# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/101 "2016-07-02T02:26:55Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > What do you think the most useless item is that is found in \>95% of homes in your country and the residents of those homes had to pay good money for it is? My vote would be an iron. The whole concept of ironing clothes seems wasteful and useless, as they will look exactly the same after an hour or so’s wear, and for that hour the actual benefit of pressed creases is nothing anyway. Whether ironing is pointless depends on the clothes. There’s no point in dironing jeans, but dress shirts are another But to answer your question, I’ll say a video game console. Utterly useless and frankly quite boring. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/102 "2016-07-02T02:32:37Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > 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… We got five picnic baskets. Married 21 years and have never been on a picnic. I do use one for magazines. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/103 "2016-07-02T02:52:27Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > 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. Replaced the blower motor on ours last week. Wore it out after 11 years. > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > We got five picnic baskets. Married 21 years and have never been on a picnic. I do use one for magazines. We have like three of these. Use them only to for a traditional picnic effect. Last time maybe 15 years ago. We may have ditched them since, I haven’t looked. If one exists, it is on the pantry shelf next to the punch bowl set. Bowl works as a holiday candy bowl, but the cups are useless. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/104 "2016-07-02T18:31:40Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > We got five picnic baskets. Married 21 years and have never been on a picnic. I do use one for magazines. This is why registries are such a great thing. You can pick things they want, and get a feel for what they DON’T want. When my parents were married in 1962, they got about 10 dozen wine glasses. Most were returned or regifted :D, and I have never seen either of them use a wine glass. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/105 "2016-07-03T01:14:09Z")
I’m going to second **spamforbrains** central vacuum suggestion (post #100). Like **PoppaSan** (#103) I too own a central vac system, use it for all my vacuum needs and I think it does a superior job. But the setup time makes quick or short vacuum jobs problematic. I think if I were to move and the new abode had a central vac system I would probably never use it. BTW, I bet less than 2% of homes in the U.S. have a central vac system so such a system does not fit into the criteria of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/106 "2016-07-04T01:38:48Z")
Along with bibles and phone books, I’ll add dictionaries to the list of books that aren’t used very often. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/107 "2016-07-04T07:29:07Z")
I know! It’s that little (still sealed) package of four round rubber feet that came with your old router, portable phone base, or clock/radio. It’s in the kitchen, in the junk drawer next to the silverware drawer, way at the back. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/108 "2016-07-04T09:13:49Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Decorative soap. > > People who have them don’t use them- they’re just for decoration, which means they’re wasted soap. And some people have little soaps, shampoos and lotions brought home from hotels. Also never used. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/109 "2016-07-04T09:25:11Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > 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. We use our laundry chute virtually every day. Saves us having to schlep things down from the second floor to the basement . . . when and if we’re going down to the basement. And this house also has a phone nook in the dining room. I still keep a classic rotary phone in it, sort of as a museum/conversation piece. And how many people have fireplaces in their homes but never use them? I have two, and would use them more often if I weren’t concerned with smoke affecting all the art work on the walls. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/110 "2016-07-04T14:39:02Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > 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. My parents used it all the time, and infrequently used it until it broke in half, and I never had a chance to replace it. I use the flat side a lot more than the bumpy side (Love schnitzels and thinly pounded chicken breast), but it got good use. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/111 "2016-07-04T20:52:59Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Along with bibles and phone books, I’ll add dictionaries to the list of books that aren’t used very often. We use dictionaries a lot. I know people who use their Bibles a lot. Not at all comparable to phone books. They’re not as commonplace and are used much more. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/112 "2016-07-04T21:02:23Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And some people have little soaps, shampoos and lotions brought home from hotels. Also never used. I use them, or donate them to the food pantry if they’re unopened. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/113 "2016-07-05T23:35:46Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > I was going to say the mysterious light switch that doesn’t seem to do anything (we all have one), but since that’s not something I’ve actively selected to pay money for, I have to say that for me, the answer is a hand mixer. I just don’t make anything anymore that requires a mixer. I had one of those. Took me YEARS to figure out that it turned on the lights in the detached garage. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/114 "2016-07-06T00:18:46Z")
I nominate just about any decorative thing that a woman buys for the bedroom, especially those frilly little dresses that you put around the bed. Being a guy, what I require is a place to lay my weary head. Frills, duvets, bed dresses, throw cushions, stuffed teddy bears, etc. are all, to put it kindly, optional – just as optional as those decorative little soap thingies in the bathroom that no one would ever dare use. Why is it that women consider a bed unfit for habitation unless it’s wearing at least 537 different items of apparel like an Edwardian Prince of Wales? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/115 "2016-07-06T00:23:48Z")
> [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](#): > > I find my potato masher very useful when making strawberry or blueberry jam - it’s just the thing to efficiently crush the berries. > > I may have, once or twice, used to to make mashed potatoes. If I gave up eating potatoes, I’d still keep it around for making jam. I find it awesome for making refried beans from dried beans. It’s almost the only thing I ever use it for - somehow potatoes are rarely eaten in mashed form around here. Well, I guess sometimes I mash squash or other vegetables, like parsnips. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/116 "2016-07-06T00:29:04Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I find it awesome for making refried beans from dried beans. It’s almost the only thing I ever use it for - somehow potatoes are rarely eaten in mashed form around here. Well, I guess sometimes I mash squash or other vegetables, like parsnips. Perfect for _smashed_ potatoes! ---
**Author:** ![DoggyDunnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@DoggyDunnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoggyDunnit)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/117 "2016-07-06T01:07:37Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > We got five picnic baskets. Married 21 years and have never been on a picnic. I do use one for magazines. And here I thought the modern cooler (for the needs-kept-cold stuff) and the reusable canvas bag (for the not-cold stuff) obsoleted picnic baskets a long time ago… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/118 "2016-07-06T13:31:14Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Personally, I find nearly everything in the kitchen unnecessary. For mashing potatoes, I use an empty tin can that opened with a ring-pull, which has a 3/16" rim around the top. Punch a few holes in the bottom, the open top mashes potatoes nicely. Warning – very hot, use a potholder. > > I make cole slaw without a grater. Cut up the cabbage with a big knife, and a potato peeler works fine for grating carrots. > > I threw my toaster away. I can make toast better and faster holding the bread in a pair of tongs over a hot stovetop ring. Or on a wire rack held with vise-grips. This is _insane_. _You_ are insane! 🙂 There is nothing wrong with buying a few things to make your life easier, and you can pry my toaster oven from my cold dead hands. > [@Doug\_K](#): > > 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. I know and I like the whipped ones better. > [@wolfpup](#): > > I nominate just about any decorative thing that a woman buys for the bedroom, especially those frilly little dresses that you put around the bed. Being a guy, what I require is a place to lay my weary head. Frills, duvets, bed dresses, throw cushions, stuffed teddy bears, etc. are all, to put it kindly, optional – just as optional as those decorative little soap thingies in the bathroom that no one would ever dare use. Why is it that women consider a bed unfit for habitation unless it’s wearing at least 537 different items of apparel like an Edwardian Prince of Wales? Not all women, please! I don’t have any of that stuff in my bedroom, or the decorative soap. The only thing I will argue with you on is the “frilly dress” for the bed. The purpose for that is to hide whatever’s under your bed. This way those under the bed bins, the lady’s vibrator, or just a bin of sexy, sexy things, can be hidden. Or anything else. That’s all it’s for. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687/119 "2016-07-06T14:31:18Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > My vote is for the Bible. Even our home has one, and neither my wife nor I are religious one bit. I doubt that even religious people crack it open very often, yet there must be one in 90% of American homes. I doubt anywhere near 90% of households have a Bible. And a lot of people who do have one read it sometimes. In many cases that might be done online rather than with the physical book, but then it’s really the same category as reference books (encyclopedia, dictionary, phone book) whose function has tended to be taken over by computers. But IME that’s less completely true of Bibles than say phone books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-item-found-in-the-vast-majority-of-homes/758687.md?page=5)