Do they make things like they used to? I don’t think so. Case in point: Amy’s vintage Westinghouse refrigerator been in continuous operation since 1941 — that’s 76 years — among three generations in one family.
The refrigerator has changed locations three times. It’s now back with Amy in the 1959 time capsule house that she bought from her grandparents.
She told us:
The refrigerator also has a story. This was my grandparents’ fridge (a Westinghouse from 1941, I believe) that is even older than the house! They had this at their farm house, moved with it (I think) to this house, and then when my parents were married in 1969, they took it. After my parents established a household, they used the old fridge as a “second” fridge in the laundry room for extra milk, food, etc. When I bought this house, I got rid of the 1970s avocado green fridge (if only I knew they would come back in style!) and asked my parents for the 1941 fridge for the house. I only needed to buy them a budget new fridge for them to use as their “second.” It was a bargain! My new old fridge only needed a coat of appliance paint as it had gotten a little scratched up over the years. But it has been IN CONSTANT USE SINCE 1941!
Wow! This was so inspiring I put Amy’s story up in my list of 7 ways to get a retro refrigerator — vintage is for sure an option!
Story: Our circa 2006 dishwasher recently broke down. We threw about $200 at it, trying to get it repaired. The repairs did diddly. I went on to Consumer Reports looking for something new. As I recall, they said that if your dishwasher is more than six years old and it breaks down, get rid of it and get a new one. This is so wasteful. Shame on manufacturers and their “planned obsolescence.” For the past four or five months, we’ve been living without a dishwasher.
No, they don’t make things like they used to. Kitchen appliances, at least.
Thank you, Amy. You rock.
Gerry Stairet says
My 1968 ranch came with the original KitchenAid dishwasher. It has reversible front panels = black to white. Works great and I was able to download the manual.
We have a 2004 Kenmore frig and I have repaired (courtesy YouTube videos) the freezer defrost drain line. Broke a front roller wheel in the process so started looking for a replacement frig but most are too large for the depth of the space (or stainless when I want white) and so cheap/plastic. I like the Big Chill frigs but don’t want to spend those $$’s. May try buying a replacement roller wheel and fix the frig for now.
I found Appliance City in Portland, Oregon sells some vintage appliances and there is a beautiful white GE on their site now but door hinge is wrong for my kitchen. $ 499.00. Looks like they ship. I check their site weekly to see what wonders they get. http://www.appliancecity.info/ge-vintage-deluxe-no-frost-free-refrigerator-top-freezer-3-wire-shelves-1-adjustable-meat-pan-2-crisper-drawers-2-covers-butter-compartment-with-door-white-with-chrome-accents-located-in-our-portland-oregon-appliance-store/
They also have some nice refurbished ranges.
Katie says
We bought our house in 2010. The water heater that came with it made the record books with every contractor we had check out the plumbing. This water heater was from 1963, as near as anyone could tell. It was old enough it didn’t originally have a saftey release valve! It could have had a few more years left, but we opted to not find out…
Rick G says
I just threw out our 1990’s stove ( it was here when we bought our house ) … it worked ok & looked as good as a newer one can; but after doing a retro reno on the kitchen; it deserved to have a 66 Frigidaire – I love it – it is in super nice condition & works like a charm … and looks very cool !!!
Kathryn says
I *love* my 1952 Frigidaire. It’s like a tank, the compressor starts up every 30 minutes sounding like a tiny car engine, when you close the door it sounds like you’re closing an expensive car door, and looks cute in my 1938 vintage kitchen. I bought it for 50 bucks from a neighbor who grew up with it. I’ll never forget my first electric bill after I plugged her in–it had gone down $25 and the only explanation we could figure was replacing the 80s fridge with this one! The electricity bill *stayed* down, too.
lynda says
We also installed two top of the line KitchenAid dishwashers in our new home in 1977. One died in 2005 and since we needed the dishwashers to match, we replaced both of them with new Bosch dishwashers. We gave the working one to a friend and the dead one went to the landfill. After about 10 years, one of the Bosch dishwashers needed a new electronic board. Luckily, with the help of You Tube my husband was able to order the part and fix the machine. The part was not cheap. Six months later he had to replace the same part for the other dishwasher. We were told by the appliance repair company to just replace the broken dishwasher since it was too expensive to fix it. So, yes, those KitchenAid dishwashers were great. We have moved into a new house this year. I bought a non-electronic Speed Queen washer and a dryer and I hope it will be like the old Maytag machines in terms of quality.
Karin says
What a fantastic fridge. Lucky them. Interesting comments above about the longevity of new appliances. I’ve always loved the look of vintage dishwashers, but held off because they are difficult to find and repair. Does anyone know what their decibel level was?
la573 says
By and large, much noisier than higher-end modern dishwashers. Older KitchenAid dishwashers back when they were made by Hobart (commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer) were reasonably hushed, and built like tanks. Many are still in use, and they pop up on Craigslist with reasonable frequency, often cheap or even free. Also well built were old (up to early ’90s) porcelain-tub Maytags and Jenn-Airs, which were configured to hold dinner plates, pots, and pans on the top rack, glasses and small plates on the lower, the opposite of the norm then or now. But they were noisy even by standards of the day. I occasionally see new-old-stock (unused) old cooktops and stove hoods on eBay and Craigslist, but recently I saw someone selling a “new”, unused, but 32 year old top-of-the-line Jenn-Air dishwasher for $50. I almost made the 2+ hour drive to buy it, but it sold before I had a good chance to go. It was very similar to the Maytag I had in one of my old homes that was one of the last of these – very ’70s pushbutton panel with neon lights. An electromechanical beast full of timers, relays, and motors clicking and clacking away as it ran, and apparently no electronics whatsoever. A few other old dishwashers I’ll vouch for are General Motors-era Frigidaires (pre-1980) which cleaned very well and were nicely made, and several brands whose dishwashers were made by a company called D&M which evolved from the company that made the American Kitchens steel cabinets, sinks, and faucets. Their dishwashers from the 1960s often had pink ranks, with the top one a round rack that slowly revolved during washing (as in a microwave oven) so everything got equally clean. I’m amazed some of these are still out there; there are Youtube videos of these things working ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y7pNltKkwg )
Ethan says
I second that about KitchenAid dishwashers. Mine was made in 1977, according to the data on the name plate, and works beautifully. The pump started leaking a few years back but I replaced it and everything works good. What I like about these is that you can replace anything that breaks on them as long as parts remain available. I also see these on craigslist a lot which would be a good parts source.
Karin says
la537 thank you for your astute analysis, comparisons and the link.
Carolyn says
I haunt a real estate site and can’t believe the humongous fridges that stick halfway into the K – and it’s the kitchen’s fault!
DH was told by the appliance repairman for THD to hold on to the old appliances since the new stuff is prone to breakdowns. It makes me wonder if appliance manufacturers “trend” so why make something to last when the homeowner’s going to replace with the next big thing in a few years anyway.
I agree with Allison – as with food expiration dates there is a lot of confusion about EnergyStar ratings – people think it’s mandated when it’s only supposed to be something to consider the same as you take into account the appliance dimensions. Pretty hilarious to see these efficient appliances when the people drive a huge SUV and everyone has a tv+accessories in their bdrm!
And I’m not a fan of glass shelves either. They will contain the spill – until you remove the glass to dump it all over everything anyway!
RAnderson says
Kitchen Aid dishwashers from the ’70s to ’80s were some of the best ever made, parts are still pretty much available. We bought one in 1974 and it performed perfectly for 15 years until we moved away and, for all we know, might still be going! We found one just like it and we are going to install it when our current bean-counter special expires, which will probably be soon! A friend who’s been in the appliance business for 40 years says that even the new super-pricey European models aren’t very durable, and are super-pricey to fix as well… when you can get parts!
Jay says
What’s interesting is that the fridge is pre-war; I don’t think many are around today. Most of what I have seen as vintage (had some of my own) were post war. That fridge was a real tank – all metal and no plastic. Just think, the following year that plant was probably building real tanks for the war. Today everything is built cheap including plastic parts that are prone to breakage or disintegration.
The only drawback to the older fridges is you had to open the main door to access the internal freezer compartment which was usually smaller the what we are accustomed to today.
Steve H says
I think back in the day it was more common to have separate chest freezers which were actually better for longer term storage. The freezer compartment would just hold stuff for more immediate use.
Pam Kueber says
You are absolutely right:
Felicia Alexander says
Community Forklift is a DC-area nonprofit reuse center for building and home improvement supplies–they salvage and accept donations, which they then resell at low cost. Looks like they could be a good source for vintage appliances in working condition. They have a website (communityforklift.org) and an eBay store. Right now on eBay they have a PINK 1950s GE wall oven, among other goodies! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950s-Pink-General-Electric-Wall-Oven-/222680496976?hash=item33d8cabb50
Matt says
They’re a great place to buy from, I bought a blue 1954 American Standard Cadet toilet for a hall bathroom I’m un-renovating and the price and shipping were great. I’m looking forward to when this project wraps up and I can send in pictures of the results. Even with the bathroom 3/4 built we still like it so much better than the ’03 remuddle that used to be there.
Felicia Alexander says
That’s great to hear, Matt, and a helpful testimonial.
I’d be sorely tempted by a 1960 Kohler toilet in Suez Tan they have available now, for one of our otherwise-intact Kohler Suez Tan bathrooms in our newly acquired 1962 time-capsule house. However, the house is in the desert Southwest, and my conscience won’t let me install any replacement toilet that isn’t low-flush or dual-flush.
Allison says
Or, you can do like we did to conserve water back in the olden days… put a brick or two or a half gallon milk jug in the tank.
Add bricks until you’re not satisfied with the flush, and then take one out. Low flow, low tech, low cost.
Felicia Alexander says
Thank you for the great tip, Allison!