Laundry Chutes
A small door may connect the hallway to the washing room in residences with more than one story. Laundry chutes are designed to eliminate the hassle of hauling laundry by allowing you to just toss it down the chute to be washed. They’re so useful that a lot of people still use them now.
Nobody knows when or who invented the first washing chute. Newspaper clippings from the 1890s describe the first linen chutes. Your laundry days will be a lot easier if your home has one.
Laundry Chutes
Medicine Cabinet Slit
A tiny slit that appears like a coin slot can be found in certain old houses’ medicine cabinets. It was originally intended to be a place where razors may be deposited. People would drop their discarded razor blades into the slot once they completed shaving. Where would they go exactly? Nowhere really, just into the wall. You’d probably notice all the discarded razors if you took out the medicine cabinet. If you’re having your old medicine cabinet replaced, keep that in mind. You don’t want an infection from a razor blade that’s been around for decades.
Medicine Cabinet
A Second Staircase And Hidden Rooms
A second staircase in some old, huge homes may lead to smaller rooms in the basement and attic. This is what the servants’ quarters were referred to. Servants resided in the same house as their masters in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and were designed to keep servants hidden and out of sight. These rooms might have intricate paths connecting to the dining room and kitchen in large estates. Spiral stairs and smaller apartments were common in servants quarters until the twentieth century.
A Second Staircase And Hidden Rooms
Button Light Switches
In the nineteenth century, light switches with buttons were quite prevalent. It wasn’t until 1917 that the toggle light switch became popular. Toggle switches replaced button light switches because they were inefficient- getting frequently jammed. You know your house is old if it has button switches. Some people love the aesthetic of a button light switch, despite the fact that it has been out of style for nearly a century. Designers have created new button switches that meet today’s safety requirements. So you can get one if you want one!
Button Light Switches
The Dumbwaiter
Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators made to lift objects from one floor to another. You can recognize a dumbwaiter by its sliding door and the fact that it usually opens into the kitchen. In the 1840s, people used dumbwaiters to transfer food to a living room or bedroom. Dumbwaiters are still used in some buildings today. They’re often installed in hospitals, retirement homes, and some restaurants to transport meals. Unlike antique dumbwaiters, modern ones come equipped with electric monitors and automatic control systems.
The Dumbwaiter
Boot Scraper
In front of some homes sit tiny iron ornaments. These are actually boot scrapers and were first prominent during the seventeenth century. Boot-wearers would scrape the mud off their shoes before entering a house. Nowadays we have better methods, these only seem to stub people’s toes! Boot scrapers, known in French as “decrottoirs,” existed in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many of them have elaborate spirals and motifs, as well as animals. Two boot scrapers would normally be placed on either side of the door at the end of a pathway. If it’s muddy outside, you might be able to find an old boot scraper.
Boot Scraper
Milk Door
If your house has a small cabinet with doors both inside and outside, it might be a milk door. Also called a milk chute, milk doors were built for milkmen to drop in daily milk. Like iceboxes, milk doors allowed homeowners to retrieve their daily milk without leaving their homes. Milkmen usually delivered the drinks early in the morning so families could drink milk with breakfast. Sometimes, milkmen would deliver other products such as eggs, cheese, butter, and soft drinks. In the U.S., some families still have milk delivered today.
Milk Door
Picture Rails Line The Walls And Ceiling
You may have a picture rail if your walls contain small wooden railings towards the ceiling. Architects built these into homes in the 1840s to hang pictures. The art would be suspended from a chain and would not damage the wall. Many picture rails have adjustable painting hooks. By the 1940s, picture rails had become obsolete. If you wish to protect your walls from nails, you can still install a picture rail. Most picture rails are 1.5 to 2 inches wide and made of wood, which is sometimes painted to match the room’s décor.
Picture Rails Line The Walls And Ceiling
Murphy Beds
What is a Murphy bed? A Murphy bed is a mattress that is stored vertically against a wall, as a space-saving device. Sometimes they are often referred to as wall beds, or simply a pull-out bed. They are usually stored in a closet or a cabinet. Many might be familiar with these beds from sitcoms in the 80s and 90s, but they were also popular in silent films of the 1900s. Murphy beds aren’t so popular anymore. They declined during the 90s and 00s, but have had a slight resurgence in the 2010s.
Murphy Beds
Windows Above The Front Door
Have you ever wondered why certain doors have windows that extend beyond the frame? These are transom windows, which are horizontal windows that let light in. Transom windows were used to illuminate the entryway before electricity became widely available. Today, transom windows are still popular. Older transom windows could open to ventilate the home, unlike later versions. Most transom windows no longer open now that air conditioners are commonplace. If they do, it’s possible they’re from a previous generation.
Windows Above The Front Door
A Button In The Middle Of The Floor
A random button on the wall or floor may be seen in certain homes. These were servant buttons, which were an electric servant summoning mechanism that became popular in the late 1800s. These buttons, often known as “butler buttons,” summon a servant to the chamber. Some homes’ floors are littered with servant buttons. Since architects couldn’t estimate the size of the table the owner would use, the button was placed on the floor to ensure that the master could reach it. Most servant buttons are now painted over or hidden behind a rug.
A Button In The Middle Of The Floor
Separate Mini House
Large estates in New England may feature a separate outdoor barn from the main house. Large fires and stone ovens are included in these barns. Summer kitchens are where servants and slaves prepare large enough meals to feed everyone on the estate. Summer kitchens were popular in the nineteenth century and were intended to keep the main house cool. Cooking in a separate dwelling would keep the family from overheating because everything was done on wood-burning stones and fires. Bedrooms for employees and slaves were included in several summer kitchens.
Separate Mini House
The Cold Closet Along An Outside Wall
There’s a reason why an old house has an outdoor closet that’s constantly cold- Cold closets. Yes, that’s its real name! They were created to keep fruits and vegetables fresh for as long as possible. Cold closets, unlike ice boxes, were installed before families had access to refrigerators. Although cold closets couldn’t keep products frozen, they could keep vegetables, cheese, and meats fresh until they were needed. People would store herbs and produce in chilly closets to keep them from spoiling, especially during harvests. If your refrigerator is full, you can still use a cool closet.
The Cold Closet Along An Outside Wall
A Phone Jack
With each passing day, the number of homes that require a landline phone jack lowers. For starters, most individuals only use their cell phones, and just a small percentage of people have a landline phone. It is only really required by internet service providers. The land line will become increasingly outdated as more tech companies release Wi-Fi gadgets. It’ll only be a matter of time before we don’t need a landline at all.
A Phone Jack
Floppy Disks
You don’t need to look at this slide if you’re still living in the year 2000. Unfortunately, because it is 2020, everyone is affected. Why would you keep floppy disks in your house? Any information you may have gotten from one of them is now available for free on the internet. Please, At this point in our lives, we do not need them. Get rid!
Floppy Disks
Old Camera Film
This is something that only the hipster kids can get away with. Developing film is so twentieth century. It is now time for you to use your smartphone, which has a higher resolution than that awesome camera you bought in 2010. On a more serious point, who develops film these days if they aren’t into photography professionally or as a hobby? It’s a new day, and you should be aware that most retailers will no longer develop your film.
Old Camera Film
Exchange Your Old Phones For Money
I have a question for you: do you have an Android or an Apple phone? If you’ve surprised us and answered “no” to that question, we need you to get rid of your box of flip phones. There are even locations where you may sell them for cash. We’re not trying to be harsh, but those old phones are no longer useful to anyone. In fact, some communities consider them “burner phones,” so if you have one, you could be up to no good.
Exchange Your Old Phones For Money
Maps!
Unless you are Dora the Explorer, it is time to get rid of any physical maps you have around the house. The only case we will accept is if you have one hung on your wall, otherwise they have to go! If you have a loose one in a drawer, cupboard or elsewhere, trash it. Nowadays you have access to the internet, phones, satellite navigation and a friend on speed dial- you can certainly find your way.
Maps!
VHS Player
Is there anything more obsolete than the VHS player? Streaming services have rendered VHS players entirely unnecessary in today’s times. Even so, DVDs are a backup plan. VHS players are used to be the go-to method for watching your favorite movie, but those days are long gone today. Unless you wish to live in continuous nostalgia, we recommend trying to sell your machine for the highest possible profit.
VHS Player
Fax Machine
This one should be self-explanatory. The internet is now such a helpful and powerful technology that the need for fax machines have long since vanished. Some businesses still have fax machines in their offices, although you’re unlikely to hear them. As a result, unless you’re interacting with someone from the past, you don’t need this equipment in your house any longer. Make it a personal goal.
Fax Machine
Yellow Pages
Who are you attempting to deceive? You’re stuck in the past if you’re still flicking through hundreds of pages looking for that plumber’s phone number to come out and fix your leak. Hey, it’s not all doom and gloom though. If you still have one lying around, you can use it as a stepping tool if you’re short. You could even use it to add height to the back seat of your car.
Yellow Pages
Prehistoric Alarm Clocks
We aren’t necessarily judging any of you that still use a physical alarm clock. At the end of the day, they still look nice in bedrooms and serve a purpose. However, it must be noted that your smart phone is more than suitable to replace this. For heavier sleepers, this might be a good tool still. However, you don’t really need one.
Prehistoric Alarm Clocks
CD Frisbee
This one is a little more difficult. CDs are no longer necessary thanks to music streaming services, which eliminate the need for anything other than headphones and a smart device. While VHS cartridges are more difficult to come by, CDs are still available at practically every electronics store. Some individuals enjoy putting them in their car audio for a retro vibe, but they are no longer required. Feel free to trash any that you find on your floor or simply use them as a frisbee.
CD Frisbee
Wired Landline
There’s one thing having a landline phone, but another having a wired landline! As previously stated, it can be forgiven having a landline, seeing as how they come in package deals with broadband. However, a wired one? Do you want to be restricted to one space while you talk on the phone? If you’re going to have a landline, at least use a wireless one.
Wired Landline
Radio
Radio is still important, with many of us tuning in daily to hear people discuss important topics, the news or simply music. However, to have an old style ancient radio is beyond unnecessary. Not only is the quality poor, but they don’t suit modern décor. If you want to listen to the radio, use your Amazon speaker or equivalent, your phone; every device that is connected to the internet has access to radio! At a better quality too…
Radio