The 24 Household Items Every Mom Had in the ‘70s

The 1970s was a strange decade. Like any period, those who lived through it felt they showed great taste in fashion, design, and music. Hindsight, however, associates the ‘70s with kitsch and poor choices.

We look back fondly at the 1970s but are unlikely to revisit it. Fashion trends are ridiculed, while many everyday household items have been lost to history.

Each product on this list was a regular fixture in homes across the US and beyond. Some still exist in certain forms, while others have disappeared, but every mom had one in the 1970s.

1. Hand-Cranked Whisk

Every kitchen in the 1970s had one of these gadgets. Before their electric counterparts came along, food was whisked using the hand-cranked device which is largely obsolete in the modern kitchen.

Not only was the hand whisk more labor-intensive, but it also led to more mess and spills. From experience, it was hard to steady the bowl, which meant more slips and more cake mix splattered over walls and surfaces.

2. Bean Bag Chairs

There’s little advantage to sitting on a bean bag chair, but many homes had these in the ‘70s. Some argue that they were comfortable, but that wasn’t the case in my experience.

It was hard getting out of one, and impossible for seniors to use. So, they were uncomfortable and impractical, and if a bean bag chair ever split, you’d be cleaning up tiny polystyrene “beans” for the remainder of the decade.

3. Bath Tidy

OK so you can still buy a bath tidy, but these days they come in fancy materials such as bamboo or even marble! Back in the 1970s, we made do with plastic and some of the garish colors that defined the decade.

The product crossed the bath and held your soap, shampoo, and other handy items. If you were feeling decadent, you could have a bathtime feast with sandwiches and maybe a glass of wine.

4. Pumice Stone

While we’re still in the bathroom, the average 1970s mom would take a different approach to skincare. Before creams and exfoliants were widely available, a pumice stone would commonly be used as a mechanical abrasive to remove dead skin cells.

You can still buy a piece of this volcanic rock as a skincare product for just a few dollars. A pumice stone may also help with certain skin conditions, and they look pretty cool placed on the edge of the bath.

5. Jell-O Molds

If you see a Jell-O mold in a kitchen today, it’s more likely to be placed on the wall as a decorative item. In the 1970s, these were practical devices used to form this popular food product into entertaining shapes for kids.

At the time, I was confused that an aunt’s kitchen had fish and chicken-shaped molds. They didn’t seem to fit the Jell-O brief, but I later found out that these were intended for savory dishes such as terrines and mousses.

6. Stovetop Kettle

If one sound could take me back to my childhood, it would be the whistle of the stovetop kettle. When the water had boiled, the high-pitched whistle followed and a nice cup of tea was on the way.

Electric kettles are certainly more efficient and progress is inevitable. They are quicker too, and that’s essential in today’s society where speed is valued. Before they dominated the typical kitchen, every Mom boiled water on the stove.

7. Safety Gas Lighter

The word “safety” should be approached with caution: These lighters were extended devices that were used to light gas stoves. A spark was produced after you turned the gas on, but were they as safe as intended?

From experience, the spark was pitiful, and the user was tempted to turn the gas up. When ignition eventually happened, the power was enough to put hair and eyebrows at risk.

8. Hat Stand

By the 1970s, the practical nature of the household hat stand was already in the balance. Unless you were an office worker or a revolutionary,  it’s unlikely that you wore a hat at any point in the decade.

Stands were, however, kept as decorative items. Many ‘70s moms had them in their homes, and if they had hooks for coats and space for umbrellas, they still had a use.

9. Hostess Trolley

Many of the items on this list relate to the kitchen or food in general. In the case of the hostess trolley, the idea was to transport meals to the table while keeping them hot.

We’re bending the rules slightly as not every Mom kept a hostess trolley. They were seen as status symbols and the centerpiece of a stylish dinner party. A similar product today may cost several hundred dollars, and that’s another reason why they’ve disappeared.

10. Snake Draught Excluders

These days you can spend thousands of dollars to draft-proof your home. In the 1970s, we just placed snake-shaped plush toys at the foot of each external door. Sausage dogs — dachshunds — were also acceptable for narrower exits.

The method seemed to work, but you have to remember that not every 1970s home had central heating, so we were much more used to freezing indoor temperatures.

11. Electric Knife

When it was time to carve, many households relied on electric knives. The devices were quicker, and that would be an advantage in today’s homes, but what they provided in speed, they lost in efficiency.

Meat and its juices would often spray around the table. The gadgets were tricky to clean, and they simply couldn’t match the feel and quality of a hand-held kitchen knife.

12. Wall-Mounted Can Openers

A can opener on the wall could be a useful addition to any kitchen in the 1970s. The key was to make sure it was secure. It wasn’t uncommon to break the seal, bringing plaster from the wall, and leaving the can and its contents to spray around floors and surfaces.

Like a lot of 1970s gadgets, the wall-mounted can opener was more of a gimmick and its practical qualities were questionable. Hand-held devices are more efficient, and this is one ‘70s gadget that today’s moms won’t miss.

13. Wine Carafe

Why were wine carafes so widely seen at the 1970s dinner table? Maybe because the wine selection at your local store was so dreadful that you were embarrassed to display the bottle.

There are advantages to using this device, especially with young wines. Pouring into a carafe helps to oxygenate the wine and release its full aromas, but while most moms had them in the 1970s, they’re rarely seen in domestic use today.

14. Soda Siphon

To liven up that glass of wine with a hint of spritz, it was common to have a soda siphon to hand. These gadgets were common in bars and English pubs, even though the temptation to squirt other patrons was tough for rowdy customers to resist.

There are isolated rumors of a comeback, and it’s tricky to see why the soda siphon has disappeared from mom’s drinks cabinet. Perhaps it’s just easier to dispense soda straight from the bottle and that speed fits in with today’s more hectic society.

15. Meat Tenderizers

Was the 1970s mom looking for a meat tenderizer or an instrument of torture? It was hard to tell the difference with this archaic device, featuring metal spikes on a roller.

It’s debatable whether today’s wooden mallets do a better job, but they are easier on the eye and considerably less threatening. Other methods for tenderizing meat are in place, so it doesn’t have to be such a labor-intensive job.

16. Lava Lamp

The lava lamp was initially a product of the 1960s, and it’s easy to make the connection. The cosmic flow of the lava is a perfect fit for the hippy generation, but these items enjoyed greater exposure in the 1970s.

The lamp was a trendy addition to any home, and while students loved them, Mom embraced them too. Concerns over the safety of those ‘70s models led to a decline, but more reliable versions have since made a comeback.

17. Floral Couches

The design industries of the 1970s have much to answer for. Garish patterns in contrasting shades were found on wallpaper and carpets around many homes. It wasn’t uncommon to match orange and brown, and it’s no wonder that 1980s families were quick to redecorate.

The same approach applied to couches, which often featured bright floral patterns. Like many ‘70s furniture items, the intention was that they should be centerpieces, but most visitors to your home had to fight the urge to look away.

18. Rotary Telephones

Millennials and beyond would find it hard to live without mobile phones and all their functionality. To many boomers, however, the idea sounds like bliss. In the 1970s, all we had was a rotary phone for dialing and making conversation.

In some households, there was a phenomenon known as a “party line” where someone else in your street had access to the same connection. Rotary phones are still in demand, but only as collectibles.

19. Fondue Sets

Why the fondue set was all the rage in the 1970s was unclear. Over here in the UK, one would be regularly given away on a popular TV game show, and it was seen as a luxury item.

I’m a lover of cheese, but even I struggle with the overpowering aromas given off by the molten cheddar and gruyere. Every 1970s mom had a fondue set, but by the 1980s, they were hidden away at the back of the utensil cupboard.

20. Crocheted Blankets

A whole new industry has built up around the throw. These are cozy coverings in a range of materials that also look good as decorative items on couches and beds.

Back in the 1970s when your snake draft blocker wasn’t doing its job, you had to ask Mom for a crocheted blanket to keep warm. In keeping with the greater frugality of the era, these would often be handmade by Mom or they may have been handed down through the family.

21. Carpet Sweepers

The vacuum cleaner was widely available in the 1970s and was a relatively inexpensive household appliance. It was efficient too and was something of a revolutionary gadget of its time.

Despite this, many ‘70s moms preferred to clean their floors using a manual sweeper. They were labor-intensive and incapable of doing a proper job, but some homes have always been suspicious of new technology.

22. Teasmade

Depending on which brand you purchased, these items were referred to as “Teasmades” or “Teasmaids.” The purpose was the same: The device was linked to an alarm and when the time was right, it would boil water and begin to prepare your morning cup of tea.

Like many gadgets from the 1970s, there were concerns over safety. There are more reliable models today, including the iKettle which will make your morning hot drink while playing your favorite tunes. In a further, astonishing leap for technology, the iKettle can also make coffee!

23. Typewriter

If Mom or Dad wanted to send some correspondence and make it look official, they’d turn to the household typewriter. Word processors began to develop in the 1970s, but we were many years away from the time when most homes possessed a personal computer.

This was also a time before correction fluid, so any mistakes had to be edited with a pen, or you simply screwed up the paper, threw it away, and started all over again.

24. Foley Fork

It’s back to the kitchen for the final item on the list. The Foley Fork sums up many of the leftover gadgets from the 1970s. It’s considered a design classic in the present day, even if it’s completely useless.

It’s essentially a fork with six tynes, for when four just isn’t enough. Renowned TV chef Julia Child used a Foley Fork to mash potatoes, but advances in design mean that it’s obsolete in this area too.