Genius inventions we no longer use

[Grumpypants78]

Inspired by a chat with a friend after struggling back from the corner shop yet again with the mountains of stuff my family can't survive without. My gran in the 70s used to have a little shopping trolley on wheels she'd take with her. You never see them anymore but what a brilliant idea. They sell them in Amazon, I'm going to buy one and be like my gran only without the curlers and housecoat 🤣
What else do you remember your DPs/DGPs use I can be inspired to invest in?

On the subject of housecoats, What about the brown thin (maybe duster coats?) that men used to wear? All the male neighbours when I was a child wore them usually with a shirt and tie and trousers underneath. They were generally tinkering about with something or painting their railings.

Stone hot water bottles

Washboards

Dog licences

My grandmother used to have a kind thick clear runner over her floor in the hall to stop the carpet getting dirty - haven't seen anything like that in decades.

We do have a pulley rack to dry washing on. And often see those trolleys around!

You have taken me back to Michael Jones fourth birthday party where the centre piece was a white blancmange rabbit on a field of green grass. I was thunderstruck, it was a real How do they do That moment. I honestly thought Mrs Jones had carved the rabbit from a block of blancmange and I was mightily impressed , or gullible, one or the other. And I do believe poor bun was served in little cardboard crinkly edged dishes because that’s how you knew it was a party tea.

To all those talking about eye level grills and bunny moulds. Are you jealous? 😁

@Pixiedust1234

I don't have those amazing bunny moulds, but I DO have an eye level grill. I had a grill inside the oven once when I had a built in hob in a new kitchen we had. I HATED IT SO MUCH!!! I had always had an eye level one up to that point (for the first 35 years of my life,) and had never encountered an oven one.

Never thought much of it when I picked the cooker!!!

I kept it 3 years, then we moved, and the house we moved into had no cooker. So straight away, I ordered a cooker with an eye level grill. Grills inside the oven are shite. Never again. NEVER!!!

Ah but have you ever done a bunny rice mould?

I think "rice mould" may actually be my personal winner in "least attractive dessert name" category.

I have a rabbit jelly mold, it's been passed around for generations to live in someone's kitchen cupboard. It is now my turn to have him as you know I have a small child and he might want a jelly rabbit one day 😂

I've never made jelly in him, but I'm so tempted to do so this weekend to see how it turns out 😬

My great grandmother always had a "pinifore" on in the house to protect her clothes.

Remember heavy glass trifle dishes also? I have one, never used it. -again bit like the rabbit it's my turn to have it.-

Based on that and your rug washing station I'm going for Finland @Natsku

I used to have a salad spinner that doubled as a potato scrubber. There was a different fitment you put in.

Salad spinners haven't disappeared or been superseded by anything else though.

If we're bringing mangles back then we also need flat irons, the ones you heat on the fire rather than plug in.

And copper bed warmers that you put hot embers inside then put inside your bed covers on cold winter nights. Cheaper than electric blankets but you do have to take them out before you get in. Hot water bottles were the upgrade, I believe.

I have one of these. My mum had one before me which she used most of my childhood, it eventually fell apart, she got a new one which also eventually fell apart. That was nearly 20 years ago, and we had one hell of a job trying to find another but got the perfect one via ebay. I would still used it if I could walk, but I can carry everything in my mobility scooter these days. I've still got the trolley and dd can use it....

One thing we're looking out for is a pastry mixer like dh's mum had. It's U-shaped, half a dozen or so wires a bit like a balloon whisk but the wires aren't crossed. Whenever we go to markets/boot fairs we gravitate towards the old tools/kitchen equipment searching for one.

Like these? www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiwoqaVufX5AhXQT8AKHVdwDuQQFnoECAYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2Fpastry-blender%2Fs%3Fk%3Dpastry%2Bblender&usg=AOvVaw17fknyJ5bDMR4NmKXsHyhS
I have a trifle bowl-I use it as a fruit bowl.

Correct! Peas and rug washing are symbolic of Finland

I have one of those pastry mixers.
Think Lakeland sell them - yep - see www.lakeland.co.uk/32983/stainless-steel-pastry-blender?src=gfeed&gclid=CjwKCAjwsMGYBhAEEiwAGUXJaT1O39FvLPsYiPKs5LKSNaG9b_rU3vVCwyu7Pe7-boKpyDtmARAu_xoCxO0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@PunkrockerGirl59 I have a hostess trolley! I love vintage house things. I bought it off eBay about 10 years ago for £40.

😂

Yip, and the glass washing board! I'm not sure MN will be generally amenable to 'use a mangle during the fuel crisis' but it's a brilliant thing that made perfect sense.

Station masters. So helpful, so useful. No longer in existence.

Cats in bakeries to keep the mice down.

Oh dear 😂😂😂

Well the nanas are fools in my view. Shirley Conran said the ideal outfit for doing housework in is a bikini, and I agree. I get sweaty and minging if I do any task involving dust, thus creating more laundry and back breaking labour.

Wacking a nylon coat on top would result in a hot flush visible from jupiter.

"Wacking a nylon coat on top would result in a hot flush visible from jupiter."
Perhaps someone on Jupiter is doing the same thing, and that's what the red spot is?😀

I made myself sick eating raw peas from pea pods as a small child ,still can't eat them now!

Sueelleker 👏👏👏👏👏

I never even saw the implement, but dh describes it frequently, saying how brilliant it was. I really realy want one! Thank you thank you thank you ♥️

Oh dear! Got to know your pea limits and not exceed them!