14 Most Useless Things in Your House That Are Just Wasting Space
We all have items in our homes that we rarely, if ever, use. It’s tempting to be swayed by the latest gadgets, especially if our friends and family promise that they will “change our lives.”
The result for most consumers is a list of useless things taking up space. We’re talking about inanimate objects here; (you can save those jokes about your partners and pets for another time!)
Within the list, there is a high percentage of kitchen items, while others are used elsewhere in the home, but all could be considered useless by many.
1. Exercise Bike
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If you currently have an exercise bike inside your home, chances are it will soon find its way into the depths of your garage. Many of us promise to get healthy, and as part of that resolution, we bring static bikes and other equipment into the house.
A small minority see it through and use the exercise bike on a daily basis. For most of us, we could maybe dry some clothes on the handlebars, but otherwise, it’s a useless relic and a constant reminder of our lack of willpower.
2. Sandwich Toasters
Many kitchen gadgets make the list and there is debate over which is the most useless. The sandwich toaster edges close to the top as its function can be replicated using more common household appliances such as a toaster and your oven’s grill.
A sandwich toaster is also messy and a pain to clean. The rise of air fryers, which can do the same job, may have finally made these gadgets redundant.
3. Throws
Over in the UK, a survey showed that consumers wasted more money on throws than most household items. The aim is to use this as a decorative item, but on cold winter nights, you can climb under it and get cozy.
A blanket does the same job, and there is debate over the attractiveness of throws. In my experience, many people see this as an ideal gift, so my advice would be to wait until you’re given one for Christmas or your birthday.
4. Lemon Squeezer
If you’ve purchased a Juicy Salif lemon squeezer, you may have acquired a design icon, but it will likely never be used. As a status symbol, this is an extreme example, but all lemon squeezers are relatively useless.
Why buy another kitchen gadget when you can just squeeze a lemon into a sieve and separate the juice from the pips? A sieve is multipurpose and can carry out other tasks besides this simple job.
5. Decorative Hand Towels
As with throws, there is an argument over the functionality of decorative hand towels. They’ll cost more, but will they dry your skin quicker and with greater efficiency?
It’s also been suggested that house guests steer clear of fancy towels as they’re unsure whether they should use them. This makes them completely useless, and if you don’t want your visitors to dry their hands on their own clothing, give these towels a miss.
6. Robot Vacuum Cleaner
You won’t find a robotic vacuum cleaner in every home, and maybe that’s a good thing. The concept seems great: Just switch it on and let it glide around your carpets, picking up debris along the way. You can even get your cat to ride on it and upload the hilarious results to social media.
The reality is that robot vacuum cleaners take too long, will often get stuck and some can’t process basic commands. Until the technology improves, you’ll have to suffer the irony of letting this gadget gather dust, rather than vacuum it up.
7. Rice Cooker
Opinion is divided when it comes to rice cookers. As a student, my daughter loved hers, but I couldn’t see the point when you could simply heat rice in the pan or microwave.
It could be a generational thing, but it seems that many chefs agree with me. There are some useful kitchen gadgets around, but the rice cooker isn’t one of them.
8. Bags for Life
There’s a clue in the name here. A bag for life is intended to last for the rest of your existence. If it were to tear or become damaged, most stores will replace it free of charge.
If, therefore, you have several dozen of these bags in a cupboard, you’ve missed the point of the exercise. At most, an average household might need five or six of these bags, and any more are surplus to requirements.
9. Books You Won’t Read
What good is a book if you’re never going to read it? I have some propping up a table with a damaged leg and you could possibly use a heavy one as a doorstop, but that’s about it.
You might think they make you look interesting, but guests are rarely impressed. If you’re not going to read it, look to sell or donate it to your local library or thrift store.
10. Mismatched Tupperware
You may be familiar with this scenario. You want to freeze some leftover food or keep it in the fridge for a few days. You go to the cupboard and find several plastic containers, alongside many loose lids, but none of them match.
Nobody knows how this happens. It’s a problem similar to the mystery of the solo sock that’s somehow lost its partner. We can only guess that the phenomenon of useless, mismatched Tupperware is a mystery that will never be solved.
11. Obsolete Tech
You may have an old VHS player in the garage, plus a load of tapes in a cupboard somewhere, but will the two ever be reunited? The same issue applies to outdated televisions, and if you’re like me, you’ll have built up an impressive collection of remote controls.
We tend to hold on to obsolete technology like an old friend, but sometimes it’s kinder to let go. If you’re never going to use it again, the municipal dump makes for a fitting resting place.
12. Electric Can Opener
All electric can openers are useless gadgets, but the ones mounted on the walls are the worst offenders. Sooner or later, the mounting will come loose and your can, plus its contents, will spray unchallenged around the kitchen.
Hand-held openers do a better job, while manufacturers who have added a ring pull to their cans deserve all the innovation awards that come their way.
13. Cardboard Boxes
You know the process: You receive a delivery; the box is large and in good condition, so you’re certain you will need it at some random point in the future. Maybe you’ll have a parcel to send, or you have vague thoughts about moving house.
Before long, you have enough boxes to build a small fort. Unless you are an online seller, or you have definite plans to move, put all cardboard in the recycling.
14. Banana Slicer
Following extensive research, we believe that we may have found the most useless kitchen gadget of all time. The banana slicer’s sole purpose is to cut your bananas into even pieces.
If you are somehow incapable of doing this yourself, the gadget has a design flaw. Not all bananas are created equal and only a few will slot in perfectly. You could always slice them to fit, but that rather defeats the purpose.
