8 Household Skills Most People Under 30 Don’t Know How to Do
A lot of everyday tasks that older generations learned by doing never made it into the routines of people under 30. It isn’t a lack of interest so much as the way life has shifted. School, work, long commutes, and easy-to-replace products meant there were fewer chances to practice the basics. Even so, these skills still matter because they make daily life easier and give a better sense of how things actually work at home.
Reading A Map
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Many older adults report that younger people freeze when handed a paper map, which aligns with the fact that phones have replaced physical navigation for an entire generation. A Reddit user described how many 20-somethings can only follow turn-by-turn instructions, proving just how rare manual navigation has become.
Addressing Mail
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Plenty of younger adults pause when it comes to writing out a proper mailing address. One parent on Reddit even shared that they had to walk a teen through how to fill out an envelope. It’s a small example of how letter-writing has faded as most communication has moved online, leaving some basics unfamiliar.
Using A Plunger
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Some young adults admit they’ve rarely handled basic home fixes on their own, and that includes knowing how to use a plunger. It makes sense when many grew up in households where parents took care of repairs, or they lived in buildings where maintenance staff handled small problems before anyone needed to learn the basics themselves.
Counting Change
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Cash handling has taken a hit among younger shoppers, and several older adults shared instances when cashiers didn’t know how to adjust change after extra coins were handed over. With digital payments dominating daily life, manual money math shows up less often, and the skills fade with lack of use.
Typing Without Looking
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Even though younger people use devices constantly, many rely on hunt-and-peck typing. Older workers from the 1990s took full typing classes, and now those classes have disappeared from many schools as laptops and tablets have taken over.
Basic DIY
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Airtasker’s research found that only 15.66% of young adults felt comfortable changing a lightbulb, and only 33.42% felt good about putting up shelves. That same survey found that just 25.40% knew how to defrost a freezer, indicating how often these chores are handed off to someone else at home.
Making A White Sauce
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Around 65% of younger adults can’t make a white sauce, according to Good Housekeeping. Convenience meals, delivery apps, and quick recipes replaced slow stovetop techniques, which naturally leads to fewer people learning them.
Neat Bed Sheet Tucks
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Good Housekeeping also found that only 34% of Millennials know how to tuck a tight sheet, compared with 59% of older adults. Fitted sheets took over bedrooms everywhere, so the older hospital-corner method was no longer taught.
Darning Clothes
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Yes, darn is not just an expression, and only 24% of Millennials know how to do it. Even among parents, the number has dropped to 62%. Cheap clothing and quick fashion cycles make repairing holes feel unnecessary, causing the skill to fade away.
Wallpapering
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Airtasker and Good Housekeeping both reported that only about 51% of Millennials feel confident wallpapering, compared with 68% of parents. Wallpaper is back in style, but younger adults tend to hire help because the job looks complicated and time-consuming.