# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/81 "2016-06-30T04:08:10Z")
For some reason we have a phone book in the house. No idea where it came from or when, but I haven’t opened a phone book in probably 15 years ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/82 "2016-06-30T04:50:14Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > “In most homes”… a stand mixer. Bought and given as a fashion accessory since you absolutely never see a kitchen glam or remodel show without one. Used once a year or less, usually ineptly because. > > Yes, a few actually get used. But if they weren’t a fashion accessory, they wouldn’t come in nearly ten times as many colors (25-30) as any other kitchen item short of tableware. I use my Kitchen Aid all the time! For me, it’s about half of my clothes, which I never wear but just can’t give them up just yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/83 "2016-06-30T09:09:04Z")
I store my potato masher in the same unused drawer as my grapefruit spoon. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/84 "2016-06-30T10:53:46Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > 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… ? Rice, other beans. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/85 "2016-06-30T11:17:42Z")
It may not quite live up to the \>95% criterion, but while most households I know of has some version of [this](https://www.google.se/search?q=meat+tenderizer+hammer&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirneHMys_NAhXLDiwKHfQWB5UQsAQIGg) in a kitchen drawer, I’ve never actually seen anyone use it to inflict violences upon the intended dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/86 "2016-06-30T12:49:24Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. They’re a constant issue for most buildings here in NYC. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**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 30, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/87 "2016-06-30T13:44:39Z")
> [@missred](#): > > 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. We remodeled our house 2 years ago and they accidentally tore up the underground phone line to our house. I told them not to bother repairing it. Made our phone jacks _completely_ useless! ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/88 "2016-06-30T14:05:16Z")
Well, both my father and my brother (who live in the same house as I) are hamsterlings so they both collect garbage. One outside, other one inside the house. However I must also confess I own cubic meter of broken or obsolete electronics somewhere in the closet. And I agree with OP. Ironing is generally waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/89 "2016-06-30T14:14:48Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > … > 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! I have one of those. I use it every time i make mashed potatoes, which admittedly is about once a year (for Thanksgiving). It works well and is easy to clean. I have a lemon zester that i can’t remember using. I use the grater when i want lemon zest. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/90 "2016-06-30T14:36:19Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > And I agree with OP. Ironing is generally waste of time. I owned an iron and ironing board for years, but never used either. I eventually gave both to a friend who asked to borrow them. I also do not dry clean stuff. If I inadvertently purchase something that says “dry clean only” I wear it 'till it needs laundered, then put it in with my other wash and see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/91 "2016-06-30T15:03:41Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > 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. I use mine. It’s very handy. I understand it is now a violation of fire codes in many places, but my friend the fireman says the passageway created by the laundry shoot is irrelevant compared to the staircase right next to it, and he recommended i keep the laundry shoot. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/92 "2016-06-30T19:51:01Z")
Seems to be that there is a big divide between people who seriously cook and those who just do it in a cursory fashion to get something edible on the table. Stuff like meat tenderizers, potato mashers and food processors aren’t everyday kinds of devices, but they definitely ought to get used a few times a year at a minimum. For example, the meat tenderizer gets a regular, if infrequent workout pounding out chicken breasts for scallopine/piccata/saltimbocca. The potato masher gets used to mash potatoes, smash fruit for jam, and generally mash anything moderately soft that needs mashing. The food processor gets used fairly frequently - for shredding cheese, chopping large quantities of vegetables, etc… I can totally see a stand mixer not getting a lot of use if your family doesn’t bake; I think if my wife wasn’t a baking hobbyist, ours would be long gone. But if you do have one, there’s little point in a bread machine, a hand mixer, or anything like that. The stand mixer does all those things, and does them better. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/93 "2016-07-01T18:53:11Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Your head. Seriously. After I’ve cut my hair (#2 on the trimmer) I give myself a once-over with the vacuum with this attachment so I don’t shed bits everywhere. That’s sort of clever and amusing. 🙂 You could set up a factory producing special little head hoovers and get very rich. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/94 "2016-07-01T19:06:19Z")
Cheese grater? I don’t think I have ever grated cheese. But we definately have a cheese grater. If I neeed grated cheese I buy a bag of grated or shredded cheese. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/95 "2016-07-01T21:25:42Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Cheese grater? > I don’t think I have ever grated cheese. But we definately have a cheese grater. > If I neeed grated cheese I buy a bag of grated or shredded cheese. I sometimes buy chunks of cheese if it’s on sale, and grate it as I need it. I also use the cheese grater for other things, like brown sugar that’s gotten all stuck together. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/96 "2016-07-01T22:13:35Z")
That one uncomfortable high back chair that doesn’t face the TV. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/97 "2016-07-01T22:21:12Z")
I’m going to second decorative soap. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Mice aren’t an issue in most modern homes. Hahaha. In the home buyers seminar I took we were told in NH a seller is not required to inform buyers that their house has mice when disclosing pest issues because the state assumes most homes have some mice. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/98 "2016-07-02T00:02:37Z")
For some reason, we received FIVE pairs of candlesticks as wedding gifts. I don’t know if we’ve ever put candles in any of them. I guess they do a good job of keeping dust off their portion of the china cabinet, so there’s that… ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/99 "2016-07-02T01:58:17Z")
The “round brushy thing” is great for cleaning the leading edges of ceiling fans, which do accumulate dust. I clean the one over my bed and don’t get a bit of dust on the sheets below. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/100 "2016-07-02T02:19:49Z")
central vacuum system? I don’t know how common they are, but everyone I know who has one never uses it and/or it broke long ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687.md?page=6)