Vintage Tub and Bath Overview

Vintage Tub and Bath Overview Related Information:

People have been bathing since Roman times, (500 BC – AD 455) when the custom of daily bathing gained importance. After the demise of the Roman Empire, came the Dark ages when sanitation measures all but disappeared. The use of perfume and scents replaced the ritual of bathing.

Centuries later, the need to improve sanitation facilities was felt and the first toilet was believed to have been invented in the 1800s. Up until then, in the US, most water pipes were made of hollowed trees. The first cast iron pipes were imported from England and after that in the early 1800s cast iron production began in the US in New Jersey. With the availability of cast iron locally, tubs finally began to be made with cast iron. The first tub was made as a water trough for horses to which legs could be added and it would double up as a bathtub.

Standard Sanitary Manufacturing and Kohler, at the same time, started enameling the cast iron bathtubs to give it a smoother and polished surface. These were a big hit as they were highly useful, easy to clean, and prevented the spread of germs and bacteria. As their popularity soared, they started being manufactured on a large scale.

By the early 1920s, claw foot bathtubs were the norm as indoor plumbing was still very rare and outhouses more common.

Then came the construction boom and bathrooms started being built inside houses. The claw foot tub and bath thus evolved into the modern built-in variety of a bathtub. Bathrooms were fitted with sinks, toilets, and a tub and bath with the advent of indoor plumbing.

Cut to modern times and the trend is slowly but surely going back to the use of vintage tubs and baths and vintage claw foot tubs. As people are going in for a period look for their home décor, vintage tubs and baths are regaining their lost glory.

Many different styles and pieces of vintage tub and bath are at hand today. Here’s a look at some of what can be found in the markets:

Claw Foot Albion Tub: The smallest center drain, claw foot tub from Standard Sanitary Mfg. Co. Dates back to the 1910s. A very rare find, and if you do find it, could set you back by thousands of dollars.

Hoffman Billings’ Tub and Bath: Touted to be one of the most gorgeous bathtubs ever produced. It has an enamel finish, curved ends, and a unique pedestal base.

Vintage Roman style Tubs and Bath: Right out of the Victorian era. Has an attached shower and nickel plated brass feet.

Lots of vintage tubs and bath come onto the markets everyday and also get sold as easily. What you see in a shop one day might not be available on another. But if you do happen to get a vintage bathtub, these aftercare tips might come in handy:

Vintage cast iron bathtubs with a porcelain surface are acid resistant but not acid proof. So don’t use acidic cleaners to clean them.

Use a mild liquid detergent or a mixture of baking soda and warm water to clean the bathtub. Rinse with only fresh, clean water.

A vintage tub and bath can give your period home the desired look; provided you find one and care for it properly.