While inventors have developed many items for the individual, they have also thought up many items for use around the house. The following inventions were meant to make life more comfortable and uncomplicated.

Flyswatter

George Blake invented something in 1923, that he hoped would get rid of the problem of flies once and for all. His invention was a flyswatter that looked like a toy Nerf gun with the suction cup arrows. His flyswatter had a flat rubber head shaped in a circle, attached to a stick called a shaft. A spring ran around the shaft to the rubber head and when you pulled the trigger, the spring let go and pushed the shaft and rubber head into the air. If the user aimed carefully, there would be one less fly in the world. The flyswatter didn’t really become popular because it was almost impossible to kill a fly with this invention.

Used-Gum Receptacle

Have you ever had a piece of gum you didn’t want to throw out when it was time to go to bed? Well, Reva Harris Keston must have at one time or another, because she invented a used-gum container in 1949. It really had two uses. First, if you wanted to save a hunk of gum for later use, you had a clean place to store it. Second, instead of throwing away the gum and having it stick to the sides of the trashcan, you put it in the used-gum container and tossed the container neatly away. The invention is an easy-to-store piece of flat cardboard with a thin metal point that you bend straight up in the middle to put the gum on it. You can then fold the cardboard along dotted lines to form the container. There was even a slit to fasten the flap shut to keep the gum clean and tidy for later use or to throw away without any mess.