storage device is wiped before an item leaves our workshop. No exceptions. We follow NIST Special Publication 800-88 for media sanitization, using the "purge" method for drives that will be reused and physical destruction for drives that won't. We verify the result on every device.

   For donors: your data is protected either way. If you'd prefer to start the process yourself before donating, we have plain-language instructions for signing out of accounts and resetting common devices. Whether you prep your device or not, we still run full NIST 800-88 sanitization before the machine is placed with anyone.

4. Refurbishment

   We clean each machine, replace worn components where we have them (batteries, keyboards, thermal paste), update firmware and drivers, install a current operating system, and verify the machine runs reliably under load. Laptops get new feet. Everything gets cleaned, inside and out.

   The goal: a machine that the next owner can use with confidence for years.

5. Placement

   Refurbished equipment goes to one of three places:

   • Directly to individuals in the community, especially when a specific need matches what we have on the bench
   • Donated to the Goodwill Industries tech store near Cleveland, which places working electronics with a broad audience at accessible prices
   • To partner organizations serving people who need technology access

   We don't warehouse. If it's ready, it goes out.

6. Parts recovery

   Machines that can't be restored become a resource for ones that can. We harvest working RAM, storage drives, batteries, keyboards, screens, cables, power adapters, and small components. A dead laptop often contains the part that brings three other laptops back to life.

7. Responsible recycling

   What remains after parts recovery goes to certified e-recyclers in Northeast Ohio for responsible material recovery. Nothing working goes to shred. Nothing goes to landfill.