The 1970s were a simpler time in many ways, but that didn’t make chores any less grueling—especially for kids. With no modern gadgets or conveniences to lighten the load, many household tasks felt like pure drudgery. For kids growing up in the era of avocado-green kitchens and shag carpets, chores weren’t just about helping out—they were often a rite of passage. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit 13 outdated chores every ’70s kid dreaded.
1. Raking Leaves
In the fall, every kid dreaded the sight of a rake leaning against the house. Raking leaves wasn’t just about tidying up; it often meant hours spent gathering piles of crunchy, colorful foliage while battling blisters and wind gusts that scattered your work. The only silver lining? The chance to jump into the pile before bagging it all up.
Unlike today’s leaf blowers, rakes made the job painfully slow and physical. Worse yet, parents always seemed to find another corner of the yard that needed attention. For ’70s kids, this chore was the ultimate test of patience and endurance.
2. Vacuuming Shag Carpets
Shag carpeting was all the rage in the ’70s, but cleaning it was a nightmare. Vacuuming those thick, tangled fibers required a special kind of strength and perseverance. The vacuum cleaner often got stuck, and you’d have to yank it back and forth to make even a dent in the dirt.
To make matters worse, crumbs, pet hair, and who-knows-what-else seemed to get embedded deep in the shag. Many a kid spent Saturday mornings sweating over this chore, silently cursing the day shag carpeting was invented.
3. Cleaning Out Ashtrays
In an era when smoking indoors was the norm, ashtrays were a household staple—and someone had to clean them. For many ’70s kids, that unlucky someone was them. Scraping out cigarette butts and emptying ashes into the trash was a gross and smelly task no one looked forward to.
If you lived in a household with heavy smokers, the chore felt endless. The stale smell of smoke lingered on your hands no matter how much you scrubbed, making this one of the most universally hated tasks of the decade.
4. Dusting the House
Before Swiffer dusters made this chore a breeze, dusting in the ’70s meant wielding an old-fashioned feather duster or a rag soaked in furniture polish. Every flat surface seemed to attract a layer of grime, from wooden furniture to countless knickknacks on display.
Worse yet, dusting always seemed to kick up more dust, leaving you sneezing and annoyed. Parents often demanded perfection, meaning you had to carefully move and replace every ceramic figurine and photo frame. It was tedious work that no kid looked forward to.
5. Taking Out the Trash
Taking out the trash sounds simple, but in the ’70s, it wasn’t as straightforward as dragging a wheeled bin to the curb. Trash bags were flimsy and often tore, spilling garbage everywhere. Worse, you had to deal with unlined metal cans that were heavy, smelly, and prone to rust.
This chore often involved a lot of back-and-forth trips, especially if your family generated a lot of waste. Add in the occasional encounter with maggots or leaking trash juice, and it’s no wonder every kid hated this weekly duty.
6. Polishing Shoes
In the ’70s, shiny shoes were a must for school, church, or special events, and keeping them polished was often a kid’s responsibility. Armed with a tin of shoe polish, a brush, and an old rag, you’d spend what felt like hours buffing scuffed leather to perfection.
The smell of shoe polish was overpowering, and getting the job just right required patience most kids didn’t have. Inevitably, you’d end up with polish-stained hands—and sometimes clothes—making this one of the messiest and most annoying chores around.
7. Hanging Laundry on the Clothesline
Before dryers were a household standard, hanging clothes on a line was the norm. On laundry day, kids were often tasked with lugging heavy baskets of wet clothes to the backyard and carefully pinning them up to dry. This chore became even worse in the sweltering summer heat or the biting cold.
Clotheslines also had a way of snapping or sagging, creating even more work. And let’s not forget the occasional bird dropping that would ruin a freshly washed shirt. For ’70s kids, this chore was as frustrating as it was time-consuming.
8. Washing the Family Car
Washing the family car was another dreaded task, especially if you had siblings who somehow managed to skip out on helping. Armed with a bucket of soapy water, a sponge, and a hose, you’d spend ages scrubbing every inch of the car—only to have your parents point out missed spots.
The worst part? Drying the car with a chamois cloth, which always left streaks no matter how hard you tried. In the ’70s, this wasn’t just a chore—it was a whole afternoon’s project.
9. Cleaning the Bathroom
Few chores struck fear into the hearts of ’70s kids like cleaning the bathroom. Scrubbing the toilet, wiping down sinks, and cleaning the bathtub were gross enough, but mildew and soap scum made the job even worse. Harsh chemical cleaners stung your nose and eyes, adding insult to injury.
Parents were notoriously picky about this chore, often inspecting your work with a critical eye. No matter how hard you scrubbed, it felt like the job was never done to their satisfaction.
10. Mowing the Lawn
Mowing the lawn with a heavy, push-powered mower was a grueling task for any ’70s kid. These machines lacked the self-propelled features of modern mowers, meaning you had to use pure muscle to get the job done. The hot sun, buzzing mosquitoes, and clumps of wet grass made the chore even more miserable.
To make matters worse, dads often insisted on straight, even lines, requiring extra effort and attention to detail. For kids who dreamed of summer fun, the lawnmower was the ultimate killjoy.
11. Beating Rugs
Vacuum cleaners weren’t always powerful enough to clean heavy rugs, so many households relied on good old-fashioned rug beating. Kids were handed a rug beater—a large paddle-like tool—and tasked with dragging rugs outside, draping them over a clothesline, and whacking out the dust.
The chore was exhausting and left you covered in a fine layer of grime. And if you were unlucky enough to inhale the dust cloud you created, you’d be coughing for hours. It was a chore that tested both your strength and your patience.
12. Defrosting the Freezer
Before frost-free freezers became common, defrosting the freezer was a messy and tedious chore. Kids were tasked with emptying the freezer, chipping away at ice buildup with a spatula or butter knife, and mopping up the resulting puddles of water.
The process was slow and frustrating, and there was always a risk of accidentally damaging the freezer. For ’70s kids, defrosting wasn’t just a chore—it was a full-blown ordeal that made you question the need for frozen peas in the first place.
13. Rolling Coins
In an era before Coinstar machines, kids were often asked to roll loose change into paper sleeves. This tedious task involved sorting and counting coins, carefully stacking them into rolls, and ensuring everything added up correctly. Parents often turned this into a math lesson, which made it even worse.
Dropping a stack of coins and having to start over was a regular frustration. While this chore wasn’t physically demanding, the sheer monotony made it one of the most despised tasks for ’70s kids.
The chores of the 1970s weren’t just about keeping the house in order—they were life lessons in patience, responsibility, and sometimes sheer endurance. Looking back, they might seem quaint (or downright absurd), but they were an undeniable part of growing up in an era without modern conveniences. For those who remember, these tasks were as much a part of the ’70s as bell-bottoms and disco balls.
