It’s likely you’ve seen a home with one of these laundry chutes, even if it’s nailed shut for the protection of little ones. Some homes still even use them to reduce clean-up time – and if you’re young, there’s nothing so fun as dropping something down into the laundry basket waiting at the bottom.
Newspapers first described linen chutes back in the 1890s, but no one is really sure when they started popping up. They’re usually in central locations such as hallways or main rooms, but they can sometimes appear in bedrooms or bathrooms. If you have one, your laundry is sure to be a breeze.
A Solitary Basement Toilet
A strange feature of World War II-era homes is a random toilet in the basement. Known as “Pittsburgh potties” (thanks to how frequent they are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), they're found all over the U.S. It's a bit of a mystery why these toilets were here. Some think they're for workmen to use without dirtying the proper bathrooms, but architect William Martin says they aren't for use at all.
Martin says the strange lonely toilet in the basement was to be used as a sewage backup – if a pipe becomes clogged, the bathtub or toilet could overflow. A basement toilet was used to detect overflows quicker, and give the sewage a little bit of extra space.
House Bees Have Been Around for Ages
If you live in (or are renovating) an old home, there's a chance you'll find a surprising beehive behind one of the walls. This is actually on purpose since close bees mean close, fresh honey. Settled behind the walls, bees used special pipes and openings to keep the living spaces buzz-free.
First discovered in homes that date back to around 60 AD, homeowners have been encouraging house bees for almost two thousand years. Homeowners would sometimes even uproot old hives to encourage bees to move in. The bees usually ended up staying, since walls provided warmth in the winter and shade during the summer. At least it isn't a wasp nest.
Another Strange Hole in Your Home
If you have a medicine cabinet in your bathroom, you may notice a small slit set in the back wall. You likely pay this little slit no mind, since you're busy getting bandages, grabbing some painkiller, or whatever else you need. This tiny slit was used back when disposable razors were more oft-used, and once you were done taming the whiskers, you could deposit the blade into the slit.
Where would it go? Well, nowhere: There might still be some old razors back there. You may want to investigate, but be careful – there's nothing so bad as getting a rusty razor cut.
Secret Staircases and Hidden Rooms
If you have the chance to tour old mansions – or you happen to live in one – hidden doors may contain secret passages, cramped staircases, and even entire rooms. These served as servant's quarters, since for a while servants often lived in the same buildings as their masters, and these rooms and passages were built so that servants could move quickly, and stay out of sight when appropriate.
The twentieth century saw a reduction in servants, but some homes built in the era still have these features, which changed to spiral staircases and smaller rooms.