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“What Working On The Same Spot For 41 Years Does To The Floor”: 50 Pics Of Worn-Down Things (New Pics)
Time waits for no man, nor anything really. Use, neglect, or just the simple passing of days and years, inevitably, end up leaving a mark on everything and everyone. Like a canyon being worn down by the flow of water over thousands of years, everyday use can leave its own impact, from grove marks to wear and tear.
People across the net share the interesting effects of time and use on everyday items. While not intentional, the incremental, tiny changes add up, creating a sort of organic, new art. So get comfortable, settle into your favorite chair, and scroll through. Upvote the most interesting examples and be sure to comment your thoughts below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Black Shirt Of Mine That Got A Solar Tie-Dye Job After Years Of Being Crammed In The Back Of My Car
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#2
My Parents' Cat Always Follows The Same Path Through Their Garden
Living Example 2 years ago
My dogs do something similar...No matter where the are in the yard, when I call them they always walk to the center of the yard and make a right angle turn onto a path they've worn and follow it to the house. That part of the yard is wide open and the house is clearly visible. It's funny to watch them make that sharp turn and "merge" onto the path.
#3
Generations Of Bunnies Have Worn A Perfect Groove In My Neighbor's Fence
Time really doesn’t treat everyone and everything equally. By one’s late forties, it’s easy to see what people have “aged well” or “aged poorly,” while in objects, certain materials hold up a lot better than others. A car, left in a field for decades will inevitably begin rusting down into nothing over time, while plastic and glass, unless there is some significant force, will be around for centuries.
Some of the largest examples of this are in nature, where water, wind, and sun have been steadily working before we had even emerged from the oceans. The Grand Canyon, for example, took the Colorado River around five to six million years or “work,” wearing down rocks piece by piece.
#4
Countless Hours Of Wind Moved The Chains To Get This Piece Of Art
#5
23 Years Ago, My Girlfriend Was Given 2 Identical Stuffed Peter Rabbit Toys. One She Kept With Her At All Times (And Still Does), The Other Was Stored Away
Rodney Bowie 2 years ago
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." "I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled. "The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."
#6
Family Heirloom Watch That Was Passed Down To Me. Traces Of The Family Photo Carried On The Back Are Still Visible
Physicists and other scientists call this particular phenomenon entropy, as new matter or energy is never created, but everything slowly breaks down over time. Originally used in thermodynamics, most people know it from everyday occurrences in nature. Mountains get shorter, cliffs erode and dunes are slowly washed away.
#7
A Stop Sign In My Town Is So Old It's Becoming A Metal Band Logo
#8
400-Year-Old Wooden Staircase In Prague
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
Look at some of the stone staircases in old churches and houses, worn just the same way.
#9
A Broken Tube TV In My Work Has "Game Over" Burnt Into The Screen
VonBlade 2 years ago
It's not a broken TV, it's the monitor from Atari's Pole Position. poleposa1-...67d9e3.jpg 
Sometimes the combination of patterns creates a sort of emergent art piece, as colors and shapes are formed. Human beings have an amazing ability to find beauty in the most random collections of things, so it’s not surprising that many of these images were wildly popular on the net before being gathered here.
#10
Organ Keys From The 1850s
#11
Years Of Graffiti (Oakland, CA, 2012)
Mycroft1967 2 years ago
Queen Elizabeth I- had smallpox as a child and used white makeup to cover up the scarring. The concoction of the Venetian Ceruse she used contained lead, a poisonous heavy metal. This lead lead to hair loss, skin shedding and loss of cognitive abilities over time. Also cleaning off makeup was not a common practice. It is believed when she died, she had about an inch of the makeup caked on.
#12
The Stirring Pattern Formed Over Time In My Coffee Cup
Other examples are more about satisfying human curiosity. From food items stashed away for decades to years of dust creating rug-like layers, most people might find these sorts of edge cases interesting, as we tend to not encounter them on a daily basis. It might be a great way how to satisfy that childhood curiosity of “What if?”
#13
Today On My Walk I Found An "Army Man" Embedded In The Sidewalk
#14
You Can See My Weight Loss Progress In My Work Belt
#15
The Art And The Artist 11 Years Later
As Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man,” which is a good lesson to remember, regardless of what you do, time will pass. An older form, “And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet,” has been attributed to an 11th-century manuscript, but regardless of authorship, the idea stands. Most people prefer to not think too much about aging, but it’s unhealthy to deny the fact that we will age.
#16
Four Leaf Clover My Great-Grandmother Found In 1922 In Her Diary
a_smol_berry 2 years ago (edited)
“Found on the the way to Equality Highschool September 28th, 1923. Short while before we moved to Herrin.” (Editied thanks to fellow pandas help. :))
#17
Tree Ate A Road Sign
#18
My Mom's Purse Was Stolen In The 80s At A Hiking Trailhead. Today Someone Found It. The Leather Was All Destroyed, But She Is Getting Some Cool Keepsakes Back
So the images here also can be seen as quasi-educational, showing precisely how time (and tides, for that matter) wear things down. If you start to look carefully, you’ll find examples in most parts of life, from paths etched through grass where people want to cut a corner, to certain buttons in elevators being pressed significantly more frequently.
#19
Decomposed Jeans I Found On The Job Yesterday
#20
Moss Growing On A Sign, But Only The Parts That Illuminate
#21
All The Layers Of Paint On The Berlin Wall
Many of the examples here focus on paint, from graffiti to interior design. While each layer might seem tiny, just a millimeter thick, these pictures show just how quickly they add up. Jerry Seinfeld had a bit describing how repainting his apartment always made him nervous, as he could feel it “closing in” around him.
#22
Reinforced Concrete Dissolved By Years Of Dog Urine
#23
500 Old Singles vs. 500 Brand New
#24
I'd Been Looking For A Replacement Blanket For My Favorite Wamsutta Comforter. Top Is The One In Use For 40+ Years. Bottom Is The Replacement
Not the exact same colors, but this definitely shows the difference use over time makes!
Seeing some of these images shows that in the long run, he is right. If a landlord (or series of landlords) are lazy enough, they will just paint over the previous layer, year by year. While this might actually help with insulation, the tenant is technically paying for a slowly shrinking apartment, which, at the very least, is an interesting metaphor for the housing crisis.
#25
Madrid
#26
A Gift Bag My Mom Has Been Reusing For 39 Years
#27
It's Safe To Assume Which Pocket My Husband Prefers To Keep His Phone In
One other fringe benefit is it’s a good way to see what products and brands know how to pass the test of time. Sadly, a lot of modern products are woefully designed and break down after a few years, if not a few months of use. Lists like this help separate the actually quality items from cheap copies.
#28
I Work At A Mini Golf Course. These Golf Balls Have Been Stuck In A Stream For So Long They Became Smooth
#29
The Well-Worn Groove On This Step At Westminster Abbey, After 800 Or So Years Of Visitors
#30
My Dad Found A ~20-Year-Old Banana In His Coat Pocket
The last decade of mass smartphone use has been a great way for people to document all these interesting and curious findings, to such a degree that there are whole internet groups devoted to it. The “Mildly Interesting” subreddit is one such example. So if found that this list wasn’t enough, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our other list of stuff that time left a mark on and this article about things that got really, really worn down.
#31
An Elderly Customer Came In Today With A McDonald's VIP Card
#32
Wooden Dog Sculpture In The Local Park Got A Little Mycology Make-Over
#33
My Husband's Decade-Old Computer Chair vs. New One, The Same Model, I Am Suprising Him With
#34
Same Size, Make And Model Boots, 1 Year Wear And Tear Of Working In A Mine
#35
I Work In A School That Was Built In 1917. These Are The Stairs From Students Walking On Them For Over A Century
#36
My Mother-In-Law Plays A Lot Of Yahtzee. Bottom Row Are Her Favorite Dice
#37
Found A Go Pro That's Been In The Ocean For Roughly 2 Months, It Still Works
#38
Finally Got A New Phone Cord At Work
Gardener of Weeden 2 years ago
Old timer - I used to spend hrs untangling those - it was kind of relaxing.
#39
Eiffel Tower's Stairs Are Slightly More Worn On The Inside Because Of People's Fear Of Heights
#40
Years Of Paint Build-Up I Chipped Of An Old Trestle At Work
#41
The Door Handle To The Restroom At Work Is Marked By Wedding Rings
#42
A Customer At My Work Paid With A Series 1934 $100 Bill
#43
The Way The Sticker On This Shampoo Bottle Has Worn Looks Like A Letter Tornado
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
How did humans survive before shampoo contained 100+ ingredients? SMH
#44
My Dress Shoe Sole Has Worn Out To Make It Look Like It Has An Eye On The Bottom Of It
#45
The Wall After Countless Swipes With Key Cards
#46
Went Back To Office Today Since I Started Teleworking From Pandemic
#47
What Working And Sitting On The Same Spot For 41 Years Does To The Floor
#48
After 4 Years Of Wearing This Sweatshirt To Work, A Completely Different Imprint Has Started To Appear Under The Original
#49
My Old Next To My New Clogs
ZGutr 2 years ago
I got those too .... sure we wear them. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Quick to dry when wet. They can be used everywhere (though not in house i'd say) They are also approved safety wear so there are folks on all kinds of industries that use them on the job as well. They only time -i think- they suck are in the snow. They are warm enough, but the build-up under the sole is huge.
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SeaLouse 2 years ago
I believe that the Dutch version was originally intended to prevent foot injuries from being stepped on by milk cows. There is also a Danish version which are part leather with a steel toe. These are a general outdoor shoe, meant for getting dirty and for kicking rocks. When I was a kid, some other boys and I would get on the swings at the playground and see who could launch their clogs the farthest. Mine made it clear across the street and into someone's yard.
Mell 2 years ago
As a Dutchie here; you have to wear them in but once they formed to your foot, they are quite comfortable.
October 2 years ago
And wearing them with thick socks of (goat) wool will make them extra comfy
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Roger9er 2 years ago
Many older farmers, but also young farmers in the Netherlands wear them; however, modern safety boots are more popular.
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Mark Franken 2 years ago
When I was younger I wore these everywhere including school. Seriously very comfortable and as well durable.
Jason Romine 2 years ago
Why in God's Holy Name would anyone wear these? I tried on some once and didn't realize you couldn't bend your foot in them. I took one normal step and thought I'd broken every bone across the top of my foot. I really don't see the benefit.
Never Snarky 2 years ago
I would love these. After foot surgery I'm told to wear only stiff soled shoes. Hard
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North 2 years ago
Not the most comfortable or flexible choice in footwear...but to each their own.
Catananche 2 years ago
They are surprisingly comfy though. Not very flexible, I give you that. They have saved my toes on several occasions. No laces, easy to put on and very durable.
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Heather Brown 2 years ago (edited)
I feel curious---Was there ever a special pair of clogs made for horse-back riding?
Christel Nellemann 2 years ago
We used the danish clog, wood with the leather top, at hospitals , it is good to be able to step out of the clog without touching with hands, while standing in an operationroom for many hours, letting feet cool, or just changing stance. Easy to clean , but modern sportsandals are better - but offer no protection, not cleanable the same way.
Dr. Skulhamr (Skulhamr) 2 years ago
I can't imagine clunking around in these. My vistas aren't as large as I'd hoped, I guess.
Oskar vanZandt 2 years ago
Yes. They are sculpted inside to provide arch support... Best on soft surfaces but bearable with an extra pair of woolly socks.
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#50
New vs. Old $20 Bills In ATM Dispenser
Nicholas Kramer 2 years ago
That's an ATM canister. Each one holds up to $80,000. There's usually two loaded and then a third that takes in money. Depending on the volume of transactions, they're loaded and reconciled every say, or at least once a week.
#51
25 Years Of Burn-In On An Old Pacman Arcade Screen
#52
Asphalt Over Tiles In A Waco, TX Parking Lot
#53
1990 vs. 2020. My Dad's College Hat vs. My Future College Hat
#54
Store Clerk's Counter
#55
I Didn't Realize How Faded My Headlights Were Until I Changed Them (2008 Peterbilt)
#56
A New Keyboard Cover Just Came In, I'm A Writer With A Bad Habit Of Hard Typing
#57
This Door Keypad. Passcode Is 2929
#58
The Sun Has Changed The Meaning Of This Sign
#59
The Staircase On This Ship Where You Can See That The Majority Of People Step Down Left Foot First
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
Most of us grab the hand rail with our right hand, making it natural for the left foot to take the first step. I had to really think about this!
#60
My Husband’s Work Boots. Brand New And Used About 4 Months. Yes, That’s The Steel Toe Showing
#61
I Work At A Whole Animal Butcher Shop And Finally Replaced My Primary Boning Knife After Three Years
#62
“Don’t You Dare Try To Upsell Me Sir. Just Do The Damn Oil Change”
#63
Two-Decade-Old Nalgene vs. The New Replacement
#64
This Clock Has Been Around My Office For More Or Less 20 Years. It Is Disintegrating On The Sunny Side
#65
1995 Zippo, Before And After. One Day It Will Look Like It Did Before The Sanding And Polish
#66
Zion National Park
#67
I Think I Just Discovered "Sprite" Logo Inspiration
#68
I Left The Key In The Shed Door During A Very Windy Night And The Keyring Wore A Circle Into The Wood
#69
Brass Hammer. 1 Year Of Use vs. Brand New
#70
The Printer Ink At My Work Created Stalagmites
#71
My Parents' Mailbox Has Been Whittled Down A Bit After Getting Weed Whacked For 50 Years
#72
I Found A Car In Toronto Overgrown With Plants, On A Busy Street Parked Beside Other Cars
#73
I Work Near A Pool, And All My Tape 'Grows'
#74
On The Left: Brand New Hedgehog Dryer Buddy, And On The Right: Dryer Buddy After Approx. 12 Years Of Use. They Are Thrown In The Dryer With Clothes To Help Fluff Them
#75
This Quarter From 1876 Is Worn Almost Completely Flat
#76
Old vs. New Shopping Cart Wheels
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
I wouldn't describe the one on the left as a "wheel" anymore.
#77
A New Notebook Next To The One I Used Last Year
#78
This Penny Was Stuck In A Crack Inside The Washer
Lorraine R 2 years ago
Pure copper (unlike today's pennies) and with a date no newer than 1958. Cool.
#79
A Giant Globe At My Library Has A Worn-Down Spot Where Little Kids Put Their Fingers On Where We Live
#80
Table Hockey Puck After About Four And A Half Years Of Playing. New One On The Left For Comparison
Emma London 2 years ago (edited)
This is the Finland vs. Sweden version, with genuine commercials in the "ice".
#81
This Laminated Paper Sign Has Turned Into A Bag Full Of Water
#83
My Socks Have Worn Out In The Shape Of A Frowny Face
#84
The Spot Where Everyone Stands In This Elevator In Belgium
#85
The Red Came Off This "No Smoking" Sign
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
I remember that I always was so confused of what the no smoking sign was, because to me it always looked like a person on a diving board
#86
Abandoned Audi TT Quattro Along With A Lot Of Other Abandoned Cars UK
Sand Ers 2 years ago
This particular item is a year old. If you follow the link back to the original reddit post, it's not "abandoned", it's just been parked unused and neglected since 2014. It was registered nonoperational at that time. It looks like it was parked because it failed an emissions test, and the owner never got the money or the motivation to get it fixed. Something I can completely relate to.
#87
This Pair Of Shoes I Found Encased In A Hundred-Year-Old Concrete That's Been Eroded Over Time By A Waterfall
#88
Sink Worn By Years Of Dripping Soap
#89
UV Damage On A Red Plastic Box That Sat In A Window For 15+ Years vs. The One (Same Age) Kept Away From The Sunlight
michael reid 2 years ago
The solution to plastic waste. Leave it exposed to the sun's radiation, eventually it crumbles to dust
#90
Someone Dropped This Off, Check That Screen Burn. It’s Off
Kira Okah 2 years ago (edited)
The pic on reddit is bigger, you can read the text on the screen. Win 98 or 2000 machine, partner guesses 2000 because it's probably from an industrial terminal so likely running a server side OS. The burned in program is mentioning postal codes, from a post sorting office perhaps?
#91
Look How Thick The Layers Of All These Posters Are On This Lamppost In Berlin, Germany
#92
Old Tape Measure vs. New
#93
Non-Yellowing Case After Two Years Of Use Compared To New
#94
Exact Same Rubber Fingertip. Left One Has Flipped Through Hundreds Of Thousands Of Pages, Right One Is Brand New
#95
The Buttons That Contain The Numbers For This Door Code Are Significantly Faded
Bill Swallow 2 years ago
... And *THIS* is why you change the code every sixty or ninety days!
#96
The Cold Weather Brought Back My Car's Window Sticker From Years Ago
#97
My Coworker Drags The Front Of His Foot When He Walks
#98
3 Days Of Studio Work, Barely Hanging On
#99
Chocolate That Nobody Opened For 2 Years
#100
Nobody Wants A Car Wash
#101
The Milk Bags Have Colored Their Shelves
#102
My Work Received A Haribo Gummy Bears Bag Which Congealed Into A Mass
#103
The Wear From The Cashier's Shoes At This Shop's Checkout
Lara Verne 2 years ago
Why they don't let cashiers sit? Standing at one place for hours is worse that walking all day.Guess employer couldn't even be bothered to buy cashiers anti-fatique mat. We have these chairs: pracovni_z...048af4.jpg 
#104
Marks On The Floor From Steel Fittings Being Dropped Throughout The Years
#105
My Vans And My New Vans. These Are The Same Color
#106
Found An Original Glass Bottle Of Crystal Pepsi, With Foam Label, While Cleaning Out My Mother-In-Law's Place
#107
My More Than 10-Year-Old Wallet vs. A New One Of The Exact Same Design
#108
A Beer After Leaving It Out For A Week
#109
Double Copper Hammers. New vs. 8 Years Of Use
#110
Whiskey Turned Black After 7 Days In A Flask
#111
Left A Wet Post It Note By Accident On Our Quartz Island, Now The Note Is Embedded
#112
The Worn-Down Parts On This Statue At Zion National Park
#114
New Retainer vs. Old Retainer
#115
This Is What 10 Years Of Heavy Smoking Did To My Grandma's Carpet
#116
Recently I Replaced The Smoke Detector. This Is What 20+ Years Of Smoke Detection Does
#117
My Dad And Grandpa Got Matching Bibles In 1975. One Was Used, Other Wasn't
#118
The Crocs I've Been Wearing As My Everyday Shoes For 6 Years vs. A Brand New Pair
#119
You Can See Where People Nap In The Breakroom
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
There's a bookstore in Brownwood, Texas which was a theater during WWII. Soldiers would come in to town, buy a ticket, and sleep. You can see a progression of head marks going up the wall.
#120
Brand New Laundry Dye Catcher vs. One Used For About A Year
#121
For 7 Years, Half Of This Deck Has Been Used To Play Euchre. The Other Half Has Been Relatively Untouched
#122
Worn Down Escalator Landing: Left Foot vs. Right Foot
setsuriseikou 2 years ago
Hm. Doesn't match the theory of holding on to the handrail with right hand in one of the posts above
#123
Same Wallet: 6 Years Of Daily Use vs. Brand New Replacement
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
I will be sad if my wallet dies before me. It's the best one I've ever had.
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WindySwede 2 years ago
Bored Panda, please stop deleting the posts over 50! before one could click the link to se the full former post. Why 😑
Firefly1617 2 years ago
Ok but the cover image right now is a statue with a shiny butt and I was not expecting to see that first thing when I opened bp
Darth Kittius 2 years ago
The Hachiko statue near Shibuya Station in Japan has a shiny nose
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WindySwede 2 years ago
Bored Panda, please stop deleting the posts over 50! before one could click the link to se the full former post. Why 😑
Firefly1617 2 years ago
Ok but the cover image right now is a statue with a shiny butt and I was not expecting to see that first thing when I opened bp
Darth Kittius 2 years ago
The Hachiko statue near Shibuya Station in Japan has a shiny nose
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