Before technology became so easy, these gadgets were trendy items most households had in the 1960s.
Jello molds
If you didn’t serve guests a leaning skyscraper of Jello molded into shape by one of these suction-cupped, metal Jello molds, you weren’t entertaining in the 1960s. Inside these stainless steel gems, people poured packets of gelatin and transformed them into “salads” packed with fruit, olives, shrimp, etc.
However, with the popularity of fresh ingredients, many turned their noses up at congealed food and these molds are now rarely used.
Seltzer siphons
Before every home had a Soda Stream machine in their kitchen pantry, families used heavy-duty glass seltzer bottles. Wrapped in metal mesh, they hooked onto a small gas cartridge that would carbonate plain old tap water into fizzy soda-pop goodness. They were heavy and cumbersome. We now get plastic bottles of soda from the grocery store.
Clotheslines
Long before every family had high-tech dryers, most backyards were full of wet laundry. Most homes owned a whirlygig, which is a giant rotating metal umbrella used to hang laundry.
People like things done these days quickly, and some neighborhoods even have bans on hanging laundry outside, so you rarely see clothes spinning in the breeze.
Food warming trays
If you were lucky enough to throw a dinner party in the 60s, you probably owned one of these handy devices. It was a flat, heated glass surface used to keep your hot casseroles warm right on the dining room table.
These giant square plates are useless now that we own microwave ovens and can reheat our food in seconds.
Sunlamps
UV home sunlamps sat on desktops in the 1960s so users could achieve that winter tan. Resembling mini satellite dishes, these lamps were used before we knew just how harmful direct UV rays could be to our skin.
Today, we recognize those tan-in-a-box contraptions for the cancer-causing dangers they are.
Ashtray stands
People used to smoke indoors a lot more back then and didn’t want just a small dish sitting on their tables. Ashtray stands were large pieces of furniture that sat next to your couch or favorite chair.
They were made of heavy metal and featured a button you could push that dropped your ash into a secret compartment below. Once people started smoking outside more, those ashtray stands were kicked out of the living room.
Carpet sweepers
Long before powerful lightweight vacuums became common in homes, people used non-electric push carpet sweepers. These devices have rotating brushes that trap crumbs and lint as you push the sweeper over the carpet.
They are quiet and don’t require an electrical outlet. But they don’t pack nearly the cleaning power of suction vacuums.
Electric shoe polishers
Businessmen heading to the office needed their shoes to look shiny. So most homes had an electric shoe polisher on the floor of the closet.
It had two fuzzy spinning wheels attached to it: one black and one brown. Since workplaces have become more casual and we don’t wear as many leather shoes anymore, shoe buffers have become extinct.
Vanity skirts
Homes in the 1960s were often furnished with vanity tables that wore a skirt. These were large pieces of gathered fabric that hung from the table in order to conceal the legs and junk you usually stored underneath.
These dressed-up tables are far too fancy for today’s simple and streamlined style.
Plastic couch covers
To prevent expensive upholstery from stains and cigarette burns, many middle-class families in the 1960s covered their couches in thick, clear plastic.
They helped keep the sofa clean, but were also infamous for clinging to you during hot summer months and making an obnoxious crinkle noise anytime someone sat down or moved.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.