Bought a pothos from the rescue bin for $3. Half its leaves were yellow, the rest were brown at the tips. Here's what worked.
Yellow leaves usually mean overwatering. Brown crispy tips usually mean underwatering or low humidity. Both at once? Probably root rot.
I unpotted it. The roots confirmed it — mushy, dark, smelled bad. Half the root system was already gone.
Cut away all the rotten roots with clean scissors. Trimmed yellow leaves. Repotted in fresh, well-draining mix in a smaller pot (smaller is important — less soil to stay wet).
Bright indirect light. Watered only when the top inch was dry. No fertilizer yet — let the roots recover before asking the plant to do anything.
New leaf. Small, light green, but new. The plant decided it was going to live.
Watered roughly once a week (finger test, not calendar). Diluted fertilizer once a month. It's not winning awards but it's alive and putting out new growth. From the $3 rescue bin to a plant I'd actually buy.