During our years of flipping houses, my husband and I stumbled upon some fascinating discoveries while renovating old properties. Among my personal favorites are uncovering a bundle of old bills hidden within a wall, some of which turned out to be quite valuable, and stumbling upon hundreds of antique glass bottles from the Prohibition era tucked beneath the floorboards of a house. However, we’ve also encountered a peculiar feature in several homes that I’m excited to share today.
In some of these old houses, dating back around a century, we’ve noticed that the original medicine cabinets in the bathrooms still remain intact. Upon closer inspection, we’ve observed a small slit on the back wall of these cabinets. You might have seen this in your own home or elsewhere without knowing its purpose.
Before the advent of stainless steel razor blades in the 1960s, men could only use the old-fashioned metal razor blades for one or two shaves.
To prevent accidents, such as children or others inadvertently handling used blades disposed of in the trash, shavers would remove the blade and insert it into this slot in the wall.
Behind the wall, these discarded razor blades would accumulate in the empty space. So, if you’ve ever renovated an old home and found a stack of used razor blades behind a wall, now you know the reason! Although it may seem peculiar by today’s standards, this design feature was undoubtedly practical at the time.