There are a lot of clever people in the world, people who are constantly coming up with simple, creative designs.
If you often feel like you’re not clever, this list isn’t likely to help your self-esteem. That said, it might provide some inspiration .
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“For people who want to smell cat poop but not be able to find it.”
The caption of this one might dampen your enthusiasm somewhat, but I’m still all-in on this unique bed design. I’m willing to lift the mattresses up to find the cat poop if need be.
“I need this lazy Susan fridge!”
I don’t know who Susan was, why she was called lazy, or what her connection to this style of shelving is, but it’s genius. You’ll never forget about something in the back of this fridge.
“This fan has strings that tell you what they do.”
Here’s one of those inexpensive, functional little design elements that’s total genius. Seeing this makes me wish I had a ceiling fan in my house so I could try this out.
“Turn your house into a mini golf course with these fun vent covers.”
I’m not sure if this is the greatest, most fun idea I’ve ever seen (especially in the limited world of vent covers) or a tripping hazard that will absolutely destroy your ankles.
“SeaTac airport uses rainwater to flush toilets.”
If there’s one thing they have an overabundance of in the Pacific Northwest, it’s rain, so it’s nice to see SeaTac making this move. It’s also a no-brainer, because water conservation is key.
“One and only.”
As an avowed under-pillow-arm-stretcher (that’s a thing, right?), I would love something like this. It’s much better than awkwardly and clumsily snaking your arm underneath the pillow every night and waking up your partner in the process.
“My hotel pool has an accessible entrance ramp!”
I don’t think I’ve ever been in a pool with an accessibility ramp before. It’s simple and can be used by everyone, so it’s strange that you don’t see this design feature in more pools.
“Cross-legged office chair.”
I inexplicably cross one leg under my other thigh whenever I’m working. I’m sure it’s great for my posture. This invention, on the other hand, looks like it could enable this while promoting halfway decent posture.
“This analog plastic gauge to show any expansion/movement of a crack in a overpass. If it moves, the grid will show it off-center.”
Given the sorry state of so much of our infrastructure, devices like this could be life-savers. Like, replacing the bridge would be safer, but it’s also expensive.
“A suitcase that can measure its own weight.”
Have you ever found yourself at the airport, frantically unpacking and repacking your bags so they fall within the allotted weight limit? If so, this suitcase would have been a pretty big help.
“Trees ‘supporting’ a major overpass/highway. (Sydney).”
The underside of an overpass is usually an ugly, barren area. In daylight, that still may be true, but at nighttime, this area is impressively transformed. All it took was a big of creativity.
“Restaurant toilets force you to sanitise your hands on the way out.”
Everyone should wash their hands after using the washroom, but we can’t force them to do so.
…or can we? This sanitizing door handle is an amazing idea to promote good hygiene.
“They make mini replica MRI machines, complete with noises, to prepare children for their scan.”
An MRI machine could be terrifying to a kid, and trying to explain it might make things worse. This toy MRI puts things on a scale kids can understand.
“This supermarket has confectionary free checkouts for parents unwilling to have children demanding that they buy some.”
I’ll bet parents know this as the “no whining kids” checkout line, while kids know it as the “mom and dad aren’t messing around” checkout line.
“My heart medication is shaped like a heart.”
Pills tend to be indecipherable unless you have the actual medication bottle. They might be different colors and sizes or have random codes printed on them, but they never just say what they are. This one does.
“Our local shop grows its own salads and herbs on site.”
There’s something incredibly appealing about knowing the exact origins of the food you’re eating. In this case, the greens don’t come from a bag. They come from a dedicated garden that’s on site.
“This pickle jar has a built in plastic basket with a stem so you can pull the pickles up to the top.”
Sometimes you see an idea that you’ve never seen before and wonder why it isn’t commonplace. This is absolutely brilliant.
“My milk jug has a spot to hang a tool to slice the bag open.”
If you’ve never been to certain parts of Canada, this whole image will probably blow your mind. But if you are part of the milk bag gang, this handy little snipper tool is a game-changer.
“This shopping mall now has a fast lane in an attempt to combat ‘slow walker rage.'”
In crowded settings, slow walkers can be absolutely infuriating. But because it isn’t socially acceptable to just bowl them over, we need to find compromises such as this.
“This post office has a helpful size guide if you want to buy a box.”
I don’t often mail a parcel, but when I do, it’s a sure bet that I’ll buy a box that’s way too big or way too small. My post office needs one of these guides.
