Toaster won’t pop up or the lever stays stuck down (Russell Hobbs & Breville)

A toaster lever that won’t stay down, pops up too early, or gets stuck down and won’t release is one of the most common and genuinely easy-to-fix toaster complaints — almost always crumb build-up jamming the mechanism.

What to check first

1. Unplug the toaster before doing anything, and turn it upside down and shake gently over a bin to clear loose crumbs.
2. Open the crumb tray (usually a small sliding or hinged panel underneath) and empty it — a full or jammed crumb tray is one of the most common causes of lever problems, and should be emptied regularly as routine maintenance.
3. Check the lever mechanism itself for visible crumbs or debris around the metal carriage that holds the bread, which can be gently brushed away (unplugged, and never insert anything metal into a toaster while it’s plugged in).
4. Check the lever moves freely by hand when empty and unplugged — if it’s genuinely stiff or catching mechanically rather than just crumb-jammed, that points to a different, less DIY-friendly fault.

When to call an engineer or replace it

If crumbs are cleared and the lever still won’t stay down or release properly, the electromagnet or timer mechanism that holds the carriage down has likely failed — as with kettles, toasters are rarely economical to professionally repair given typical replacement costs.