When you spend every day writing articles about new things, eventually things stop surprising you so much. Or, that’s what I thought, until I started writing about everyday things that are actually genius.
How many times a day do you stare at a screen going “OMG, how did I not think of that sooner?” Well my friends, that’s me right now. These things truly are an act of genius.
1. Use a plastic cereal container as a trash bin in your car.
Considering my car is currently filled with receipts, candy bar wrappers, Starbucks cups, and glitter, I could use something like this for sure.
2. You can adjust the heat on this hot sauce bottle.
This would be perfect in my house considering that my boyfriend and I have very different ideas of what constitutes “spicy”.
3. You’ll never have to guess which ceiling fan string controls what ever again.
And it looks like you can get them for pretty darn cheap . This might just change your life forever.
4. Someone turned a kinder surprise container into a pineapple ear bud holder.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a pineapple as cute as this, and I need it in my life ASAP.
5. Coffee shops that give out frozen coffee cubes instead of ice cubes have their customer’s best interest at heart.
Because no one wants to drink diluted coffee, what would be the point?
6. The flush for these urinals is by your feet.
I think all toilets should have this mechanism, but please guys, this does not mean you don’t have to wash your hands.
7. One of the worst parts of taking a shower is getting under the shower head and waiting for the water to start to get warm.
There are so many things you could do outside the shower in the 30 seconds it takes to warm up.
8. This pill bottle lid lets you know the last time you opened it.
You’ll never forget what time you took your last pill again. This is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
9. This clever design helps you know how much is left in your measuring cup when you are pouring.
If you’ve ever tried to estimate half a cup of flour while pouring but then accidentally poured most of it in anyway, then you know the pain.
10. This Rubik’s Cube has braille on it.
I love anything with a fabulous design that also is accessible to everyone. You could also give yourself a challenge if you’ve mastered the colored one, but that seems like a lot of unnecessary work.
11. This machine lets you pay for your train tickets using recyclable items, like water bottles.
Not only is this easier on our wallets, but it’s helping the environment at the same time. This is the work of a true genius.
12. Wow, a grocery store that will actually repair the wonky wheels on their carts by asking you to tag the ones that are broken.
This is definitely something you don’t see every day.
13. This remote control comes with a handy cover to hide all the confusing buttons you don’t use.
What a great way to make sure grandma can watch her shows with ease.
14. These public bathrooms have lights above each stall to let you know when one is occupied.
No more knocking on stall doors or being interrupted while you’re on the john.
15. Whoever owns this lenticular — aka magic motion picture — found the most brilliant spot to hang it.
It’s positioned so you can see both images at the same time by looking in the mirror.
16. These papers are handed out to train riders in Japan if the train runs late, so people don’t get in trouble at work.
It provides the date and how late the train was. Wow, Japan’s public transit system looks amazing!
17. This park slide lets you experience a speed boost irl.
I have to find this slide immediately! But tbh, at first glance, I thought it looked like a grater of some sort and I was mildly horrified.
18. It’s maddening to throw out questionable food because you can’t remember how old it is, which is why this product is genius!
This chicken comes with a device that tells you how many days until it goes bad. Bye bye food waste!
19. This hotel places exit signs at the bottom of the wall in case there’s smoke and you have to crawl.
I feel like this needs to happen in all public buildings!
20. This shopping cart comes with a built in magnifying glass to help shoppers read product labels.
Another win for accessible items! I can imagine this makes life so much easier for anyone with a visual impairment.
21. A basketball net over a trash can.
Don’t even try to tell me that you don’t pretend to shoot a basket every time you toss out the trash. If you do, I’ll know you’re a liar.
22. A box of hair dye came with not only gloves, but also plastic covers for your glasses.
As someone who can barely see a thing without her glasses, this is kind of a lifesaver.
23. This beef jerky comes with dental floss in the bag.
We’ve all been there when we’ve desperately needed to get a piece of something out of our teeth and have no floss on hand. This. Is. Genius.
24. These empanadas have their flavor stamped right into the crust.
This is pretty helpful when you buy an assortment and don’t feel like destroying them all to find out.
25. This ingredient list has fun illustrations, in case you’re not sure what they look like.
I’m not sure I want to see an illustration of goat’s brain today, but helpful nonetheless!
26. These switches each have corresponding appliances.
It doesn’t get more helpful than this, folks. It’s spelled right out in front of you.
27. This doctor’s office chart shows how long the wait is for each doctor.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
28. This fitted sheet tells you exactly where to start.
No more tossing your fitting sheet through your fists like you’re stretching pizza dough in a pizzeria.
29. This bag of pasta shows you exactly what one helping is.
This won’t stop be from pouring half the bag anyways because #carbsislife.
30. These boots have a metal cleat that flips down on icy days.
It also doubles as an accidental bottle opener!
31. This plate has bumps on it so that the crust doesn’t get soggy.
Pizza deserves this kind of respect, always.
32. This toothpaste tells you exactly what’s in it and what each ingredient does.
I still don’t know what they mean, but I’ll trust you this time toothpaste…
33. The receipt at this restaurant tells you exactly the amount a tip percentage is.
There’s nothing worse than trying to discreetly whip out your phone and Google “20% of $25” while your waiter just stands there.
34. This pen tells you how many words you can write until it starts running out.
I don’t know how many of us actually tally every word we’ve written with a pen, but this is pretty cool nonetheless.
35. A hotel in Ukraine changes the carpet in the elevator every day with the corresponding day of the week.
Y’know, just in case you forgot what day it was.
But it would be a trip if they didn’t change it out!
36. An airport has a display so you can really see if your carry-on bag will fit.
The amount of times I’ve brought a carry-on suitcase, only to check it while boarding the plane is wild. This is super helpful!
37. These tires show how much tread is left.
You’ll just have to make sure your car’s wheels are in the right position for you to check!
38. These sheets come with a pocket.
This is especially helpful if you can’t fit a side table next to your bed.
39. The parking garage has light above each spot that tells you if the spot’s taken or free.
No more having to circle for hours and hours scoping out a spot.
40. These signs in the produce section of this grocery store tell you everything you need to know about the item.
I probably still won’t eat turnips, but still good info!
41. This packaging tells you exactly how to pronounce the company’s name.
Except when you go to tell your friends, they still won’t know what brand you’re talking about, until they read it themselves.
Well, there you have it. There are some pretty freaking genius ideas out there.
TAG a friend who needs to check these out, and COMMENT to let us know your favorite one.
