15 Things People Did Before Bed in the 1950s That Rarely Happen Today

This article looked back at 15 bedtime routines that were common in the 1950s, such as banking coal stoves, setting hair curlers, winding alarm clocks, cleaning shoes, and checking windows by hand. Each routine showed a society that was slower and more manual, where comfort, looks, thrift, family structure, and getting ready for the day were all very important. Many simple things that used to gently end the day and give sleep its familiar rhythm to millions of homes in the US and around the world have been replaced by central heating, disposable goods, digital devices, streaming entertainment, and changing family traditions.

1. Banking the Coal Stove for the Night

In the days before the widespread availability of digital thermostats, many households would wind down the day by banking the coal furnace. A shakedown was performed on the ashes, new coal was added, and the air valves were adjusted to ensure the fire would continue until dawn. The beds were kept warmer, and fuel was saved thanks to this meticulous practice during the colder months. It is common for parents to manage it as their youngsters switch into their jammies nearby. As a result of the fact that modern heating systems can be activated by pressing a button, the nighttime task of tending to a fire has almost completely disappeared from the lives of average homes.

2. Putting Out Milk Bottles for Morning Delivery

Before retiring for the night, many houses left empty glass milk bottles outside so that the milkman might exchange them when he arrived at daybreak. Additionally, some families hid the payment in an envelope or tucked it behind the bottle cap. It was a reliable system built on routine and familiarity with the community. Most of the time, when children woke up, they would check the porch to see if there was any fresh cream waiting for them. In many places, the sound of bottles clinking became a regular part of life. Refrigerated supermarkets and shifting delivery habits have gradually put an end to the custom, which has resulted in this bedtime duty becoming exceptionally uncommon in contemporary areas.

3. Rolling Hair in Pin Curls or Curlers

A great number of women curl their hair with pin curls, rag curls, or hard rollers before going to bed. A brush was used to separate the hair into sections, which were then gently wrapped and fastened into place. Although it was not always easy to sleep, the benefit was that when I woke up in the morning, I had waves that were styled and lasted the entire day. Prior to the widespread availability of electric styling products, beauty procedures required considerable patience and careful planning. To a large extent, this nightly process that used to define innumerable mornings has been replaced by modern conveniences such as fast dryers, straighteners, and curling irons.

4. Warming the Bed With a Hot Water Bottle

Warming the sheets was a common practice in many houses throughout the 1950s, particularly during the winter months. To alleviate the chill in a non-heated bed, a rubber hot water bottle was filled in the kitchen, then tucked under the covers and left over. This very minor step was significant in homes without full central heating. It was very common for bedrooms to be cold, and icy windows were not uncommon in colder locations. Today, heated homes, electric blankets, and stronger insulation have made the routine significantly less common, turning a once-commonplace act of evening care into a memory that is gradually disappearing from everyday domestic life.

5. Waiting for the Television to Sign Off

Because television did not operate continuously throughout the night in the 1950s, many people would watch the station go off as the evening came to an end. Following the conclusion of the late program, spectators frequently witnessed the playing of the national anthem, a station message, or a final test pattern before the screen went blank. Everything in the house knew at that same instant that the day had come to an end. It was sometimes seen as a badge of honor by children who stayed up for an excessive amount of time. This shared nightly finale has almost entirely vanished from modern houses and people’s lives as a result of streaming, which never stops moving forward.

6. Saying Bedtime Prayers as a Family

In many households, the day did not feel finished until the prayers were said before going to bed. Night after night, the children knelt next to their beds while their parents stood nearby, repeating the same phrases over and over. Some families recited straightforward prayers that they had learned as children, while others added expressions of gratitude for the day and blessings for their relatives by name. Prayer is still practiced by many families today; however, praying together before bed is not as influential on nighttime life as it was in the 1950s.

7. Winding the Alarm Clock by Hand

The majority of people used to wind the alarm clock by hand at the end of the day until the advent of battery clocks and phone alarms replaced them. It was necessary to operate the small metal key or side knob with great care in order to prevent the clock from stopping before morning break. After that, the next step, which was vital, was to set the alarm for the commitments due at work, school, or church. After that, the sound of ticking filled a bedroom that was otherwise peaceful, and it signaled the final minutes of the day. Today, digital alarms operate on their own, which means that the nighttime ritual of winding a clock has gradually disappeared from the majority of bedrooms and from the routines of everyday life.

8. Polishing Shoes for the Next Day

At the end of the day in the 1950s, many people would polish their shoes in preparation for the next day. The expectation was that shoes worn to work, school, and church would be neatly polished, so a quick shine before bed became a regular part of the routine. It was common for the room to retain the aroma of wax, and polish tins, brushes, and soft cloths were stored in close proximity to one another. Their parents reminded them to correctly arrange their footwear once they had completed their activities. It is far less common to polish one’s shoes at night than it was in the past, due to the prevalence of casual footwear and more relaxed dress standards.

9. Laying Out Clothes for Morning

Several individuals, before going to bed, meticulously lay out the garments they intend to wear the following morning. To ensure the household could function without disruptions in the morning, dresses, slips, stockings, pressed shirts, pants, and even hair ribbons were prepared in advance. In many households, mornings started early and progressed quickly, particularly when a single restroom was used by the entire family. There were still some people who did this now and then, but it was no longer followed as a nightly routine in the same way it had been in many houses during the 1950s.

10. Checking Doors and Windows by Hand

The evening was brought to a close by a number of households by walking through the house and manually inspecting each and every door and window. Before everyone went to sleep, the front locks were put on, the back latches were examined, and the open windows were closed. The peace of mind this straightforward assessment offered families without contemporary security systems was invaluable. Frequently, parents would go from one room to another when their children were already asleep. The day was over when the latch was finally clicked shut for the last time. Compared with how popular it was in the 1950s, the lengthy nightly process of personally verifying each opening became far less common.

11. Reading the Evening Newspaper in Bed

Many adults brought the evening newspaper to bed with them and read a few pages before going to sleep. With the prevalence of afternoon newspapers in the 1950s, it was more customary for fresh news to appear after work rather than at the crack of dawn. During the time that the house was quiet, people read various things, including comics, editorials, sports scores, weather reports, and local announcements. The day came to a close with the pages rustling, lamps glowing softly, and headlines. A small number of homes in today’s world went to bed with ink on their fingers and a folded piece of paper nearby.

12. Emptying and Washing Cloth Diapers

People with babies often had to deal with cloth diapers at the end of the day. People rinsed, soaked, scrubbed, or got ready for laundry service the next day with used diapers. Before disposable diapers became popular, this had to be done around the house all the time. Parents often took care of it late at night, when the baby had finally calmed down. Many households had buckets, soap flakes, and drying racks that were easy to spot. It was tiring, but it was normal. Modern disposables and washing machines have transformed how people take care of babies. Because of this, this nasty bedtime job didn’t happen as often as it did in the 1950s.

13. Turning Off the House Lights One by One

Many families took one last walk through the home, switching off lights that weren’t needed before going to bed. In the 1950s, electricity was no longer new, but people still handled it and kept a close eye on the account. The porch lights, kitchen lights, and hallway lamps were all turned off one by one until the house was dark. In smaller homes, this just took a minute, but it was the last break before bed. Parents regularly told their kids not to leave anything on fire at night. Automatic sensors, night-lights, and other habits have changed the routine, so it is now far less customary to darken the whole house by hand.

14. Hearing a Bedtime Story Read Aloud

Children were not allowed to be tucked in until after their parents had read a chapter from a book or told a short narrative from memory before going to bed. This was the case in many households. The story could have originated in a Bible passage, a fairy tale, a schoolbook, or a cherished adventure book kept on the nightstand. This process made nighttime feel more gradual than sudden, and it slowed the evening. The nightly ritual of reading to children was formerly much more common, expected, and knit into the fabric of everyday family life than it became in later years. However, many parents continue to read to their children today.

15. Stepping Outside for a Last Look at the Night

A good number of individuals went outdoors for one last glance at the weather, the yard, or the clothesline before going back inside to get ready for bed. This little break was particularly significant in the 1950s because the washing, traveling, and farm or garden activities scheduled for the next day frequently depended on what the night brought. The next morning’s plans could be influenced by a wet wind, a clear sky, or the smell of rain from the previous night. Because of the instantaneous arrival of forecasts on screens in today’s world, the practice of scanning the night sky from the back porch before going to bed has become significantly less common than it was in the past.

• Tags:
• Nostalgia
• bedtimes
• 1950s
• bedtime routine