I remember my grandma used to have a toilet seat lid cover, made of carpet. It fit like a seat cover for your car. I remember these in several relatives bathrooms actually. They would generally match a small oval rug that went in front of the sink.
My grandparents house built 1958-9 had independent electric ceiling radiant heat for each room. Used mainly in the spring and fall when the wood furnace wasn't in use. Great for the bathroom. Probably a precursor to electric baseboard heaters. I extremely question the safety of it as well as the thermodynamics, but it existed.
When my husband and I got married in 1992, we bought our first house which was built in 1953. Most of the rooms including the kitchen had been updated but the bathroom was original. It had mint green sink, toilet and bathtub with pink tiled walls and floor. I loved it. 😁
The 1920s house that my parents bought in 1970 had two bathrooms next to each other; the main one which included a bathtub with a shower was tiled in pink; the other one which was just what’s now called a “half bath” or powder room” with just a toilet and sink, had blue tile accents. We called them “the pink bathroom” and “the blue bathroom” for years until my parents finally got around to renovating them so they were turned into one large bathroom. And yes, that new bathroom was carpeted.😂 How could anyone have ever thought that was a good idea?
I remember the razor blade slot in the bathroom cabinet. I used to write little notes and drop them in there hoping someday, someone would find my makeshift “time capsule”.
My son bought a 1940's house and didn't know what the razor blade slot was for, he thought it was pretty cool when I told him what it was. I wonder if anyone ever found one of your notes!
I have one (house built in 1970) and I love it. Recently, I saw a realtor saying she wouldn't buy a house with a laundry chute. I guess she didn't like fun.
I don't know why I assumed that the razor blade disposal system had a way to be emptied out. When I found out that the blades just sat there forever, it shocked me. It's so weird to just leave essentially garbage in the wall of your home forever.
i think that initially they were supposed to be opened once in a while and cleaned. i saw this on one similar video. it's just that people i guess never really did this. as someone who lives in a part of europe where houses have concrete walls, i am always surprised to see what americans can or used to built in walls 🙂
They were a bit silly though. Whenever I changed the roll I just got one from the cabinet and ignored the doll. If you used the one on the doll then you had to go get one from the cabinet anyway, to put on the doll.
My mother was very clear about that when we were kids (in the late 60s and 70s). There were 5 boys in the house. No way would there be carpet in the bathroom. I'm glad she taught us that lesson.
We had it when I was a child until I was about 18. Four in the house. No smell, no damp or mould, no problems. I never realised it was considered an issue. Mum had us all very well trained. When I started living in rented places and saw how grim shared bathrooms got I was horrified. I have no idea how mother trained my little brother to pee inside the toilet instead of on the floor, but if she had started a business doing only that she would be a multi millionaire. I know occasional accidents happen and that sometimes people have other difficulties, but for the majority of people, getting pee inside the toilet is not something that should need to be explained to them by their housemates…….
I'm a plumber from Boston. I started my career in the 70's. Everything shown here was still commonplace and still in use in at least half the homes back then, right up through the 90's. I used to service them on a daily basis. Through the course of my career, I've watched everything turn to crap, (no pun intended). They were literally built to last a lifetime. I'm retired now and built a camp in Maine. The bathroom is a complete set of authentic1930's American Standard fixtures. The kitchen sink is 30's American Standard too.The most common tub was five feet long. You can still buy those for a couple of hundred dollars. It costs about $500 to have them restored.They were manufactured up to six. Mine's a five and a half footer, the most desirable size.Those are the rare ones. It's like a Roman calderium and my fountain of youth. Make sure you have at least a 50 gallon, 4500 watt water heater if you ever put one in. All the drains and faucets are still readily available today. You just have to know who makes the nickel plated, brass trim and avoid the cheap repros. In fact, if you buy anything repro, you will be sorely diappointed.
Thanks, I completely agree that the things made in the last 10 years don't hold up. Our 12 year old house has bathroom fixtures that have started to rust. Where can I find the good, high quality fixtures that will last without tarnishing or rusting?
Sounds like a dream! For nearly 20 years, I lived in a condo in a WWI-era building. LOVED my bathroom. The wall (subway) and floor (penny) tiles were original, the pedestal sink and deep 5-foot iron tub were installed in the 30s or 40s, and the toilet was installed in the late 70s. Still had radiators for heating. Never once had a plumbing problem or a leak. Best little bathroom I've ever had!
Sounds heavenly. My neighbor redid an old bathroom w/an outdoor terrace off the master. Made a big all in one whirlpool & shower with closet space. Had them put in a seperate upstairs water heater.
So true. I have a 1927 bungalow and other than getting rid of k&t wiring, everything else is original to the house. I refuse to replace it with newer stuff, which is crap and not as well made.
It is necessary though, Australian (and I think many European one also) toilets use a cistern and a washdown with low water levels in the bowl (without the German shelf tho) and they work great, they don’t clog, no one needs a plunger for their toilet. It is the USA siphon toilet design that seems to be the design flaw
As my Grandma once said, 'Oh, I really like high-level lavatories! You get a good, clean, thorough flush with them!' I was NEVER of that view, was slightly scared of high level toilets and was only too pleased and relieved when ours was replaced in late 1982.
That’s banned in Canada; colored tissues are too. I was born in England and remember asking my mother when I was a kid, shortly after we immigrated to Canada, why we couldn’t have pink toilet paper anymore.
Growing up, our home had a laundry chute and to this day I feel it is one of the most important, key features our floorplan had in maintaining a clean, orderly home. Our mom ran that house like an army barrack.
😂😂😂 that's awesome. I want one. Everything is so cheap and poor quality these days. No taste or style. Stuff today is sad. Because u have to work so hard for crap that doesn't even last! It's too much
Clawfoot tubs are really no larger than current tubs. They're both 5'. Clawfoot tubs are wonderfully comfortable to soak in unlike modern tubs. Cast iron may be extremely heavy but they hold the heat of the water and allow for a longer soak. I miss my clawfoot. It was the one place I could be where the kids were not allowed to disturb me.
My grandmas house had a laundry shoot that my cousins and I loved throwing pillows and toys down. We’d make her open the latch to release the laundry into a basket on the lower floor and then we’d do it all over again. Such a good memory.
I lived in a mobile home in the 1970’s ( it was old!). The bathroom fixtures were all pink. The kitchen sink, range and refrigerator were also pink! I loved it
I miss the light blue sinks, tubs, and toilets. They were a pretty color that reminded me of water. We had them in our bathroom along with seashell wallpaper when I was a child.
We used to send my little sister up the laundry chute if we forgot our key when we got home from school. (We were early latch key kids.) Our basement was accessible from our garage, which was never locked.
We made a padded box and used a little pulley rig to sneak snack food up from the kitchen and basement, which had a freezer. Our laundry chute was made out of the same sheet metal as ducts with a rolled edge and smooth covers on the joints. Had to pull it up slowly, or it made a noticeable noise.
@@varoonnone7159 We got in trouble when our parents found out. I got grounded for being a smart mouth when I told my dad he should be grateful we pointed out a way a burglar could get into the house. He made me nail a board over the laundry chute. "Problem solved," he said. And I learned some carpentry skills.
Love radiators in the bathroom. You put your towels on them and in the winter you have a heated towel after your shower. My grandma’s all pink bathroom had a cool feature to hold toothpaste and toothbrushes. It would turn and hide in the wall when not in use.
My grandparents just recently updated their bathroom. I miss the old version. It was straight out of the 60s. Mint greent cabinets and tile, baby blue bath tub. They had a little radio in the toilet roll holder. Wallpapered walls, tiles on the floor with a funky design that i always thought looked like a bunch of ears. They also used to have those padded toilet seats and the rug thing that fit over the lid of the toilet I remember their old kitchen too but they redid that decades ago.
Oh, I had forgotten about the toilet paper radio~ my mother had to have one! I don't recall it lasting very long, tho... but every toilet we had, had a "cozy" over it! 😂
I miss radiators. Good luck drying towels with a heated floor... Also, I hate it that many modern baths have no windows. The electric ventilation is never as good as advertised...
that's where you add an electric towel rail. And if your electric ventilation isn't doing its job, discuss that with an independent building inspector. It's surprising how often you'll see the system fully installed except for one mistake that makes the whole system not work!
@@tealkerberus748 Agreed, however since most live in rented flats, these things become quite a hassle... I had illegal living conditions (WWII era electric wiring and fuse boxes, no safety in case the flame goes out on the stove) and couldn't do anything about it.
@@tealkerberus748 I often see extractor fans in bathrooms that stopped working and have never been replaced. It's a dangerous situation, since the built-up dust can catch fire if someone leave the switch on and the windings arc.
My grandparents had a razor blade slot above their kitchen sink. It always bothered me when I was little. I wondered if there was a tunnel going straight down to the core of the earth.
Razor blade slots were popular inside medicine cabinets. I was not aware of this until I replaced my medicine cabinet and saw all the razor blades which were between the medicine cabinet and the wall.
My goodness the penny tile floors at 2:55 are gorgeous. And most of these bathrooms they're showing are so beautiful and grand! Now bathrooms are tiny and uncomfortable and boring.
My grandfather lived in NYC. He had the pull chain toilet. I remember as a small kid, being afraid of flushing it,and always had someone else do it for me!
Our 1963 vintage house has mostly had the period decor "updated" out of it - except the front bathroom which still has its Robin's egg blue tile. We had to have it re-plumbed last year, I had the plumbers preserve the tile so I could put it back in! I had installed a vintage look tile floor - not hex but similar in idea - a couple of years prior, so I was able to find more of that tile to restore the floor. A new cast iron bathtub went in as well - people are amazed at this bathroom. I installed a tin ceiling in the kitchen too.
My 1951 home has a pink bathroom and a ming green one- the green contains a Cinderella tub, too. The colorful tubs, commodes and sinks have matching tiles in the rooms as well. I fully embrace the happy colors. The pink bathroom also has a "relaxation unit" that holds magazines, cigarettes, etc lol
I’m the fourth generation in a family home that was first built in 1938, then twice partly destroyed during WW2 and with an additional great-grandma flat added in 1953. The original 1930”s bathroom needed after several pipe issues and due to my grandma “s mobility issues a new more disability friendly bath. But my great-grandma”s 1953 bath just received new pipes, some fixtures and otherwise I left the mid-century items as they were. My great-grandma was quite short (only about 1,60m) but she had the tallest yet short soaker tub installed you can imagine. 2 adults can sit in it comfortably (😉) It is made out of pure , heavy lead (tub ca. 200 /250 kg) ,Siphon/ plumbing ca. 50 kg. I got it checked out when we remodelled the other bathroom and everything is just fine , it just needed some small repairs. The plumber ( an elderly gentleman with great experience) mentioned to me that this quality is literally undestroyable if well looked after. If the emaillie is intact, lead is not issue. In fact the lead will heat up with the warm water maintaining the hot temperature for much longer than acrylic tubs. If you come across such an old but working bathroom, give it a chance. A tad of new colour, some change in decor and making sure the plumbing is ok and you may have a classical beauty.
My apartment in Chicago had radiator heat and I remember in the middle of winter being able to open the window bc it was so warm and enjoying the rain outside- it felt luxurious and crazy ❤
Depends on what's heating the water! I've lived in way too many places with oversized short-cycling boilers running at 50-60% efficiency. Cast iron radiators are amazing with right-sized boilers and/or a buffer tank though.
We bought an old stone farm house from 1732. It has been remodeled throughout the centuries, the quality of the construction is amazing. We almost made the mistake of replacing the around 20 cast iron radiators in it, but we were lucky to have a plumber that explained how good that type of heat was. We are so glad he was there that day, we followed his advice and keep them. We love them, some are so big that during cold winter days we sit on them to get warm when coming inside the house.
I spent ten years working for American Standard and eight years working for Kohler Company before retiring and, as such, I’ve seen a tremendous amount of such changes.
My bathroom in an Art Deco building built 1929 was lavender tile and dark green trim! Beautiful. In another 20s era place I had a claw foot tub. Oldest building I lived in was built 1852. The first owner was a doctor. They dug up the old privy pit and found old medicine bottles.
The house I grew up in was built in 1920. It had 2 full baths to serve the 4 main bedrooms (1 master en suite) and one full bath for what was originally the servant’s quarters on the 3rd floor. The house also had 2 half-baths, one off the kitchen and one off the basement laundry room. Two of the full baths had a ceramic inset with 2 very large, oblong, heating glass-bulbs; hidden behind a ceramic grating, which pumped out a lot of heat when turned on. I remember they still worked in the 1980’s before my parents sold the house. The en-suite had the pedestal sink, while the main had been updated with a vanity. Both of these baths also had the penny tiles. The servant’s bathroom floor was oak flooring.
I grew up in a huge Victorian home. I loved our claw foot tubs! They were deep and roomy. I would soak for an hour, reading my favorite books. The tub I have today in my apartment is only big enough for a child.
And whatever they are made of, it doesn't keep the heat in! (Although in China they make little slats to lay over the tub to keep the heat in- very practical).
In Chicago I have lived in apartments with forced air heat and with radiators, and the same thing for homes in the Chicago suburbs. let me tell you: Those radiators are absolutely fantastic to keep a place warm.There is nothing as good as that system. And if they are omfidu beautiful because they are somewhat ornamented.
Oh yes, same here! The radiators were also common in all the rooms of my old apartments. We'd sometimes knock on them to get the Super to crank up more heat! Often there'd be a decorative lidded container on top of bigger radiators. You'd put water in them & the radiator's heat released steam that acted as a humidifier during the dry Chicago winters. I also had penny tiles in most of the bathrooms. Made to last!
I liked the Berwyn bungalow with forced air heat better than the Chicago two flat with radiators. Love the penny tiles until I had to redo them in a south suburban bungalow
@@nancygreenfield212 When I moved to Brookfield I finally had forced air & regular tile in the bathrooms. It was more comfortable, but I missed the older architecture & fixtures. After all the years I still do. They had character.
hahaha I live in Italy and in some public places you can still find pull chain toilets!! I wish a had a clawfoot tub!! beautiful!! and the old farmhouse where I am has castiron radiators and they really keep the whole house warm! works much better than central hot air
Our 1959 ranch still has all 3 original bathrooms. My favorite is the pink and gray one. It’s in excellent condition too. The tub still shines like it was new
I work at our nations biggest hardware chain, & recently a 97-year+old lady came in looking for a soap dish. She had asked someone young who didn’t know what she meant. She said someone young at the $ store didn’t know either. I guess they’d be really surprised by the ceramic built ins that were in my pink & blue bathroom growing up.
I'm a British 71-year-old, and I only recently found out what "dish soap" is. (We call it "washing-up liquid" in Britain.) I had heard Americans mention it, but assumed that it just meant the sort of soap that you put in soap dishes like the ones you describe, rather than great bars of antiseptic carbolic soap, or the "liquid soap" you put in soap-dispensers. I must say I prefer our name for the product. After all, it _isn't_ actually soap, chemically speaking. But it _is_ a liquid. And it is used to wash up plates, cups, saucers, glasses, tumblers, knives, forks, spoons, pots, pans, bowls, mandolins, cleavers, skewers, avocado-slicers, pineapple-corers, potato peelers, cutting-boards, egg-whisks, cream-whippers, bread-tins, meat-grinders, potato chippers, spatulas, sieves, rolling-pins, scissors, baking-trays, jelly-molds, cake tins, icing nozzles, egg-cups, pizza cutters, measuring cups, cake-slices, olive-stoners, potato mashers, dough-hooks, oven shelves, plastic food-storage boxes, food-processor blades, vegetable-brushes, tongs, pitchers, jugs, bottles, jars, ladles, coasters and funnels. And _possibly_ dishes.
@ I was reading one of the “Lynley mysteries “ by Elizabeth George & had to look up “fairy liquid” to find out what what Barbara Havers was using to wash her hair. (I still son’t know what a “donkey jacket” is though…)
@@luschlyfe I think you'd need to be a bit desperate to use washing-up liquid as shampoo, even though Fairy Liquid had a long-running ad campaign in the 1960s with the slogan "Hands that do dishes can be as soft as your face, with mild green Fairy Liquid"! My father-in-law worked as a chemist in the steel industry, and he was provided with a donkey-jacket for when he left the lab and was out and about in the more industrial areas of the plant. But it wouldn't have been regarded as enough protection to go to the most dangerous places, say near where molten steel was being poured. A donkey-jacket is a longish, untailored heavy-weight jacket, usually black or navy blue, and usually pure wool. They are waterproof and moderately protective against sharp or hot objects, and are typically work-wear, often provided by employers to their workforce. The shoulders are reinforced with leather or PVC, sometimes with a high-visibility patch showing the company name. As with several sorts of work-wear, donkey jackets have sometimes been adopted as a fashion item as a sign of one's working-class roots. Apparently the name comes from the fact that the jackets first appeared in Britain at the same time and place as the "nodding donkey" mechanical pump. They were worn by navvies* who worked with the pumps during the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in the late 19th century. Nice talking to you! ----- * That's the plural of _navvy,_ not _navy._ I'll explain if you like! 🙂
Our house was previously owned by my wife's grandparents. They had carpet in the bathroom, installed in the mid 90s. But it basically eliminated the slip and fall risk for them in their golden years. We removed it promptly and retiled.
My parents bought a home built in the 1960s. When they re-did their bathroom with a “laundry chute” in it, my dad completely restored it and it’s so practical. If you don’t have laundry on your bedroom floor, it’s a must!
My mother HATED claw foot tubs saying they were difficult to clean under and around. I remember, as a child , stubbing my toe on one of those legs. One thing you didn't mention were metal, built-in hampers. They were small but so convenient. Other bathroom staples that I remember from my early childhood (I'm 72 now) were razor strops hanging from a hook beside the medicine cabinet and a tall porcelain pipe beside the tub as part of the stopper mechanism. Many people had a contraption over the tub , which was used for drying clothes or nylon stockings. Bathrooms are better now, having showers and single faucets vs the separate hot cold taps that you show, but don't mention in the video. The Bathrooms of today are much easier to clean.
'My mother HATED claw foot tubs saying they were difficult to clean under and around.' 🎯 I see people putting in those expensive freestanding baths, and all I can think about is reaching around to mop up overspills.
You just described my Nans & other relatives apt. bathrooms. Never knew what those big metal things were as a kid. She & my aunt did wash & dry their “unmentionables” in the bathroom
The hot and cold taps are so much better for when i want to swap temperatures. (In the last 10 minutes I learned mine may still be mixed, for anti scold reasons)
A friend of mine showed me his childhood home a few years ago. His father built it in 1951! It had the original corner tub- looked just like my dollhouse of that era! Someone had replaced the flooring, but otherwise was original. I hope the new owners kept it original!
I hate white bathroom fittings but that’s all that’s available in the U K now. ☹️ On renovating and extending my mother’s old house I had no other choice than white, much to my disgust.
But if you change your mind about the colors you want, or sell your house, they're a big drawback. You have to change out the entire fixture or cabinet top, you can't just repaint.
I grew up in a home built in 1902. In the(unfinished) basement, there was a pull chain toilet. In other bathrooms, there were razor slots, pedestal sinks and a laundry shoot. A lot had been covered over in the 1950s. Fireplaces were restored as was the library
@@sandyjuntunen4088 Everything is fashionable then goes out of fashion and then may come back. In the 1950s-60s most people only appreciated what was new style at the time. Victorian houses were torn down or some stuccoed over and the gingerbread removed. But then many people started appreciating older styles. I blame education, particularly art education.
My wife and I just bought a house in Levittown Pa. Built in 1953' from the original homeowner in her late 90's she kept the house almost original. Except for the orange thick shaggy carpet. The house is scary original and so outdated. The refrigerator has a date of 1961' on it. Huge and must weigh a fortune 😂. We are in our early 20's and I must say that living simple must have been the way of life back then. We were gifted 20% down payment so we can not afford to put a penny into this house but that's great for us. We will be just happy to have this house ❤
Enjoy it. She probably took really good care of everything to have appliances last that long. My parents first home was a Levitt Cape Cod. Radiant heat floors. The best. So toasty
@@samanthab1923 yes it's a jubilee 4 bedroom cape cod with 4 bedrooms and just one little bathroom. I don't know how the original oil heater has lasted since 1953' says General Electric on it. The closets are the smallest I've ever seen. Called the holly Hill section.
@@davidhibbs6989 That’s amazing. Can’t tell you how many hot water heaters & assorted appliances I’ve replaced in 27 years. Do all your streets start with H? We lived in the N section. I just looked up what our old Cape is going for, $600K! Insane 🥴
Many of the bathrooms in these photos contained sit down vanity tables and that looked so awesome. I bet it just added to the daily ritual of putting on ones face and doing ones hair. I wish modern bathrooms were still sized to accommodate these.I know some houses that cost 1 million or more might have that kind of space, but my little 1000sqft home with the postage size bathroom just aint it.
There's an old-fashioned type of dresser you may be able to find at an antique furniture store that works the same as a built in vanity table. It should come with a low-slung chair. It has 3 drawer sections that look like an'H.' The two-drawer sections are on the right and left sides, a lower vanity in the middle. This is all connected by a huge oval mirror. My mom had one of these when I was growing up. I loved it! There was something magical about sitting in front of that mirror to put on makeup, as everything needed was handy in the drawers.
My parents home has had carpet on the bathrooms floors for my entire life. These are not affixed, and are washable. The concept of stepping out of the shower/bath while wet and then drying off was not observed. You stayed in the shower/bath and dried off before stepping out. The carpets have never ever smelled or gotten moldy.
@@ericahoelscher3733 Why? Are you worried about your underpants? Does someone in your household pee and poop in front of the toilet? Bathroom carpeting is washable unless it is affixed. Shower mats are washable as well, do you have one of those? That gets exposed to the toilet air as well!
I love a carpeted bath, although its now hard to find the rubber-backed washable carpeting. Colored fixtures (I have butter yellow in this house) are just cheerful and welcoming; I hate the eternal white and gray found in newly-decorated houses. Save me from "neutrals"!
@@dolcefarniente8768 Agreed that they are hard to find...my mother seems to think she purchased recently the last one she will ever have (and she is 95! so proud of her). Like the candy counter at Sears, those days are slipping away!
My grandmother's old Victorian home had those radiator like heaters in the walls of all the bathrooms and bedrooms. You had to light them to keep rooms warm.
I was born in 1953 & remember all of these fixtures & features. Mama & Daddy’s bathroom was a grey & salmon color scheme. My aunt had a square tub & I 🥰 it!
We had a claw bathtub growing up. It was so comfortable. I also remember them removing it - heavy doesn't even begin to explain the pain it took to get it out of the house.
My first apartment was in a 1939 building. The bathroom fixtures were a lovely yellow. Too bad the coloured fixtures have almost disappeared over time. The most comfortbly heated homes I have lived in all had cast iron radiators. So I'm a believer. The double sink at 2:14 is a hoot. All the features in this video were either as good or better than their replacement. The only exception was carpeting.
I grew up in old Victorian, gingerbread house. All the rooms were quite large, the whole house. It had a wrap around porch, so much detail! Loved our claw foot tub but not the pedestal sink!❤
We bought a home with a built in shaving mirror. It was as attached to the wall by a flexible metal arm so it was easily adjustable for the man of the house
You mentioned about fire safety for laundry shoots and that's true when I trained to be an Architect all wooden homes were to be built with fire stops between floors This was to prevent a vacuum effect when oxygen is needed to keep a fire going. Those shoots became a square vacuum hose. I remember all of them and the reasons they no longer are wanted.
Other things I think you could have mentioned: sun/heat lamps, bidets (have made a comeback), sunken tubs, garden tubs, 80s/90s Hollywood lights style makeup mirrors, '70s and '80s bathrooms in luxury homes where the garden tub had a window that faced a small private walled garden (and sometimes there was a second, outdoor shower), grotto style showers, CRT TVs embedded in the wall behind the mirror, jack-and-jill style bathrooms, built-in planters, wall-mounted telephones by the toilet, those little divider walls between the toilet and sink that were a series of wooden columns in '70s homes, swag-style lighting, drop-down fluorescent light boxes over the vanity area, shared toothbrush holders built into medicine cabinets, wet room style bathrooms.
I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse house with the original pull chain toilet in the downstairs bathroom. The tank and toilet seat were both wooden. All our guests would get a scare out of it when they’d flush for the first time because it sounded like a roaring monster lol. Unfortunately the upstairs bathroom in that house had the original carpeting 😑 we hated it but couldn’t afford to rip it out and put down tile or vinyl instead. It had a gorgeous stained glass window though
I once lived in an apartment with lavender-colored wall tile on the lower part of the walls and a lavendar bathtub, sink, and toilet! I asked the landlady and then painted the upper walls above tile off white and stenciled a few branches of blooming wisteria.
When my Grandfather renovated the family homestead in Memphis in the early 1930's he had lilac fixtures installed in his girls bathroom. He also used glass door knobs along with frenchdoors hoping it make the home more modern and attractive to the girls. They did not want to move to the old homestead that had been a farm at one time. The original house was built in the late 1800's.
The people who remodeled the bathrooms put in a genuine antique claw foot tub. One night after shoveling snow for hours, I filled that thing and soaked for an hour before climbing into bed. It was a delight.
I just saw an old mobile home that had pink bathroom fixtures, with a garden tub. It was in wonderful condition. If i was into retro, that would be my first choice. Lol
I bought a home built in 1920 but had a mid century remodel (unfortunately). It has an all pink bathroom. Pink sink, pink toilet, pink tub, pink tile. I love it! I just don’t love the other “updates” they did in the living room
I live in a 1950 Ranch house with 2 bathrooms, one has gray tile with red trim tile and a wall mounted sink that has chrome metal legs which one side also has a towel bar along side the sink. The other bathroom is yellow tile with mint green trim tile. It also has a mint green sink and tub. The tub is the square tub shown in some of the picture you have in your video.
Some old bathrooms had a little bidet right by the toilet. These things were used to wash your private parts quickly so you don't have to use the shower or bathtub. Really useful if you had your period or diarrhea. Now some toilets have them built in.
Fascinating about the used razors dropping into the void, being found in a disgusting clump during a gut remodeling job. We had pink tiles with mint green trim in our circa 1942 home.
I don't know about the USA, but in France where I'm from, every home had a bidet, the same colour as the bath and the sink. In my parents' home, which they had built in the 70s and was super modern at the time, there was one on each floor's bathroom. I really liked that and miss the bidet, it was so hygienic and practical when you needed a quick but thorough refresh without removing all your clothes, or just a relaxing footbath. I know they've been replaced by gadget appliances but it's not the same. I wish I still had one, but they've become so rare!
Bidets are not popular in the US. But they're making an appearance. My son installed one. A few months before the TP shortage in 2020. He was ahead of his time.
My great grandmother's house built in 1941, a two bedroom bungalow style with the bathroom accessible through each of the bedrooms. Bathroom was located between the bedrooms. Was all pink tile, everything the walls, the walkin shower, sink, toilet, and floor. It was all pink, overwhelming pink! It was actually somewhat of a large bathroom for a small house. A practical layout and features. Great Gram always had homemade cookies and milk (powdered) for us kida when we visited. She made the best sugar cookies with bits of candied cherries in them.
Wow, razor blade trash in the wall sounds like the dumbest sh** ever! How did people collectively decide "hey, let's just out our trash into the walls and not care what happens to it after!"??? 🙈 🤔 Then again, I guess it's not much worse than in modern day buying endless unnecessarily plastic encased disposables and then just throwing them into the trash, to throw them "away", out of sight, out of mind, thinking they won't affect anything anywhere ever again 🤦♂️
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What other old bathroom features do you remember? 🛀🚿
@AmericanRewind Dixie Cup dispensers were really popular in the 1960s and 70s when we didn't care about paper waste.
I remember my grandma used to have a toilet seat lid cover, made of carpet. It fit like a seat cover for your car. I remember these in several relatives bathrooms actually. They would generally match a small oval rug that went in front of the sink.
I remember watching this last night with a different voice over
@@Halopowner me too. I thought I was going crazy lol
My grandparents house built 1958-9 had independent electric ceiling radiant heat for each room. Used mainly in the spring and fall when the wood furnace wasn't in use. Great for the bathroom. Probably a precursor to electric baseboard heaters.
I extremely question the safety of it as well as the thermodynamics, but it existed.
When my husband and I got married in 1992, we bought our first house which was built in 1953. Most of the rooms including the kitchen had been updated but the bathroom was original. It had mint green sink, toilet and bathtub with pink tiled walls and floor. I loved it. 😁
The 1920s house that my parents bought in 1970 had two bathrooms next to each other; the main one which included a bathtub with a shower was tiled in pink; the other one which was just what’s now called a “half bath” or powder room” with just a toilet and sink, had blue tile accents. We called them “the pink bathroom” and “the blue bathroom” for years until my parents finally got around to renovating them so they were turned into one large bathroom. And yes, that new bathroom was carpeted.😂 How could anyone have ever thought that was a good idea?
Why didn’t you keep the colour scheme?
@@JudeTavonFenwick we did. We just haven’t lived there in over 20 years. Not sure if the new owners changed it.
You must have got f*ckd there as well.😂
I hate to see remodels where they tear out the tile from that era.
I remember the razor blade slot in the bathroom cabinet. I used to write little notes and drop them in there hoping someday, someone would find my makeshift “time capsule”.
My son bought a 1940's house and didn't know what the razor blade slot was for, he thought it was pretty cool when I told him what it was.
I wonder if anyone ever found one of your notes!
How awesome. I wonder if anyone ever found those notes?!
Where I live, they tried to paint over it
Now that is imaginative!!!👍
We had one in the shower stale, the blades went into the wal lol
The laundry chute definitely needs to come back
I have one (house built in 1970) and I love it. Recently, I saw a realtor saying she wouldn't buy a house with a laundry chute. I guess she didn't like fun.
@@TheGreatWerebear-ge7uh lol and convenience.
@@latariewilliams6426 Seriously!
It won’t. Fire hazard
@@samanthab1923 fire hazard???
I don't know why I assumed that the razor blade disposal system had a way to be emptied out. When I found out that the blades just sat there forever, it shocked me. It's so weird to just leave essentially garbage in the wall of your home forever.
Aye, but it is safely tucked away.
Out of sight, out of mind! (..as we used to say!)
Leaving garbage inside of your wall forever is super crazy sounding to me also
Crawling in bacteria 🦠
i think that initially they were supposed to be opened once in a while and cleaned. i saw this on one similar video. it's just that people i guess never really did this.
as someone who lives in a part of europe where houses have concrete walls, i am always surprised to see what americans can or used to built in walls 🙂
Anybody else remember the crochet toilet paper covers? Sometimes they wouls use a doll, and the crochet would be her skirt. Loved the hexagon tiles.
Yep. My mom did beautiful crochet work. All TP was covered AND had a doll. 😂
@@lindanason6211 that's a great memory!
I remember my grandma had that.
They were a bit silly though. Whenever I changed the roll I just got one from the cabinet and ignored the doll. If you used the one on the doll then you had to go get one from the cabinet anyway, to put on the doll.
And God help you if you used the Barbie doll crochet TP. It was meant to look nice and not leave the doll untidy.
Thank goodness carpeting in bathrooms did not retain popularity! Gross!
We bought a 1973 vintage mobile home that had the master bath carpeted. Removed it straight away!
My mother was very clear about that when we were kids (in the late 60s and 70s). There were 5 boys in the house. No way would there be carpet in the bathroom. I'm glad she taught us that lesson.
It was machine washable.
Sears catalog sold it in every color imaginable.
We had it when I was a child until I was about 18. Four in the house. No smell, no damp or mould, no problems. I never realised it was considered an issue. Mum had us all very well trained. When I started living in rented places and saw how grim shared bathrooms got I was horrified. I have no idea how mother trained my little brother to pee inside the toilet instead of on the floor, but if she had started a business doing only that she would be a multi millionaire. I know occasional accidents happen and that sometimes people have other difficulties, but for the majority of people, getting pee inside the toilet is not something that should need to be explained to them by their housemates…….
@@peterc6156
Shouldn't she have trained them to not pee all over the walls and leave big puddles on the floor??
I'm a plumber from Boston. I started my career in the 70's. Everything shown here was still commonplace and still in use in at least half the homes back then, right up through the 90's. I used to service them on a daily basis. Through the course of my career, I've watched everything turn to crap, (no pun intended). They were literally built to last a lifetime. I'm retired now and built a camp in Maine. The bathroom is a complete set of authentic1930's American Standard fixtures. The kitchen sink is 30's American Standard too.The most common tub was five feet long. You can still buy those for a couple of hundred dollars. It costs about $500 to have them restored.They were manufactured up to six. Mine's a five and a half footer, the most desirable size.Those are the rare ones. It's like a Roman calderium and my fountain of youth. Make sure you have at least a 50 gallon, 4500 watt water heater if you ever put one in. All the drains and faucets are still readily available today. You just have to know who makes the nickel plated, brass trim and avoid the cheap repros. In fact, if you buy anything repro, you will be sorely diappointed.
Thanks, I completely agree that the things made in the last 10 years don't hold up. Our 12 year old house has bathroom fixtures that have started to rust. Where can I find the good, high quality fixtures that will last without tarnishing or rusting?
Sounds like a dream! For nearly 20 years, I lived in a condo in a WWI-era building. LOVED my bathroom. The wall (subway) and floor (penny) tiles were original, the pedestal sink and deep 5-foot iron tub were installed in the 30s or 40s, and the toilet was installed in the late 70s. Still had radiators for heating. Never once had a plumbing problem or a leak. Best little bathroom I've ever had!
Sounds heavenly. My neighbor redid an old bathroom w/an outdoor terrace off the master. Made a big all in one whirlpool & shower with closet space. Had them put in a seperate upstairs water heater.
So true. I have a 1927 bungalow and other than getting rid of k&t wiring, everything else is original to the house. I refuse to replace it with newer stuff, which is crap and not as well made.
@@ashextraordinaireit sounds just like the one I grew up with in NY! I miss those and the bathrooms were NEVER cold with those radiators!
pull chain toilets were awesome. The amount of force that extra height + gravity gave was amazing. No plunger needed, ever.
Agreed! I insisted they installed one of those 10 years ago when I needed mine replaced.
Importantly there is also room to lean back, which standard modern toilets lack unless they are commercial power flush.
It is necessary though, Australian (and I think many European one also) toilets use a cistern and a washdown with low water levels in the bowl (without the German shelf tho) and they work great, they don’t clog, no one needs a plunger for their toilet. It is the USA siphon toilet design that seems to be the design flaw
@@pegph4988 Why would you want to lean back while you were using the toilet? Leaning forward actually helps move things out.
As my Grandma once said, 'Oh, I really like high-level lavatories! You get a good, clean, thorough flush with them!' I was NEVER of that view, was slightly scared of high level toilets and was only too pleased and relieved when ours was replaced in late 1982.
This wasnt built in but I remember pastel colored toilet paper.
That’s banned in Canada; colored tissues are too. I was born in England and remember asking my mother when I was a kid, shortly after we immigrated to Canada, why we couldn’t have pink toilet paper anymore.
I loved the coloured toilet paper 🩵
My bedroom was pastel pink with one dark olive green feature wall. I hated it.
Ugly, wasn’t it?
My grandma would always match pale blue TP to her power blue bathroom.
@@dixiepoetI'll bet the water in the toilet matched, too!
Growing up, our home had a laundry chute and to this day I feel it is one of the most important, key features our floorplan had in maintaining a clean, orderly home. Our mom ran that house like an army barrack.
😂😂😂 that's awesome. I want one. Everything is so cheap and poor quality these days. No taste or style. Stuff today is sad. Because u have to work so hard for crap that doesn't even last! It's too much
Penny tile floors are amazing!
love them
My house has Penny floor tiling in both bathrooms call original built in 1957 Simply Beautiful I wouldn't change a thing
That stuff comes in rolls these days. Very fast & easy to install.
I love clawfoot, tubs, penny tiles, and pedestal sinks.
My grandparents love in New Orleans in which they still have the original claw foot tubs in both bathrooms.
I was thinking the same thing! What a dream bathroom.
@@irideaunicorn1620that is a beautiful Freudian slip.
Clawfoot tubs are really no larger than current tubs. They're both 5'. Clawfoot tubs are wonderfully comfortable to soak in unlike modern tubs. Cast iron may be extremely heavy but they hold the heat of the water and allow for a longer soak. I miss my clawfoot. It was the one place I could be where the kids were not allowed to disturb me.
But not carpet, I hope
My grandmas house had a laundry shoot that my cousins and I loved throwing pillows and toys down. We’d make her open the latch to release the laundry into a basket on the lower floor and then we’d do it all over again. Such a good memory.
I lived in a mobile home in the 1970’s ( it was old!). The bathroom fixtures were all pink. The kitchen sink, range and refrigerator were also pink! I loved it
I lived in one in California I’m gonna say it was from the 1950s also pink everywhere it was referred to as my Miami Vice trailer
I miss the light blue sinks, tubs, and toilets. They were a pretty color that reminded me of water. We had them in our bathroom along with seashell wallpaper when I was a child.
"robins-egg blue"
We had a blue tub and I think a black toilet and black "marbled" sink (that had to be early 70s or so).
My parents' bathroom had blue basins for the his/her sinks, a blue tiled shower, and blue toilet. The second bathroom everything was seafoam green.
That's a perfect description of my childhood bathroom. Right down to the wallpaper.
We used to send my little sister up the laundry chute if we forgot our key when we got home from school. (We were early latch key kids.) Our basement was accessible from our garage, which was never locked.
Thanks for the hint.
We made a padded box and used a little pulley rig to sneak snack food up from the kitchen and basement, which had a freezer.
Our laundry chute was made out of the same sheet metal as ducts with a rolled edge and smooth covers on the joints. Had to pull it up slowly, or it made a noticeable noise.
@@cee8meeI love reading these comments! Kids aren’t raised the same nowadays for sure
This is hilarious like something from a cartoon
@@varoonnone7159 We got in trouble when our parents found out. I got grounded for being a smart mouth when I told my dad he should be grateful we pointed out a way a burglar could get into the house. He made me nail a board over the laundry chute. "Problem solved," he said. And I learned some carpentry skills.
My childhood tub was pink. I loved it and I miss it.
Mine, too! And my mother had the bathroom wallpapered with a poodle design. I loved that bathroom.
Love radiators in the bathroom. You put your towels on them and in the winter you have a heated towel after your shower.
My grandma’s all pink bathroom had a cool feature to hold toothpaste and toothbrushes. It would turn and hide in the wall when not in use.
I have a towel radiator that I am going to replace. It's useless for warming my tiny bathroom.
Awesome!
My parents house had that.
My grandparents just recently updated their bathroom. I miss the old version. It was straight out of the 60s. Mint greent cabinets and tile, baby blue bath tub. They had a little radio in the toilet roll holder. Wallpapered walls, tiles on the floor with a funky design that i always thought looked like a bunch of ears. They also used to have those padded toilet seats and the rug thing that fit over the lid of the toilet
I remember their old kitchen too but they redid that decades ago.
Oh, I had forgotten about the toilet paper radio~ my mother had to have one! I don't recall it lasting very long, tho... but every toilet we had, had a "cozy" over it! 😂
I still use the toilet seat cover, they still come with a new bathroom shower curtain and rug set.🎉@@trudygreer2491
Still have our laundry chute. Love it
You’re very lucky
We do too! We love it.
I had one in my townhouse. 2 problems a) out of sight, out of mind = laundry build up and b) you still have to carry the clean stuff back up
Luv 🩷 our laundry chute in a 1963 build. ❣️👌
I miss radiators. Good luck drying towels with a heated floor... Also, I hate it that many modern baths have no windows. The electric ventilation is never as good as advertised...
that's where you add an electric towel rail. And if your electric ventilation isn't doing its job, discuss that with an independent building inspector. It's surprising how often you'll see the system fully installed except for one mistake that makes the whole system not work!
@@tealkerberus748 Agreed, however since most live in rented flats, these things become quite a hassle... I had illegal living conditions (WWII era electric wiring and fuse boxes, no safety in case the flame goes out on the stove) and couldn't do anything about it.
@@tealkerberus748 I often see extractor fans in bathrooms that stopped working and have never been replaced. It's a dangerous situation, since the built-up dust can catch fire if someone leave the switch on and the windings arc.
I liked bathroom windows also, but have never had one as an adult. It just seemed to clear the shower steam out quickly, except on a humid day.
I hate bathrooms without a window. They should be olbligated to put. Where I live, there is a bathroom window.
I do have radiators. Cast iron ones.
My grandparents had a razor blade slot above their kitchen sink. It always bothered me when I was little. I wondered if there was a tunnel going straight down to the core of the earth.
Razor blade slots were popular inside medicine cabinets. I was not aware of this until I replaced my medicine cabinet and saw all the razor blades which were between the medicine cabinet and the wall.
@@MeMyselfAndUs903 I wish you had taken a picture. I'd like to see that. Lol !
Oh my gosh!!!! I never knew what those little slots were in the back of the medicine cabinets in older homes. I had no clue and so blown away by that!
Penny Tile, Clawfoot Tubs, Laundry Shoots and Pedestal Sinks are highly sought after!
My goodness the penny tile floors at 2:55 are gorgeous. And most of these bathrooms they're showing are so beautiful and grand! Now bathrooms are tiny and uncomfortable and boring.
I bought an older trailer as my first home. It had a pink bath tub, toilet, and sink. It had a turquoise kitchen sink. I LOVED it
My grandfather lived in NYC. He had the pull chain toilet. I remember as a small kid, being afraid of flushing it,and always had someone else do it for me!
As a kid, I lived in a house that was built in the 60s. The original bathtub and toilit were pink. Absolutely loved them.
Our 1963 vintage house has mostly had the period decor "updated" out of it - except the front bathroom which still has its Robin's egg blue tile. We had to have it re-plumbed last year, I had the plumbers preserve the tile so I could put it back in! I had installed a vintage look tile floor - not hex but similar in idea - a couple of years prior, so I was able to find more of that tile to restore the floor. A new cast iron bathtub went in as well - people are amazed at this bathroom. I installed a tin ceiling in the kitchen too.
1:53 carpet in bathrooms has got to be one of the worst trends ever.
My 1951 home has a pink bathroom and a ming green one- the green contains a Cinderella tub, too. The colorful tubs, commodes and sinks have matching tiles in the rooms as well. I fully embrace the happy colors. The pink bathroom also has a "relaxation unit" that holds magazines, cigarettes, etc lol
I would love to have vintage bathrooms like yours!!!!!
@@jchow5966 I love them. They simply make me happy!
That is so cool! Wish I could see pics!
Is the princess tub the term for those tubs that sat in a corner and offered little room? Thank you.
@@hydractor I got the term wrong- it is a Cinderella tub
I’m the fourth generation in a family home that was first built in 1938, then twice partly destroyed during WW2 and with an additional great-grandma flat added in 1953. The original 1930”s bathroom needed after several pipe issues and due to my grandma “s mobility issues a new more disability friendly bath. But my great-grandma”s 1953 bath just received new pipes, some fixtures and otherwise I left the mid-century items as they were. My great-grandma was quite short (only about 1,60m) but she had the tallest yet short soaker tub installed you can imagine. 2 adults can sit in it comfortably (😉)
It is made out of pure , heavy lead (tub ca. 200 /250 kg) ,Siphon/ plumbing ca. 50 kg. I got it checked out when we remodelled the other bathroom and everything is just fine , it just needed some small repairs. The plumber ( an elderly gentleman with great experience) mentioned to me that this quality is literally undestroyable if well looked after. If the emaillie is intact, lead is not issue. In fact the lead will heat up with the warm water maintaining the hot temperature for much longer than acrylic tubs. If you come across such an old but working bathroom, give it a chance. A tad of new colour, some change in decor and making sure the plumbing is ok and you may have a classical beauty.
Our home was built in 1910. We still heat with cast iron radiators. Very efficient clean heat.
My apartment in Chicago had radiator heat and I remember in the middle of winter being able to open the window bc it was so warm and enjoying the rain outside- it felt luxurious and crazy ❤
Depends on what's heating the water! I've lived in way too many places with oversized short-cycling boilers running at 50-60% efficiency. Cast iron radiators are amazing with right-sized boilers and/or a buffer tank though.
I have them in my 1920s bungalow. Wouldn't change the for the world!
We bought an old stone farm house from 1732. It has been remodeled throughout the centuries, the quality of the construction is amazing. We almost made the mistake of replacing the around 20 cast iron radiators in it, but we were lucky to have a plumber that explained how good that type of heat was. We are so glad he was there that day, we followed his advice and keep them. We love them, some are so big that during cold winter days we sit on them to get warm when coming inside the house.
I spent ten years working for American Standard and eight years working for Kohler Company before retiring and, as such, I’ve seen a tremendous amount of such changes.
Did they made good qualty equipment?
@@Telecolor-in3cl their vitreous china and cast iron products were very good to exceed but their faucets were terrible.
My bathroom in an Art Deco building built 1929 was lavender tile and dark green trim! Beautiful. In another 20s era place I had a claw foot tub. Oldest building I lived in was built 1852. The first owner was a doctor. They dug up the old privy pit and found old medicine bottles.
That color combo sounds amazing, I bet it looks great! I love art deco and mid century modern styling.
@@lisatolliver2866 it was beautiful. Love well maintained older homes!
The house I grew up in was built in 1920. It had 2 full baths to serve the 4 main bedrooms (1 master en suite) and one full bath for what was originally the servant’s quarters on the 3rd floor. The house also had 2 half-baths, one off the kitchen and one off the basement laundry room. Two of the full baths had a ceramic inset with 2 very large, oblong, heating glass-bulbs; hidden behind a ceramic grating, which pumped out a lot of heat when turned on. I remember they still worked in the 1980’s before my parents sold the house. The en-suite had the pedestal sink, while the main had been updated with a vanity. Both of these baths also had the penny tiles. The servant’s bathroom floor was oak flooring.
I grew up in a huge Victorian home. I loved our claw foot tubs! They were deep and roomy. I would soak for an hour, reading my favorite books. The tub I have today in my apartment is only big enough for a child.
I remember my grandparents claw foot tub. I loved it, except as a child, it was so difficult to climb into! 😂
Tell me about it allTubs in the US are for shorter people
And whatever they are made of, it doesn't keep the heat in! (Although in China they make little slats to lay over the tub to keep the heat in- very practical).
The penny tile style is making a comeback. They're lovely.
Sat in a green 60s bathtub while watching this
In Chicago I have lived in apartments with forced air heat and with radiators, and the same thing for homes in the Chicago suburbs. let me tell you: Those radiators are absolutely fantastic to keep a place warm.There is nothing as good as that system. And if they are omfidu beautiful because they are somewhat ornamented.
Oh yes, same here! The radiators were also common in all the rooms of my old apartments. We'd sometimes knock on them to get the Super to crank up more heat! Often there'd be a decorative lidded container on top of bigger radiators. You'd put water in them & the radiator's heat released steam that acted as a humidifier during the dry Chicago winters. I also had penny tiles in most of the bathrooms. Made to last!
I liked the Berwyn bungalow with forced air heat better than the Chicago two flat with radiators. Love the penny tiles until I had to redo them in a south suburban bungalow
@@nancygreenfield212 When I moved to Brookfield I finally had forced air & regular tile in the bathrooms. It was more comfortable, but I missed the older architecture & fixtures. After all the years I still do. They had character.
hahaha I live in Italy and in some public places you can still find pull chain toilets!! I wish a had a clawfoot tub!! beautiful!!
and the old farmhouse where I am has castiron radiators and they really keep the whole house warm! works much better than central hot air
Cast iron radiators are awsome.
Our 1959 ranch still has all 3 original bathrooms. My favorite is the pink and gray one. It’s in excellent condition too. The tub still shines like it was new
My childhood bathroom was also pink and gray! House built in 1958.
Magic of good porcelain! Now the tubs are made of fiber plastic. But the modern ones are a lot lighter and hence easier to transport and install.
I work at our nations biggest hardware chain, & recently a 97-year+old lady came in looking for a soap dish. She had asked someone young who didn’t know what she meant. She said someone young at the $ store didn’t know either. I guess they’d be really surprised by the ceramic built ins that were in my pink & blue bathroom growing up.
I'm a British 71-year-old, and I only recently found out what "dish soap" is. (We call it "washing-up liquid" in Britain.) I had heard Americans mention it, but assumed that it just meant the sort of soap that you put in soap dishes like the ones you describe, rather than great bars of antiseptic carbolic soap, or the "liquid soap" you put in soap-dispensers.
I must say I prefer our name for the product. After all, it _isn't_ actually soap, chemically speaking. But it _is_ a liquid. And it is used to wash up plates, cups, saucers, glasses, tumblers, knives, forks, spoons, pots, pans, bowls, mandolins, cleavers, skewers, avocado-slicers, pineapple-corers, potato peelers, cutting-boards, egg-whisks, cream-whippers, bread-tins, meat-grinders, potato chippers, spatulas, sieves, rolling-pins, scissors, baking-trays, jelly-molds, cake tins, icing nozzles, egg-cups, pizza cutters, measuring cups, cake-slices, olive-stoners, potato mashers, dough-hooks, oven shelves, plastic food-storage boxes, food-processor blades, vegetable-brushes, tongs, pitchers, jugs, bottles, jars, ladles, coasters and funnels. And _possibly_ dishes.
@ I was reading one of the “Lynley mysteries “ by Elizabeth George & had to look up “fairy liquid” to find out what what Barbara Havers was using to wash her hair. (I still son’t know what a “donkey jacket” is though…)
@@luschlyfe I think you'd need to be a bit desperate to use washing-up liquid as shampoo, even though Fairy Liquid had a long-running ad campaign in the 1960s with the slogan "Hands that do dishes can be as soft as your face, with mild green Fairy Liquid"!
My father-in-law worked as a chemist in the steel industry, and he was provided with a donkey-jacket for when he left the lab and was out and about in the more industrial areas of the plant. But it wouldn't have been regarded as enough protection to go to the most dangerous places, say near where molten steel was being poured.
A donkey-jacket is a longish, untailored heavy-weight jacket, usually black or navy blue, and usually pure wool. They are waterproof and moderately protective against sharp or hot objects, and are typically work-wear, often provided by employers to their workforce. The shoulders are reinforced with leather or PVC, sometimes with a high-visibility patch showing the company name. As with several sorts of work-wear, donkey jackets have sometimes been adopted as a fashion item as a sign of one's working-class roots.
Apparently the name comes from the fact that the jackets first appeared in Britain at the same time and place as the "nodding donkey" mechanical pump. They were worn by navvies* who worked with the pumps during the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in the late 19th century.
Nice talking to you!
-----
* That's the plural of _navvy,_ not _navy._ I'll explain if you like! 🙂
Our house was previously owned by my wife's grandparents. They had carpet in the bathroom, installed in the mid 90s. But it basically eliminated the slip and fall risk for them in their golden years. We removed it promptly and retiled.
My parents bought a home built in the 1960s. When they re-did their bathroom with a “laundry chute” in it, my dad completely restored it and it’s so practical. If you don’t have laundry on your bedroom floor, it’s a must!
I have a 1950’s sea foam green corner soaking tub. I love it!!!
I think I remember seeing the" razor disposal" in our medicine cabinet as a child. I could be wrong, but I did have a "flashback".
Here in Hungary, the pull chain toilets are very common. We too live in an apartman with such a toilet 🙃
My first experience with one of those was in England some years ago, quite an impressive flush.
In Romania they aren't common any longer.
@@mightaswellbe I mean I would appreciate it more if it wasn't a cheap plastic tank, but it's a rental, so we can't really do anything about it 🤷🏻♀️
My mother HATED claw foot tubs saying they were difficult to clean under and around. I remember, as a child , stubbing my toe on one of those legs. One thing you didn't mention were metal, built-in hampers. They were small but so convenient. Other bathroom staples that I remember from my early childhood (I'm 72 now) were razor strops hanging from a hook beside the medicine cabinet and a tall porcelain pipe beside the tub as part of the stopper mechanism. Many people had a contraption over the tub , which was used for drying clothes or nylon stockings. Bathrooms are better now, having showers and single faucets vs the separate hot cold taps that you show, but don't mention in the video. The Bathrooms of today are much easier to clean.
My condo's bathroom still has the metal built-in hamper. I use it to store toilet paper and feminine products. It's very handy!
'My mother HATED claw foot tubs saying they were difficult to clean under and around.' 🎯 I see people putting in those expensive freestanding baths, and all I can think about is reaching around to mop up overspills.
I've never wished to be surrounded by 4 shower curtains to shower in one.
You just described my Nans & other relatives apt. bathrooms. Never knew what those big metal things were as a kid. She & my aunt did wash & dry their “unmentionables” in the bathroom
The hot and cold taps are so much better for when i want to swap temperatures. (In the last 10 minutes I learned mine may still be mixed, for anti scold reasons)
A friend of mine showed me his childhood home a few years ago. His father built it in 1951! It had the original corner tub- looked just like my dollhouse of that era! Someone had replaced the flooring, but otherwise was original. I hope the new owners kept it original!
I wish colorful bathroom fixtures would return!!!
Me too! I’m partial to purple and pink
I think Kohler’s has pink and green toilets and sinks available again.
I hate white bathroom fittings but that’s all that’s available in the U K now. ☹️ On renovating and extending my mother’s old house I had no other choice than white, much to my disgust.
@@user-pb54: if you type in 'coloured baths, sinks and toilets, uk', you will find examples. Most of them are going to be expensive, though.
But if you change your mind about the colors you want, or sell your house, they're a big drawback. You have to change out the entire fixture or cabinet top, you can't just repaint.
I grew up in a home built in 1902. In the(unfinished) basement, there was a pull chain toilet. In other bathrooms, there were razor slots, pedestal sinks and a laundry shoot. A lot had been covered over in the 1950s. Fireplaces were restored as was the library
Hexagon and penny flooring actually haven’t faded.
They did for awhile.
@@sandyjuntunen4088 Everything is fashionable then goes out of fashion and then may come back. In the 1950s-60s most people only appreciated what was new style at the time. Victorian houses were torn down or some stuccoed over and the gingerbread removed. But then many people started appreciating older styles. I blame education, particularly art education.
The work to install one just makes them prohibitively expensive for most.
My wife and I just bought a house in Levittown Pa. Built in 1953' from the original homeowner in her late 90's she kept the house almost original. Except for the orange thick shaggy carpet. The house is scary original and so outdated. The refrigerator has a date of 1961' on it. Huge and must weigh a fortune 😂. We are in our early 20's and I must say that living simple must have been the way of life back then. We were gifted 20% down payment so we can not afford to put a penny into this house but that's great for us. We will be just happy to have this house ❤
Enjoy it. She probably took really good care of everything to have appliances last that long. My parents first home was a Levitt Cape Cod. Radiant heat floors. The best. So toasty
You are very lucky! Enjoy!!!
Modern appliances are built to fail. You’re quite lucky!
@@samanthab1923 yes it's a jubilee 4 bedroom cape cod with 4 bedrooms and just one little bathroom. I don't know how the original oil heater has lasted since 1953' says General Electric on it. The closets are the smallest I've ever seen. Called the holly Hill section.
@@davidhibbs6989 That’s amazing. Can’t tell you how many hot water heaters & assorted appliances I’ve replaced in 27 years. Do all your streets start with H? We lived in the N section. I just looked up what our old Cape is going for, $600K! Insane 🥴
Helped do clean up on old house and found old razor blades behind wall!❤👍 Cool History!!😊
Pink and black tiled bathrooms were beautiful
Many of the bathrooms in these photos contained sit down vanity tables and that looked so awesome. I bet it just added to the daily ritual of putting on ones face and doing ones hair. I wish modern bathrooms were still sized to accommodate these.I know some houses that cost 1 million or more might have that kind of space, but my little 1000sqft home with the postage size bathroom just aint it.
There's an old-fashioned type of dresser you may be able to find at an antique furniture store that works the same as a built in vanity table. It should come with a low-slung chair. It has 3 drawer sections that look like an'H.' The two-drawer sections are on the right and left sides, a lower vanity in the middle. This is all connected by a huge oval mirror. My mom had one of these when I was growing up. I loved it! There was something magical about sitting in front of that mirror to put on makeup, as everything needed was handy in the drawers.
My parents home has had carpet on the bathrooms floors for my entire life. These are not affixed, and are washable. The concept of stepping out of the shower/bath while wet and then drying off was not observed. You stayed in the shower/bath and dried off before stepping out. The carpets have never ever smelled or gotten moldy.
I’m more worried about the carpet around the toilet. 🤢
@@ericahoelscher3733 Why? Are you worried about your underpants? Does someone in your household pee and poop in front of the toilet? Bathroom carpeting is washable unless it is affixed. Shower mats are washable as well, do you have one of those? That gets exposed to the toilet air as well!
I love a carpeted bath, although its now hard to find the rubber-backed washable carpeting. Colored fixtures (I have butter yellow in this house) are just cheerful and welcoming; I hate the eternal white and gray found in newly-decorated houses. Save me from "neutrals"!
@@dolcefarniente8768 Agreed that they are hard to find...my mother seems to think she purchased recently the last one she will ever have (and she is 95! so proud of her). Like the candy counter at Sears, those days are slipping away!
So gross
OMG! My house was built in 1957. One bathroom is green, the other is pink. WOW!
The blue corner tub bathroom is in my house! Both my bathrooms are early 1950s....
Yep..got me a clawfoot tub in my 1907 house. Cast iron and super heavy to move! Love it, though. It's been there since the house was built, I think.
My grandmother's old Victorian home had those radiator like heaters in the walls of all the bathrooms and bedrooms. You had to light them to keep rooms warm.
My bathroom still look like these. ❤️ Havent been remodeled since the 60s.
I was born in 1953 & remember all of these fixtures & features. Mama & Daddy’s bathroom was a grey & salmon color scheme. My aunt had a square tub & I 🥰 it!
We had a claw bathtub growing up. It was so comfortable. I also remember them removing it - heavy doesn't even begin to explain the pain it took to get it out of the house.
Yes, that's a lot of cast iron.
My first apartment was in a 1939 building. The bathroom fixtures were a lovely yellow. Too bad the coloured fixtures have almost disappeared over time.
The most comfortbly heated homes I have lived in all had cast iron radiators. So I'm a believer.
The double sink at 2:14 is a hoot.
All the features in this video were either as good or better than their replacement. The only exception was carpeting.
American made towels by companies like Cannon, Fieldcrest, Westpoint, JP Stevens, Spring Maid, Thomaston, Pacific
I'm a 90's kid and pull chain toilets and radiators have definitely still been part of my life. Radiators still are.
Bought a house built in 59. Had a pink tub, toilet, and sink with gold veined marble. Oh, and navy blue paisley wallpaper. 😂
Did you keep those features?
@@laurelcosten1012 No! Just no! 😄
Bet those men felt kingly on those pink thrones
I grew up in old Victorian, gingerbread house. All the rooms were quite large, the whole house. It had a wrap around porch, so much detail!
Loved our claw foot tub but not the pedestal sink!❤
We bought a home with a built in shaving mirror. It was as attached to the wall by a flexible metal arm so it was easily adjustable for the man of the house
Pink tub in a rental house we stayed in during the 1970's. The tub was pink and deeper than usual. I loved it! Was only around 7 at the time.
You mentioned about fire safety for laundry shoots and that's true when I trained to be an Architect all wooden homes were to be built with fire stops between floors This was to prevent a vacuum effect when oxygen is needed to keep a fire going. Those shoots became a square vacuum hose. I remember all of them and the reasons they no longer are wanted.
Shout out to anyone else who slid down their grandparents' laundry chute as a child.
Other things I think you could have mentioned: sun/heat lamps, bidets (have made a comeback), sunken tubs, garden tubs, 80s/90s Hollywood lights style makeup mirrors, '70s and '80s bathrooms in luxury homes where the garden tub had a window that faced a small private walled garden (and sometimes there was a second, outdoor shower), grotto style showers, CRT TVs embedded in the wall behind the mirror, jack-and-jill style bathrooms, built-in planters, wall-mounted telephones by the toilet, those little divider walls between the toilet and sink that were a series of wooden columns in '70s homes, swag-style lighting, drop-down fluorescent light boxes over the vanity area, shared toothbrush holders built into medicine cabinets, wet room style bathrooms.
Sunken tubs?
Remodeler here: I’ve also disconnected 2 natural gas wall heaters installed in very old bathrooms. Also seen capped gas lines for lights.
I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse house with the original pull chain toilet in the downstairs bathroom. The tank and toilet seat were both wooden. All our guests would get a scare out of it when they’d flush for the first time because it sounded like a roaring monster lol. Unfortunately the upstairs bathroom in that house had the original carpeting 😑 we hated it but couldn’t afford to rip it out and put down tile or vinyl instead. It had a gorgeous stained glass window though
I once lived in an apartment with lavender-colored wall tile on the lower part of the walls and a lavendar bathtub, sink, and toilet! I asked the landlady and then painted the upper walls above tile off white and stenciled a few branches of blooming wisteria.
Carpet in the bathroom is the stupidest idea ever!!!!
Absolutely ! The water, moisture, smell and bacteria 🤢
The Bits love it. They have it in every bathroom.
It was popular for quite some time. From the late 60s thru late 80s.
Agreed. Brazilian rocks!
Lol for sure. Right next to carpeted kitchens!!
When my Grandfather renovated the family homestead in Memphis in the early 1930's he had lilac fixtures installed in his girls bathroom. He also used glass door knobs along with frenchdoors hoping it make the home more modern and attractive to the girls. They did not want to move to the old homestead that had been a farm at one time. The original house was built in the late 1800's.
Miss the claw-foot tub!!
The people who remodeled the bathrooms put in a genuine antique claw foot tub. One night after shoveling snow for hours, I filled that thing and soaked for an hour before climbing into bed. It was a delight.
2:15 oh my God I love the sink idea for this bathroom
I recall single sheet toilet paper dispensers in my grandparents home.
At my old school.
I just saw an old mobile home that had pink bathroom fixtures, with a garden tub. It was in wonderful condition. If i was into retro, that would be my first choice. Lol
I bought a home built in 1920 but had a mid century remodel (unfortunately). It has an all pink bathroom. Pink sink, pink toilet, pink tub, pink tile. I love it! I just don’t love the other “updates” they did in the living room
Let me guess... open concept and all gray 🤮
I still use cast iron radiators in my house.
I live in a 1950 Ranch house with 2 bathrooms, one has gray tile with red trim tile and a wall mounted sink that has chrome metal legs which one side also has a towel bar along side the sink. The other bathroom is yellow tile with mint green trim tile. It also has a mint green sink and tub. The tub is the square tub shown in some of the picture you have in your video.
My grandmother had a toilet like this! Her bathroom was CHARMING!!! She also had a claw-foot tub!!! Very nice!
1:15 im fascinated by these toilets
Some old bathrooms had a little bidet right by the toilet. These things were used to wash your private parts quickly so you don't have to use the shower or bathtub. Really useful if you had your period or diarrhea. Now some toilets have them built in.
Fascinating about the used razors dropping into the void, being found in a disgusting clump during a gut remodeling job. We had pink tiles with mint green trim in our circa 1942 home.
I don't know about the USA, but in France where I'm from, every home had a bidet, the same colour as the bath and the sink. In my parents' home, which they had built in the 70s and was super modern at the time, there was one on each floor's bathroom. I really liked that and miss the bidet, it was so hygienic and practical when you needed a quick but thorough refresh without removing all your clothes, or just a relaxing footbath. I know they've been replaced by gadget appliances but it's not the same. I wish I still had one, but they've become so rare!
Bidets are not popular in the US. But they're making an appearance. My son installed one. A few months before the TP shortage in 2020. He was ahead of his time.
We had pull chain toilets in Europe. We loved them they were great. No clogs.
I remember that my grandmother’s house used to have separate hot and cold Fossett in the bathroom sink.
The house I live in has that, so you have to be careful not to scald yourself when washing your hands.
They where used in U.K. so clean water wouldn't mix with dirty water.
And it's faucett.
I live in a house that was built in the 50s and it has a laundry shoot because the washer and dryer are in the basement.
Chute
My great grandmother's house built in 1941, a two bedroom bungalow style with the bathroom accessible through each of the bedrooms. Bathroom was located between the bedrooms. Was all pink tile, everything the walls, the walkin shower, sink, toilet, and floor. It was all pink, overwhelming pink! It was actually somewhat of a large bathroom for a small house. A practical layout and features. Great Gram always had homemade cookies and milk (powdered) for us kida when we visited. She made the best sugar cookies with bits of candied cherries in them.
Wow, razor blade trash in the wall sounds like the dumbest sh** ever! How did people collectively decide "hey, let's just out our trash into the walls and not care what happens to it after!"??? 🙈
🤔 Then again, I guess it's not much worse than in modern day buying endless unnecessarily plastic encased disposables and then just throwing them into the trash, to throw them "away", out of sight, out of mind, thinking they won't affect anything anywhere ever again 🤦♂️
My folks still have the original 1950's bathroom cabinet that you can put the old double razor blades in.
I like the pink and mint green and pink and blue barhrooms.