This Elderly Couple Bought Their Household Appliances In 1950s, 50 Years Later They Still Work!
These days it seems as if nothing is made to last. Phones break too easily. Televisions die for no reason. Shoes fall apart after barely a year. It’s almost as if manufacturers deliberately make things badly in order to force consumers to constantly buy new stuff (crazy thought, right?).
If you ever needed proof that “they don’t make ’em like they used to anymore” then look no further than Sydney and Rachel Saunders from Exeter, UK, because the elderly couple, both in their 80s, have been using the same home appliances that they bought over half a century ago! Their tumble dryer, boiler, cooker, and washing machine cost them just £146 GBP ($193 USD) when they first purchased them way back in 1956, and somewhat incredibly, they continue to work to this day.
“Things were made better in those days, they were more durable and stronger,” said Mr Saunders, a retired accountant. “We were given the washing machine when we were married – 62 years ago – and the last time it was used was 12 years ago,” added his wife Rachel, a retired carer. “As far as I know it’s still in full working order, it just leaks a bit. You just don’t get appliances made like that today.”
The couple have finally decided to part with their antique appliances after all these years, but Mr Saunders isn’t bothered about how much they might get for selling them. “I’d like them to go to a museum or something like that so they can be preserved,” he said.
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
Image credits: David Hedges SWNS
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Share on FacebookYep. The manufacturers realized that if their product kept working for a long, looong time, they'd just lost a customer for that very specific period of time. Make shittier product that's also much cheaper to make, you get endless money.
Load More Replies...As much as I appreciate the idea of keeping things for as long as possible I wonder how energy efficient their appliances are in comparison to ones created today
Your energy efficiency goes to the trash when you have to throw away an appliance every 3 or 4 years. Think about the amount of harmful chemicals and the energy used to do these appliances constantly and the "recycling" carbon print. ;)
Load More Replies...I still use a 1950's GE Electric stove/oven that my parents purchased when they built their house. Works like a charm!
We use a kitchen machine my mother in law bought almost 40 years ago
Load More Replies...“the last time it was used was 12 years ago” Well, that's not very helpful.
They didn't mentioned if the items were ever serviced and needed new parts. The cost to repair rather than replace is what drives a lot of new purchases these days. Add in the change in family size and how frequently clothes and bedding are washed. We wash ourselves and our stuff a lot more than in Post War Britain. We cook many more different types of food as well and in larger quantities. Have a look at the small pantry in most post war homes. A lot of replacement of products in the home, including fixed cabinetry, tile and floor coverings is not due to it breaking, it is due to it being out of fashion. Watch any American, UK, Australian lifestyle channel program and you will see whole houses full of perfectly good stuff get put in a dumpster. There is planned obsolescence as well, products that are sealed/one unit that are unable to be repaired easily, Apple products are an example, but also many motors or control boards are not accessible to replace a component.
I hope they go in a museum--or someone uses them to decorate their apartment or a store! they are so cool
I wish people would stop referring to the elderly as if they're children. I know people are being nice but calling them "cute" and treating them as if they're toddlers is pretty demeaning to people that have lived far longer than you. They're usually deserving of more dignity and respect than a lot of people give them by speaking to them in cutesy voices and baby talk. It drives me crazy. They're not toddlers or pets. They're just older.
My appliances we had were 19 yrs old. We bought new appliances, over 2,000 dollars, none of them work right.The dryer needed 2 parts w/in 2 years I have told Freds Appliance, they did not care. So far I bought a used dryer that works wonderful. Next will be a washer that will clean the clothes. I will buy a used one. The stove will be after that. I had a cousin that worked there, she said they don't make them like they used to after the fact.
I was given a hand mixer at my wedding shower almost 51 years ago and used it preparing Thanksgiving dinner 2 days ago.
My roommate & I live in a house with (probably) the original appliances. The refrigerator is from 1951 (and it doesn't work super well, but still works...the rubber gasket needs replacing) and the stove is from about that time also. This was when the biggest exports out of Detroit were ovens. It wasn't until the 50s that Detroit stopped being the "go-to" state for stoves/ovens. Ours is a Detroit Jewel & works well. The cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and floor are all the originals. It's kind of kitschy, and my roommate loves this stuff. I like it, but we *really* need a new fridge! I will say though, overall, I've encountered many well-taken-care-of appliances which are still in use. Obsolescence is built in now.
We bought a microwave when we first got married, back in 1986. Cheap price, maybe $100-$150, we didn't expect it too last very long. Surprisingly enough, the company was bought out before our microwave died. Never expected the thing to outlast the company that made it...yeah, things were made much better back then.
My stuff have been working for many years now, everything is second hand, so it´s even been used for years before me, it´s only my phones that keeps getting bad after a year or two, which is a waste.
Cute, but I have to admit I don't want to pay their electricity bill... O.o
It would have been even more exciting if we could see each individual appliance and what it's used for.
This may apply to TVs and phones, that type of thing, but I don't think washing machines, fridges and stoves have changed in any very important, must have ways for a very long time. I certainly wouldn't replace any of those unless they stopped working - never just to get a new feature. The requirements for these appliances are pretty basic really and it should be possible to provide those requirements and make them last because they've not really changed in decades.
Load More Replies...Yep. The manufacturers realized that if their product kept working for a long, looong time, they'd just lost a customer for that very specific period of time. Make shittier product that's also much cheaper to make, you get endless money.
Load More Replies...As much as I appreciate the idea of keeping things for as long as possible I wonder how energy efficient their appliances are in comparison to ones created today
Your energy efficiency goes to the trash when you have to throw away an appliance every 3 or 4 years. Think about the amount of harmful chemicals and the energy used to do these appliances constantly and the "recycling" carbon print. ;)
Load More Replies...I still use a 1950's GE Electric stove/oven that my parents purchased when they built their house. Works like a charm!
We use a kitchen machine my mother in law bought almost 40 years ago
Load More Replies...“the last time it was used was 12 years ago” Well, that's not very helpful.
They didn't mentioned if the items were ever serviced and needed new parts. The cost to repair rather than replace is what drives a lot of new purchases these days. Add in the change in family size and how frequently clothes and bedding are washed. We wash ourselves and our stuff a lot more than in Post War Britain. We cook many more different types of food as well and in larger quantities. Have a look at the small pantry in most post war homes. A lot of replacement of products in the home, including fixed cabinetry, tile and floor coverings is not due to it breaking, it is due to it being out of fashion. Watch any American, UK, Australian lifestyle channel program and you will see whole houses full of perfectly good stuff get put in a dumpster. There is planned obsolescence as well, products that are sealed/one unit that are unable to be repaired easily, Apple products are an example, but also many motors or control boards are not accessible to replace a component.
I hope they go in a museum--or someone uses them to decorate their apartment or a store! they are so cool
I wish people would stop referring to the elderly as if they're children. I know people are being nice but calling them "cute" and treating them as if they're toddlers is pretty demeaning to people that have lived far longer than you. They're usually deserving of more dignity and respect than a lot of people give them by speaking to them in cutesy voices and baby talk. It drives me crazy. They're not toddlers or pets. They're just older.
My appliances we had were 19 yrs old. We bought new appliances, over 2,000 dollars, none of them work right.The dryer needed 2 parts w/in 2 years I have told Freds Appliance, they did not care. So far I bought a used dryer that works wonderful. Next will be a washer that will clean the clothes. I will buy a used one. The stove will be after that. I had a cousin that worked there, she said they don't make them like they used to after the fact.
I was given a hand mixer at my wedding shower almost 51 years ago and used it preparing Thanksgiving dinner 2 days ago.
My roommate & I live in a house with (probably) the original appliances. The refrigerator is from 1951 (and it doesn't work super well, but still works...the rubber gasket needs replacing) and the stove is from about that time also. This was when the biggest exports out of Detroit were ovens. It wasn't until the 50s that Detroit stopped being the "go-to" state for stoves/ovens. Ours is a Detroit Jewel & works well. The cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and floor are all the originals. It's kind of kitschy, and my roommate loves this stuff. I like it, but we *really* need a new fridge! I will say though, overall, I've encountered many well-taken-care-of appliances which are still in use. Obsolescence is built in now.
We bought a microwave when we first got married, back in 1986. Cheap price, maybe $100-$150, we didn't expect it too last very long. Surprisingly enough, the company was bought out before our microwave died. Never expected the thing to outlast the company that made it...yeah, things were made much better back then.
My stuff have been working for many years now, everything is second hand, so it´s even been used for years before me, it´s only my phones that keeps getting bad after a year or two, which is a waste.
Cute, but I have to admit I don't want to pay their electricity bill... O.o
It would have been even more exciting if we could see each individual appliance and what it's used for.
This may apply to TVs and phones, that type of thing, but I don't think washing machines, fridges and stoves have changed in any very important, must have ways for a very long time. I certainly wouldn't replace any of those unless they stopped working - never just to get a new feature. The requirements for these appliances are pretty basic really and it should be possible to provide those requirements and make them last because they've not really changed in decades.
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