As an almost 30-year-old, it’s crazy to think how much houses have changed over the years. When I was a child, I remember my mom line-drying my clothes in the backyard and scrubbing the floor by hand every Sunday. This was commonplace in my family so I didn’t really think twice about it; however, my current home is vastly different with modern conveniences designed to make life easier and more efficient — no more waiting 12 hours for dresses and shirts to dry.
It’s hard to imagine a time when homes didn’t have electric stoves, air fryers and refrigerators. As technology has advanced, these modern conveniences have come to feel essential. Yet many of the time and energy-saving features we rely on today became common in homes only within the past 30 years.
To better understand what daily life looked like before these upgrades, we spoke with interior designers and real estate agents about how families managed their homes before modern conveniences.
Wood-burning ovens were used for cooking
Wood-fired ovens are still in use today in some commercial kitchens and restaurants; however, they began to disappear around the mid-20th century. baking bread and cooking meat. “Daily chores involved maintaining coal or wood-burning stoves and ovens for cooking and that’s not as much of a thing these days,” says Matt Brown, a real estate agent and broker associate at William Raveis.
Root cellars were used to keep food cold
Since many families did not have or own refrigerators, they used root cellars to store root vegetables, smoked meats for long-term storage and dried fruits, according to Brown. Root cellars use natural insulation and, in essence, mimic the functions of a refrigerator.
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Cisterns were used to access water in the kitchen
In the late 19th century, families would get their water from a well or stream and then walk it to their homes. To help make it easier, those with the means would have a private cistern to collect rainwater, which was then used for cooking and cleaning to spare the long weekly (and sometimes daily) treks, which could be miles.
Clothes were cleaned on washboards with homemade lye soap
Before the time of washing and drying machines in the late 19th century, clothes were washed on washboardsby hand using lye soap, which was highly irritating to the skin. This type of soap was made from animal fat, water and lye and cooked in a cast iron pan and left to harden for future use by those in the home, especially by women who did a majority of the housework.
Irons were heated on top of stoves
Before electric irons, people heated cast irons on stovetops until they reached the right temperature. Because the irons did not produce their own heat, they cooled as they were used and had to be swapped out for another hot iron. This process continued until the ironing was finished, making it both time-consuming and potentially dangerous without proper protective equipment.
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Outhouses were built outside the home
Since many homes before the early 19th century didn’t have indoor plumbing, they used outhouses. This was done for obvious reasons, as unflushed waste would cause a host of issues inside the home. We don’t need outhouses today; however, they can still be found in some remote parts of the world.
Dumbwaiters were used to transport goods throughout the home
Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators used to transport food and goods from varying floors in the home, operated by a pulley system. These were often found in homes of wealthy individuals as servants would prepare food and deliver it to them without having to enter the room. Dumbwaiters can still be found in some older homes to this day.
Metal pans were used to heat the mattress and sheets before bed
Prior to heated mattress pads and electric blankets, hot metal pans with wooden handles were used to warm the beds and beds. To achieve this, hot coals were placed into the pan of the bed warmer, which was placed over the bed by servants. This was then toggled between sheets and blankets to avoid burning them.
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Casey Clark is a freelance consultant who is interested in beauty, health, and style-related commerce content. She learned from Hofstra University with a degree in journalism. Her work has been published in Women's Health, Better Homes & Gardens, and more.
