There are websites, TV shows, magazine, books, and entire channels on cable dedicated to finding ways to make your household life a little bit easier with simple tips. Though you might think the trendy “life hacks” you find on Pinterest are a modern development in problem solving, there’s really nothing new about it.
These old photos from vintage 1950s issues of Popular Mechanics show how homeowners have always been discovering clever ways to make life simple. And some of them still hold up today!
1. Sturdy Tree Stand
share
Popular Mechanics
This design uses the tree’s own weight to keep it upright, even when your cat decides to climb it as its own version of Everest.
2. Grease Spatter Control
share
Popular Mechanics
Save yourself from having to clean your stove every time you fry up bacon and other splashy meat by covering up the unused burners with plates. We recommend regular dishes over the flammable paper options shown, however.
3. Organize Your Drawers
share
Popular Mechanics
A place for everything and everything in its place using a label maker, simple masking tape and pen, or getting crafty with cute paint patterns and colors.
4. Stick A Cork In It
share
Popular Mechanics
Sugary products still using corks still tend to get super sticky after the first use, and this solution is still the perfect way to avoid frustration.
5. Get A Grip
share
Popular Mechanics
This is a still a great hack for almost any bottled household product, and can even be used for beverage coozies in the summer.
6. Boot Storage
share
Popular Mechanics
Snow boots, rain boots, and regular boot can all benefit from this storage process still. It keeps them from losing their shape and getting musty.
7. Radiator Warmth
share
Popular Mechanics
Homes heated with radiators can be still be used to warm up your baby’s bottles, as well as wet snow shoes, jackets and other winter weather items. The bumper tip may be outdated for most cars now, but the porthole would make a cute place to keep your charging station in your home or outdoors.
8. Heat Up
share
Popular Mechanics
If your radiator isn’t working quite well enough, you can add something reflective in between it and the wall to amplify the warmth. The toothpaste idea holds up, too, and can be done with a pen/pencil/anything cylindrical. The other two hacks are probably better left in the past.
9. Table Mats
share
Popular Mechanics
Unused linoleum pieces (in whatever pattern you prefer, the floral design isn’t really mandatory) still make for great table mats and going the extra mile with the plywood makes them sturdy and longer lasting.
10. Suction Cups
share
Popular Mechanics
Most bath products come with this handy mounting option already these days, and the modern options tend to be a bit more effective than the slippery old days.
11. Fireplace Poker
share
Popular Mechanics
We definitely DO NOT RECOMMEND the toasting method on the other side, but the simple fireplace poker storage still holds up. Asbestos was unfortunately seen as a miracle-material before realizing its incredibly harmful effects.
(via All Day.)
Next time you rack your brain for a solution to your daily household chores, you should probably start with a look to the past. Even the ones that don’t exactly fit with today’s homes, they still might be adaptable in a way you would have never guessed.
