Why This Sealed, Gloopy Bottle from the Garage Is Worth Saving
June 9, 2025
source: Reddit
Exploring grandma’s garage typically yields rusty power tools, dusty books or forgotten boxes of holiday decor. But once in a while you stumble upon something groovy. In this case? A strange, colorful bottle that could have been taken from a shelf in a science experiment — or a horror movie. It was cloudy and kind of gloopy and sealed with what appeared to be a bottle cap.
There was no way to know at first glance whether this mystery item was decorative, poisonous or simply yucky. But once the layers of wax and fluid began to show the first signs of movement and color, it clicked: this was a lava lamp. Or, at least, what was once one.
Lava Lamps: A Psychedelic Icon From The Past
This lava lamp from grandma’s garage doesn’t look like much right now, but at one point in time, these things were pretty much everywhere. Lava lamps were first introduced to the world in the 1960s by the inventor Edward Craven Walker and they inspired a cultural explosion. They were not just lighting but also an atmosphere-setter. With their slow-motion blobs of colored wax and hypnotic glow, they were the ultimate signifier of chill vibes, serene rooms and teenage rebellion.
Here’s how it worked: A special mix of wax and liquid was inside the lamp. When you flicked the switch at its base, the heat would melt a chunk of wax, sending it floating around in bizarre, captivating forms. No two lamps looked the same for very long, and people could stare at them for hours.
What Happened to This One?
Alas, this lava lamp has been better. It is missing a base — where the bulb and electricity source would have been — as well as its decorative top cap. Minus those, it’s a single sealed bottle of wax that has separated and the chunks settled. The colors are faded, the inside alternates between something resembling a rainbow and a science fair project gone awry.
But even in its current state, it tells a story. This lava lamp, found in grandma’s garage, once graced a bedroom or living room, illuminating to a soundtrack or chatter. It’s a hunk of the past — before smartphones, before streaming, when cool lighting was a whole vibe.
Should You Keep It?
Honestly? If you’re nostalgic or a fan of retro decor, it might be worth hanging on to. Lava lamps are still manufactured today, and replacement parts or complete lamp kits are available for purchase online. You could bring it back to life, restore it, clean it up. Or keep it just as it is — a bright, slightly quirky beacon of what used to light people’s lives in the groovy days of yore.
Even if it no longer glows — even if it hasn’t glowed for a long time — it’s another little memento of when those things were not outlandish or kitschy but just a funky little artifact of a time when style was a bit brazen, and rooms were a shade funkier.