17 Beloved Household Items That Are No Longer Around
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Many household items we once relied on are no longer in production, leaving a void in our daily lives. Kitchen gadgets and beloved cleaning products often served as indispensable tools, making tasks easier, more efficient, or nostalgic. However, technological shifts, evolving consumer preferences, and economic challenges have pushed many of these products off shelves.
A survey by The Harris Poll revealed that many respondents miss certain discontinued products. This speaks to our emotional and practical attachment to familiar tools that define our routines. These 17 discontinued items remain irreplaceable in our hearts and homes.
VHS Tapes
VHS tapes are considered a relic of the past, long lost to time and forgotten. However, they remain fresh in the minds of many as they were once a staple within home entertainment. These tapes were launched during the 1970s to record and watch films and shows whenever individuals wanted.
After the rise of DVDs and streaming, there was little to no demand for VHS tapes. This change left some nostalgia even though the picture and sound were objectively better in other formats.
Rotary Phones
Bloodbaths in your home were only half the terror; you also had a clunky rotary phone that looked exactly like a refrigerator. You then had to wait for the telephone’s dial to return to its original position, meaning communication was a simpler and more deliberate process back in the day.
No longer “touch-tone” but with numeric keypads (until eventually evolving into smartphones), this was a relic of the past that plenty now look back on with nostalgia, a mechanical oddity to some.
SodaStream Glass Bottles
SodaStream successfully sold a glass soda bottle product to households before they switched to plastic. Plastic was a jack of all trades, while glass bottles looked more stylish and were environmentally friendly.
The taste of carbonated drinks on glass was more appealing and easier to clean, so it was functional, too. Although SodaStream still exists today, many of those who appreciate the richness and experience of glass mourn the loss of glass bottles to SodaStream.
Electric Can Openers
A couple of decades ago, electric can openers were the rage for people looking to make their time at the cutting board a little easier, particularly those with less hand strength.
These things were like magic, allowing users to open cans easily. The gradual disappearance of electric openers has created a vacuum for anyone who found convenience in their functionality and attractive, counter-friendly layout.
Polaroid Cameras
Polaroid cameras became immediately popular for their instant photo printing. As cliche as it sounds, which may surprise you, considering I am pretty far ahead in the technology department for taking pictures (by today’s standards), there is an undeniable sense of feeling when you hold a Polaroid photo.
Though Polaroid has made a very small landing back on Earth, the original versions and films are dearly missed – especially by photography hobbyists who once loved its unique retro aura.
TV Antennas
Before cable and satellite TV, the biggest role of a TV antenna was to pull in broadcast channels. These metal constructions were typically placed atop roofs or windows to let families watch a handful of channels. While it barely compares to today’s stunning high-definition, flipping through a few select channels was a treasured memory for many.
Nowadays, the rise of digital TV and streaming has rendered antennas largely unnecessary — but for those who recall fiddling with “rabbit ears” in search of a better signal, there’s a certain nostalgia around the era they belong to.
Glass Milk Bottles
Milk was delivered in glass bottles by a local milkman. The thick glass, which was re-useable, kept the milk cool and fresh, and there was something about returning bottles empty that you then got more in.
Eventually, glass bottles became a rarity as the convenience of plastic jugs and cartons took over. Those of us who grew up with those deliveries wish they would return because there was nothing quite like the purity and plain old, better-tasting beverage when every sip started in a glass container.
Metal Ice Trays
Metal ice trays were a typical household item before plastic ice trays and automatic ice makers. A lever would complement the actual trays’ robustness to remove the ice, which could sometimes require force, but that was half of its gritty appeal!
Although ice-making solutions may be more efficient today, the nostalgia of the satisfying snap you get when removing a metal tray has not disappeared.
Wooden Clothes Drying Racks
Electric dryers replace the wooden scrubbing and hanging clothes racks (we still have one and can use it for emergencies). Regardless, these basic racks were the answer to an eco-friendly and space-preserving way to air-dry clothes inside.
The fact they are seldom seen in modern homes represents a trend away from sustainability and towards convenience. Those who experienced laundry on these racks remind you of air-dried laundry’s cool smell and crunchiness, something an electric dryer can never get quite sheer.
Typewriters
Although computers and word processors replaced typewriters, the mechanical device holds a special spot in the hearts of many. It was a physical, interactive experience from the sound of keys clacking in rhythm and hitting that return key to the solid feel of the mechanical machine.
Certainly, in some ways, a modern keyboard might be faster and more efficient than a typewriter–but the old-school analog nature of the typewriter may have made it easier to feel present with what you were writing. Even the most seasoned vintage lovers still lament these machines slowly disappearing from daily operations.
Incandescent Light Bulbs
Incandescent bulbs, a home staple for over 100 years, are becoming obsolete with the replacement of LEDs and CFLs, which are more energy-saving. These newer versions last much longer and use less energy, but the wistful glow of an incandescent bulb still calls to many people.
It leaves a certain ambiance in the light that many modern bulbs cannot recreate. Some homes, though, pine for the comfort of the heat only these bulbs could give off.
Cassette Tapes
Long before the days of digital music and streaming services, cassette tapes were an entry point for listening to music on the move. They enabled people to make custom mixtapes that fit into their pockets or bags. With the coming of CDs and then MP3 players, the demand for cassettes steadily dropped.
It’s not always the best audio quality, but it’s a process of creating mixtapes that’s almost lost to music lovers—and the sound of all meaningful narrative demise from 3:35 until now.
Glass Coffee Percolators
Glass Coffee Percolators were really popular, as you can see in the kitchens from their photos. They were said to make a richly flavored, aromatic beverage by percolating water through the coffee grounds.
People still refer to them as some of the greatest-tasting coffee ever. While modern coffee makers give consumers greater convenience, they fail to nurture the ritualistic experience offered by a percolator from a bygone era. That sense of flavor is almost certainly lost on today’s pod-based systems.
Clothes Wringer Washers
Clothes wringer washers were used before the popularity of automatic washing machines, where they damaged clothes by pulling them through a spinning tub that squeezed out the water. The old-school hand-agitated washer was a bit of work, but it was far easier to consider how little energy it took to wash one shirt at a time and how much control it gave users over the washing process.
Still, others remember the sheer pleasure of wringing through the clothes and hearing the water being squeezed out. Wringer washers are a great reminder of the days when laundry was labor-intensive. Although modern machines are much faster, there is something to be said for that hands-on experience.
Brown Paper Grocery Bags
The other thing is that plastic bags have gradually replaced brown paper grocery bags in most stores because they are lighter and cheaper. But the paper bags were more sturdy, biodegradable, and could be used over and over for many other household jobs.
People often miss the absence of these recyclable workhorses, both as school book covers, arts and crafts resistant to tearing or simply carrying weights without breaking down. Their downfall can be seen as a triumph of convenience, but they have lived on in history for their utility.
Glass Butter Dishes
There was often a beautiful glass butter dish on tables everywhere to hold a greedy stick of butter from the ample rolls we bought, three pounds at a time and wrapped in dark pink waxed paper. With the move towards storing plastic ware and pre-packaged butter, these are rarer to see.
Plain in design though they may be, glass butter dishes elevate an ordinary meal and keep your butter perfectly spreadable without unsightly melting rings. People who grew up seeing them now miss the timeless appeal they brought to the table.
Hand-Cranked Ice Cream Makers
For families making ice cream at home, hand-cranked ice cream makers were an interactive and enjoyable option. It was a laborious process, but the luxury at the end was that delicious, indulgent dessert fresh from your oven.
Today, electric versions and store-bought ice cream have supplanted most of these hand-cranked machines, but many still fondly remember their communal effort to turn the crank and their eager anticipation of that first scoop. The nostalgia of being hand-churned with fresh and good ingredients is something you’ll never get from a machine.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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