Well, you’re about to have your mind blown.
Sometimes, we don’t know the purpose of the stuff we use every single day. Like a pop can tab. Did you know that actually can have more than one purpose? Well, you’re about to.
Pop can tabs can have two purposes.
The first, of course, is to open your drink. But the second? Swing that bad boy around and stick your straw through the hole. Now it won’t bob around while you drink!
Your car is trying to tell you where your gas tank is.
If you already knew this one, scroll on! For those of us who took way longer than usual to find this out, this one is for you: look for the arrow next to your gas indicator. That’s the side your tank is on!
Your pot has a spoon rest on it.
Hi, thing I didn’t know. if your pot has a hole at the end of the handle, odds are it’s a good place to stick your spoon in while you wait. Nice, nice.
Bobby pins are being used incorrectly all over the world.
Most of us put the flat side against our head when using one, right? Well, that’s not how those work. The flat side is supposed to face out so that the bumps can get a grip on your hair. Oops!
Bubbles actually have a purpose in your bath.
The bubbles act as a heat insulator to help keep your bath warmer for longer. Who knew that those things had a purpose beyond being good-smelling and nice to soak in?
The McFlurry spoon is square for a reason.
It’s because it’s actually part of the McFlurry making process! Rather than having an attachment that mixes your McFlurry and thus has to be cleaned constantly, the spoon is hooked to the mixer and mixes your McFlurry. The more you know!
Your aluminum foil and parchment paper boxes want to help you out.
See those tabs on the sides that most of us ignore? Go ahead and push them in. They’re going to help your roll of material glide more easily, thus making it easier to tear.
Those classic takeout containers are foldable for a reason.
They fold out into a frickin’ plate! How helpful is that? If you’ve gotten some classic takeout, you can unfold the box to reveal a surface you can eat off of. Score.
The little table in pizza boxes is there for your cheese.
Since the box lids can sink easily, the little tables are placed there to stop the cardboard from hitting the cheese on your pizza. I’m not gonna pretend that’s not genius, you guys.
The Tic Tac lid has a secret.
It’s a perfect place to rest one single Tic Tac on! Instead of shooting them straight into your mouth, simply shake one onto the lid. Or still shoot them into your mouth — life is short.
The bumps on your keyboard are for your subconscious to use.
Ever wonder why the tiny lines are there on your “F” and “J” keys? Turns out, it’s to help your fingers figure out where on the keyboard you are without having to look down. Neat!
The hole in a pen cap is for your safety.
See, people like to chew on pens. The hole is there in case you accidentally inhale the pen cap. Theoretically, having it there will help with airflow if it gets stuck in your throat.
The hole in your coffee lid.
So, why is that tiny hole there? The answer is pretty easy: it’s there to let steam escape. I know. It’s the answer you probably expected, but someone, somewhere didn’t know that. Now they do!
The tiny pocket within a pocket on your jeans.
So, what’s that cute lil pocket about that you can barely fit your fingers into? Well, in the 1800s, it served a purpose: it held your pocket watch! These days, it holds…idk, chapstick?
The ridges on coins.
So, this is a cool story. High-value coins (so, a quarter, for example) have ridges, while pennies don’t. That’s because the quarters were made of precious metals. People used to shave the quarters down to make new quarters — hence why ridges had to be introduced.
The extra holes in high tops.
See those holes? The ones that look like the lace holes? Well, turns out, that’s exactly what they are — lace holes. Converse shoes were designed to accommodate any shoe size. The holes were for laces that would tighten the shoe to your foot!
Narrow paper margins.
Ever wonder what the purpose of a paper margin is for? Sure, it keeps your page neat, but there’s a second purpose: rats.
Back when rats were a bigger problem, paper manufacturers included margins to push your writing to the middle of the page. Rats, who like to snack on paper, would eat into the margins, and not into your words. Weird, huh?
The other end of your utility knife.
See that orange cap at the end? It’s not just there to keep your hand comfortable while you cut. It’s removable! Popping it off will reveal a special slot you can then use to snap off the next part of your blade. Save those fingers, y’all!
A bottleneck.
So, why do beer and soda bottles have long bottlenecks? Easy. It encourages you to hold your drink at the bottom of the bottle, rather than the top. That way, your drink won’t heat up as quickly. Weird, right?
Ketchup cups are designed to expand.
I’ve tried this, and I can confirm it totally works. Before you pump your ketchup into the cup, separate the sides from each other and fan them out! Boom, extra space to dip fries in.
You might be flossing wrong.
Instead of choking your fingers out with layers of floss, tie a string in a bow and go to town on your teeth. It’s way easier, and your fingers will thank you.
Are you tired of your rice falling over in the microwave? It turns out that designers were one step ahead of us on this problem.
“Today I learned that Microwaveable Rice pouches have tabs at the bottom that you can open to stop them falling over while cooking,” said this Reddit user. Genius!
