House Essentials in the 40s/50s

[Janner]

Think back to what would be considered very dangerous, connecting the electric iron to the lighting socket using a fitting which had provision for connecting light bulb & iron at the same time.

[trastrick]

Think back to what would be considered very dangerous, connecting the electric iron to the lighting socket using a fitting which had provision for connecting light bulb & iron at the same time.

 

That would be a double or twin bayonet socket!?

 

---------- Post added 14-08-2016 at 23:12 ----------

 

Think back to what would be considered very dangerous, connecting the electric iron to the lighting socket using a fitting which had provision for connecting light bulb & iron at the same time.

 

On the Arbourthorne we only had one 2 pin socket in the house (for the wireless)

[brian1941]

We lived on Southey hill Southey Green in 1970s and only had 2 off only

three pin plugs kitchen and living room.

We had an extension for our hoover so we could do the stairs and landing,

no sockets at all upstairs. We had a two way double adaptor over the bed

too turn the light off/on. We managed them days but better when council

did put new ones in around the 80s.

[jstarr]

 

---------- Post added 29-07-2016 at 11:03 ----------

 

Some others:

 

Clothes horse

 

Trouser press

 

Flex (wire)

 

Soldering iron

 

Self sharpening razor.

 

Bi Carb for everything

 

Straight razor with leather sharpening strop.

 

Fuse wire

 

You mention Bicarb - for some reason,my Mum always used to throw a pinch in the water when the vegetables were boiling .The result was that everything,now matter how fresh and appetising it had been to start with, was reduced to a yellowish mush.What was that about?!

[TORONTONY]

You mention Bicarb - for some reason,my Mum always used to throw a pinch in the water when the vegetables were boiling .The result was that everything,now matter how fresh and appetising it had been to start with, was reduced to a yellowish mush.What was that about?!

 

Anybody mention the copper, the boiler not the bobby. When I was a kid and came in scruffy that was where I got a scrub down between bath night Fridays

[wrinkly67]

You mention Bicarb - for some reason,my Mum always used to throw a pinch in the water when the vegetables were boiling .The result was that everything,now matter how fresh and appetising it had been to start with, was reduced to a yellowish mush.What was that about?!

 

Back then veg was cooked to within an inch of its life and bicarb was supposed to keep the green colour - which did work. Nowadays with "al dente" veg being the rage, it's not needed.

[trastrick]

You mention Bicarb - for some reason,my Mum always used to throw a pinch in the water when the vegetables were boiling .The result was that everything,now matter how fresh and appetising it had been to start with, was reduced to a yellowish mush.What was that about?!

 

Carbonate of Soda was an all purpose agent used for everything, cooking (as above) washing (washing soda), cleaning teeth (if you couldn't afford MacLeans) and my aunt's favorite antacid for indigestion.

[Janner]

My Grans. panacea was Methylated Spirits, applied to cuts, bruises, stings (when she didn't have a Dolly Blue handy. I don't think she drank it!

[scousemouse]

..........i was thinking about things that were in my home in the fifties, anyone else remember 'sealing wax? My father used it quite often for dropping on knots on string for parcels.

[trastrick]

..........i was thinking about things that were in my home in the fifties, anyone else remember 'sealing wax? My father used it quite often for dropping on knots on string for parcels.

 

If you were posh you had a seal to go with it!