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Things that used to be common place in people’s homes

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ainsworth74

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That was back in the days where pretty much every adult knew how to fit a plug (at least in theory). Moulded plugs are a lot safer, but it does mean that most people now are too terrified to even attempt to fit one and would call an electrician.

I was taught (officially, my dad had taught me years previously) how to wire a plug as part of my GCSE Physics in 2005/2006!
 
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najaB

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I was taught (officially, my dad had taught me years previously) how to wire a plug as part of my GCSE Physics in 2005/2006!
As well you should be - but that was in Physics, so immediately you're in a minority there. It really should be part of a mandatory Adulting GCSE.
 

Cowley

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@Xenophon PCDGS pointed out to me this morning after seeing them in the background in one of the photos of my model railway that I still have Bakelite door handles in my house. :lol:
 

ainsworth74

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As well you should be - but that was in Physics, so immediately you're in a minority there. It really should be part of a mandatory Adulting GCSE.

Hmm fair point I can't recall if my fellows who did Dual Award rather than Triple Award also learned how to do it. And as for mandatory Adulting GCSE there's all sorts of things that should be in an award like that!
 

Peter Sarf

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I have not found mention of it on the thread but do you remember the days when there was a surplus of three pin sockets in the house. None of them twin sockets. I suppose it was in the 1960s and 1970s when there were a lot less electrical devices around. It might of course have merely been a feature of a well designed house built in 1959 ?.

No double glazing. Everyone round us has wooden windows that were rotting faster than the ones in older houses. As an aside Everest truly were the best at "double glazing" because they had the copyright of the term "double glazing" - everyone else fitted "replacement windows".

I can remember viewing a house in 1987 and being told about a neighbours house that had gas outlets half way up the wall in every room with a gas light. Apparently there was no electricity because the owner was afraid the electricity could leak out of the holes in the sockets !.
 

Lucan

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I remember buying various electrical items and finding out there was no plug supplied with them. Really annoying back in the day.
I am annoyed that things do come with one. They are often rubbish, and often a poor shape for handling, made for minimised cost. I have some wireable Crabtree plugs of better quality than any moulded ones and will last forever, and they provide consistent plug handling throughout the house. Usually, with a new appliance, I cut off the moulded plug and fit the Crabtree one from the previous appliance (after checking it), and the moulded plug is just waste.

With a fixed appliance such as a washing machine the supplied lead is never the right length anyway. No point in 2-3 yards of excess flex lying in the wet and being trodden on when the socket is right by the machine. So in that case I cut the flex to the best length and fit my own plug. Or else the supplied lead is too short and I have to get into the appliance to fit a longer one ditto. Ideally, appliances would have industrial standard chassis plugs, and the lead, with a plug and a lead socket, sold separately in a choice of lengths - moulded if you like.
 
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Our house was built in the mid 90s. The dishwasher, washing machine the fridge (which were supplied) were all permanently wired to boxes in the wall behind them with separate switches above. When it's time to replace our washing machine (soon) the first thing I will have to do to the new one is to cut the plug off and wire it to the wall. No big issue apart from getting my aging body into the awkward space and being able to see properly. If there is a problem with the machine here could be an issue. Or I could leave the 13 amp plug on and replace the connection box with a socket, if there's room.
 

LSWR Cavalier

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Yes, houses that had an old range often didn't have electric sockets. The landlord would consider that they didn't need electric cookers, kettles, or heaters.

Something that was fairly common down my way (well my house and most of my neighbours had them too) was a belfast sink with three taps.
Any guesses as to what the taps were?
One or two dispensed water not suitable for drinking?
Could be a thing in future, one for gray water?
 

trainophile

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How about those all-in-one kitchen cabinet things with shelves and drawers? Everyone had one or more, ours were painted yellow and blue. Collectors items now if you've got one in good condition.
 

yorksrob

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How about those all-in-one kitchen cabinet things with shelves and drawers? Everyone had one or more, ours were painted yellow and blue. Collectors items now if you've got one in good condition.

The BBC had one which seemed to crop up in a number of sitcom sets through the 70's and 80's as I recall, including Only Fools and Horses.
 

birchesgreen

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I'm (very slowly) clearing out my mum's loft out of decades of junk, one thing i threw away today was an old teasmade. Do people still use these?
 

takno

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I'm (very slowly) clearing out my mum's loft out of decades of junk, one thing i threw away today was an old teasmade. Do people still use these?
I think it would be a faff to remember to fill it the night before tbh. I'd very much like a cup of tea in bed in the morning, but not badly enough to keep the machine maintained, and I suspect that most other people were the same, even back when teasmades were still a thing
 

trainophile

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We used to have one but the milk went sour in summer, and the thing never made enough for two decent cups each - lucky to get one each out of it. I feel there is a market for an updated version though, perhaps incorporating a mini fridge for the milk.
 

py_megapixel

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We used to have one but the milk went sour in summer, and the thing never made enough for two decent cups each - lucky to get one each out of it. I feel there is a market for an updated version though, perhaps incorporating a mini fridge for the milk.
If such a product was manufactured, it would almost certainly have to be 'smart', with Google Assistant integration and a smartphone app :rolleyes:

Incidentally, how common is it now to make non-instant coffee with anything other than a drip filter machine or an espresso machine?
 

trainophile

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If such a product was manufactured, it would almost certainly have to be 'smart', with Google Assistant integration and a smartphone app :rolleyes:

Incidentally, how common is it now to make non-instant coffee with anything other than a drip filter machine or an espresso machine?

Alexa, pour the tea...
 

takno

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Incidentally, how common is it now to make non-instant coffee with anything other than a drip filter machine or an espresso machine?
Quite a lot of cafetieres around, and aeropresses seem pretty popular with the millennials. I haven't seen a coffee filter sitting on top of a China coffee pot since I was a kid though.
 

Journeyman

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We used to have one but the milk went sour in summer, and the thing never made enough for two decent cups each - lucky to get one each out of it. I feel there is a market for an updated version though, perhaps incorporating a mini fridge for the milk.
It's the sort of thing people bought, used once or twice and then shoved in a cupboard to be forgotten about.
 

ComUtoR

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Like a Sodastream!

Absolutly love my sodastream. It gets regular use all year round. I got my Mum one for Christmas :)

Ditto toasted sandwich makers. I love the toasties they make, but keeping them clean is a nightmare.

My kids tried to get me to buy a sandwich maker. They are a nightmare. Now my Daughter can crack out an amazing cheese toastie using the griddle pan.
 

pdq

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Absolutly love my sodastream. It gets regular use all year round. I got my Mum one for Christmas :)



My kids tried to get me to buy a sandwich maker. They are a nightmare. Now my Daughter can crack out an amazing cheese toastie using the griddle pan.
Agree. We replaced a toastie maker years ago with a Breville panini press. Flat and non-stick so a doddle to wipe over with a kitchen towel.
 

dgl

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On the Teasmade front Lidl were selling them before Christmas, Swan branded.
Oh and old style metal dustbins, some with rubber lids most with metal, replaced mostly with wheelie bins.
 

DelW

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Ditto toasted sandwich makers. I love the toasties they make, but keeping them clean is a nightmare.
I use a George Foreman grill for toasted sandwiches, works well and is very easy to clean.

I think Teasmaids lost popularity as central heating became widespread - if the whole house is warm it's easier to nip downstairs to make a brew and take it back to bed with you. It's only if the house is chilly that there's an advantage to having tea without getting out of bed.
 
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