# Most useless item found in the vast majority of homes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687 "2016-06-29T08:23:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/61 "2016-06-29T17:19:04Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Breadmaking machines. > > They are often given as wedding gifts and people use them maybe once but after that they just stay on the shelf. > > Bread is so cheap I just cant see going thru the trouble. > > And add after that the fancy china and crystal. We probably have $2,000 worth of that stuff from our wedding but all its done is sit in the fancy china cabinet. Big thanks to whoever decided to donate their useless bread machine to Goodwill. Best #3.99 I spent and I use it a lot. Fresh homemade cranberry orange bread, anyone? Still working five years later ad if/when it dies, I will be replacing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/62 "2016-06-29T17:28:57Z")
The ‘good’ silverware and flatware that gets broken out maybe once a year on Thanksgiving ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/63 "2016-06-29T17:31:20Z")
To show how personal this is – my oven has only been used once (and by someone else) in the 12 years I’ve lived there. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/64 "2016-06-29T18:14:28Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Kills mice. Earns steak. Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/65 "2016-06-29T18:32:09Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. They certainly are for those of us that live in rural areas. In the city, I guess you get rats. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/66 "2016-06-29T18:40:14Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. I hope they’re not much of an issue in mine; I’ve never seen a live one hereabouts, but over the past decade my cat has left me two beheaded ones as what I figure must be a _thanks-for-letting-me-live-here-boss_ tribute – and I’m a _lot_ happier seeing the occasional dead mouse than who-knows-how-many live mice. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/67 "2016-06-29T18:47:04Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. Oh yes they are. And you don’t by any means have to live in rural areas. You can control them easily, and it’s easy to catch them with traps, but mice are very good at living with humans and can squeeze through incredibly tiny holes. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/68 "2016-06-29T18:48:57Z")
Our wedding china. Don’t let anyone talk you into registering for this stuff. Been married 8 years and we’ve probably used it once. It’s still packed in a box after we moved 4 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/69 "2016-06-29T18:54:49Z")
I don’t know about the vast majority of homes, but I have a little niche for a telephone. I don’t think the old-fashioned desk set would even fit here, and the new one doesn’t, either. It’s in the hall. It’s amazing to think that people used to get by with just one phone in a house. I think in my life I’ve seen one such niche used for an actual phone. Also, do most houses have laundry chutes? That’s something that sounds neat, but I don’t believe people really use them. I guess they couldn’t be in the vast majority of homes because I’ve never had one, but they sound pretty useless. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/70 "2016-06-29T18:59:01Z")
Wait, I’ve got it, the Christmas tree stand. Used once a year. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/71 "2016-06-29T19:07:16Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I don’t know about the vast majority of homes, but I have a little niche for a telephone. I don’t think the old-fashioned desk set would even fit here, and the new one doesn’t, either. It’s in the hall. It’s amazing to think that people used to get by with just one phone in a house. I think in my life I’ve seen one such niche used for an actual phone. > > Also, do most houses have laundry chutes? That’s something that sounds neat, but I don’t believe people really use them. I guess they couldn’t be in the vast majority of homes because I’ve never had one, but they sound pretty useless. Nope we used to use ours. Why wouldn’t you? You put a laundry bin at the bottom, and you put your clothes in the chute, and voila! Then the laundry is all ready to go when you get downstairs. Now I think they are passé. I haven’t seen one in over twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/72 "2016-06-29T19:15:25Z")
My mom had a built-in flour bin in the cupboards in her house. Would easily accommodate a 50-pound bag, and as a child, her dresses were made of flour sacks. Now my supermarket doesn’t even stock flour in bags bigger than ten pounds. The flour shelf is shorter than the shelf for cake mixes. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/73 "2016-06-29T19:41:02Z")
Use my laundry chute all the time. I love it, and had it put in when we bought the house. Most all the dirty laundry is produced in the upstairs bedroom. I push it through the little door on the wall, and voila, it is now right beside the washer in the first floor bathroom, at the ready! ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/74 "2016-06-29T20:14:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I inherited my mother’s food processor. I used it once, to make hamburger meat. It wasn’t worth the cleanup. I also inherited her service for 12 “good” dishes and silverware. They’re lovely, but I have no use for them. Just goes to show. I figure we use our food processor at least once a day. It is a Cuisinart original, getting onto 40 years old and the plastic bowl is disintegrating and cannot be replaced. But it still works fine. On the other hand we have a full service of silver that we never–I mean never–use. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/75 "2016-06-29T20:31:09Z")
A half empty can of soda pop in the back of the refrigerator from New Year’s 1997 … ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/76 "2016-06-29T20:55:36Z")
The phone jack. I’ve lived in my current apartment for 12 years and couldn’t tell you where mine is. I know that there is one, as the building was built in 1992 and suspect it’s behind my bed, but I’ve never had a landline since living there. I’ll find out when I move in a month. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/77 "2016-06-29T21:39:12Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > My mom had a built-in flour bin in the cupboards in her house. Would easily accommodate a 50-pound bag, and as a child, her dresses were made of flour sacks. Now my supermarket doesn’t even stock flour in bags bigger than ten pounds. The flour shelf is shorter than the shelf for cake mixes. The house I grew up in had either two or three huge tilt-bins in the lower cabinetry. Built just after the war by a guy with some odd notions. I guess they were for flour, beans, and… ? One worked great for dog food. The other slowly filled up with paper shopping bags. When we emptied it, there were receipts in bags going back to 1970. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/78 "2016-06-29T21:48:19Z")
Broken electronics. My parents had an entire box full of broken cordless phones & bases. Everybody I know has at least one thing that’s broken, won’t be fixed, and can’t be scavenged for parts. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/79 "2016-06-29T22:29:30Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No, my husband is great, fixes everything and is methodical and careful and patient. Also I use my exercise bike. Not as much as I should, but I do. > > I mean this: > > [potato masher](https://www.google.com/search?q=potato+masher&safe=off&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&tbm=isch&imgil=tqK00CVGs1CVZM%253A%253BVplkkaQy4Jd3rM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fcookingwithlittlebuddy.com%25252Fpotato-masher%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=tqK00CVGs1CVZM%253A%252CVplkkaQy4Jd3rM%252C_&usg=__cEBeDRyyCKXQv09cIhgZd99-n34%3D&biw=1600&bih=755&ved=0ahUKEwiCxda0us3NAhUnJJoKHdkmDuUQyjcIUQ&ei=c9xzV8K_L6fI6ATZzbioDg) > > And we don’t use it. We start with a fork and then go to a mixer, adding cream and butter. We use red potatoes with the skin still on. I don’t eat plain mashed potatoes, they are boring and not very good. Red potatoes with the skin or NOTHING! Whipped potatoes may look like mashed potatoes from a distance but they are not quite the same thing. They are fluffy and airy, and don’t feel as substantial in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/80 "2016-06-30T03:20:58Z")
“The GOOD” china and silverware is far from useless IF you use it as your primary set. (We never did. $!000 of other people’s money pissed away.) Bread machines at least introduce the concept of baking to the intimidated home cook. I use mine for pizza dough and hands-free kneading and rising. Electric can openers may be a boon to arthritics. Maybe not? The single most useless kitchen “gadget” I can think of off the top of my head are those cheap-ass knives sold everywhere from the Dollar Store to department stores that ought to be ashamed to carry such trash- stamped, dull and unsharpenable. I’ve been asked to carve in houses with multiple! sets of china and silverware where the only knives available could not cut boiled peanut butter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687.md?page=5)