15+ Common Household Items That You've Been Using Wrong This Whole Time

Did you know that there are many very common household items that you've been using wrong THIS WHOLE TIME? When repurposed the right way, these items can solve many pesky little issues. Here are everyday items that are probably somewhere around the house that you can use in a much more efficient way. Click "Next Page" for common items that you've been using wrong! Loop In Back Of Shirt First of all, it's important to mention that this trick doesn't apply to garden-variety shirts. We are positive that you own at least one nice, collared shirt that has this mysterious loop at the back, in the middle. We can thank the Navy for this loop. While they were out at sea, men in the Navy would have loops on their shirt so that they could hang them on hooks. In the 60s, the loops were also used by college students to hang their shirts and keep them wrinkle-free while exercising at the gym. Today, these hooks are put on shirts as a sign of class and quality. Click "Next Page" for more common items that you've been using wrong! Arrow On Gas Gauge In all cars manufactured after 2010, there is an arrow next to the gas gauge with an arrow indicating on which side of your car your gas cap is located. Most of us don't need a reminder, because we fill our cars up with gas regularly, so it has become routine. However, this trick will come in handy if you are ever driving a rental car and pull up to a gas station. You don't want to look foolish by going to the wrong side. Charcoal As An Air Purifier & Odor Remover We are not talking about those heavy bags of charcoal that you use to make BBQs. Activated bamboo charcoal, which can be found in any home goods store, can be used to remove odors and purify the air. Unlike Febreeze, baking soda, or chemical sprays, bamboo charcoal can purify the air, remove bacteria, and a lot of allergens. You can get a BreathGreen Charcoal bag for only $10. The best part of it is that every month, you can simply leave it in the sun to recharge, with the bag "reactivating" itself. Holes In Airplane Windows Have you ever freaked out on the plane after noticing a tiny hole in the window? Yes, it is a little odd at first, but that hole, called a breather hole, is there so that when an airplane climbs and the air pressure outside drops, the cabin stays at a safe and comfortable level. That little hole allows the plane to deal with the pressure difference. Holes In Pot Handle If you are not a professional cook, you probably wonder why most pots and pans have a hole by the end of the handle. Or, you may have never noticed that it was there. There are two good reasons for this. First, it allows you to easily hang it in your kitchen with the use of a hook, and second, you can use the hole to hold a utensil, just like in the photo above. Try it next time! Randomly Placed Buttons On Jeans If you wear jeans a lot, you've surely noticed all the extra buttons on the pants, usually around the pockets. Yes, it's weird, but by now, you've probably just accepted that it's how jeans are made. Technically, these buttons are called rivets, and they have an important purpose. They are placed in strategic spots on the jeans to avoid them getting worn out and ripping. This was the legendary Levi Strauss' idea, and he owns the patent to the rivets. Extra Holes In Sneakers Unless you don't tie your shoelaces yourself, you've definitely noticed the unused extra holes at the top of your shoes. These holes are there so that you can tie up your shoes tighter if you are prone to blisters, for example. You can place the shoelaces in the extra holes, but in the opposite direction, creating a loop on each side, which allows you to cross your laces in each loop. Then, you can create a much tighter lock by pulling down on the laces and then tying your shoes normally. Soda Can Tab If you've ever opened a can of soda, which you probably have unless you live in a cave, you may have noticed the tab at the top of the can. It might have annoyed you one day, as it sometimes detaches and falls into the can with the rest of the liquid. Actually, the tab is there to be flipped over and used as a holder for your straw, just like in the image above. Flat Takeout Boxes When we order Chinese food, most of us bring it home and dump it onto our own plates, or simply eat it straight out of the carton. However, this is all wrong. Chinese takeout boxes are actually designed to be their own plates! While the food is still in the container, carefully pull the sides apart and set it flat on the table. It's so much simpler this way! Keyboard Bumps Look at any keyboard, and you will realize that the F and J keys have two little bumps on them. Have you ever wondered why they were there? Well, this is so that users can find their way on the keyboard without looking at the keys. You can then keep your eyes on the screen and type more comfortably, especially with some experience. Hole In Cap Of Ballpoint Pens When you look at a pen, at first, it looks like there may be something wrong with it because it has a hole. Actually, that hole is there on purpose so that air can flow through in case it is swallowed accidentally. That might seem strange, but remember, many people have a bad habit of putting pen caps in their mouth, and with one bad movement, it could end up in the back of their throat. Black Diamonds On The Measuring Tape The black diamonds that are printed on almost all standard measuring tape are called "Stud Finders." Its purpose is to show you the exact center between two studs on your wall. You can find the first mark is at 19.2", and then it repeats at 38.4", 57.6", 76.8" and 96" inches. To make it simpler, if you are sure that your home was built using standard 16" stud spacing, you can use these brands to find out exactly where the studs are. There is no need to buy an electronic stud finder! Dip In Wine Bottle Do you like drinking wine? Well, if you do, you probably realized that there was a sizeable dip at the bottom of the bottle. It seems a little weird, but there are a few reasons why it's there. First of all, its called a punt or a kick-up, but it's not exactly sure why. Anyway, it makes the bottle a bit more stable so that it won't fall over and break with the slightest touch. Also, it makes the bottle stronger and more able to withstand higher pressure if there is champagne or sparkling wine in it. Using Electrical Outlets & Walls As HDTV Antennas Today, the average American household spends around $200 a month for TV, internet, and telephone, so there are new technology disruptors making devices using old-fashioned TV antennas and an electrical outlet. These "HDTV antennas" stream HDTV from stations like ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, TheCW, BET, and many more. As you can now pay around $10 a month for a Netflix subscription, it seems insane to pay $200 a month for HDTV channels. Black Grating In Microwave Be honest - when have you ever taken a close up look at your microwave? Well, if you have, you've probably noticed the black grating on the microwave door. Its called a Faraday shield, and it's there to prevent electromagnetic fields from harming us while we are waiting for our food to heat up. Hole Next To iPhone Camera If you look at an iPhone, you will notice there is a little hole right by the camera lens. Well, it is not a tiny hole that helps Facebook spy on you, but actually a microphone. There are three mics on every smartphone, one under the speaker grill, one on the bottom edge of the phone, and the third right next to the camera lens. Pom-Poms On Winter Hats For people who live in cold places, winter hats are crucial. But have you ever stopped to wonder why so many of them have a fluffy ball on top? This fashion can be traced back to Scandinavia, and it was done as a way to gather the seams in a time where knitting was uncommon. Over the past several hundred years, many types of headgear have had this pom-pom on top, and for some reason, it is still trendy today. Golf Ball Dimples Technically, golf balls aren't round, so they're not really balls. If you've ever held one in your hand, you will have noticed that the outside of the ball is full of little dimples. They weren't always like this, but with experience, savvy golfers realized that older balls with bumps and nicks would go further than smooth ones. Long Neck Bottles It is not by accident that adult beverages often come in bottles with long necks. First of all, its shape makes it more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. In addition, the long necks help distribute the heat throughout the entire bottle when you're holding it with your warm hand. Ultimately, long necks help beverages stay cooler for longer. Zigzag Side Of Bobby Pin Even if you've never used a bobby pin in your life, you've probably still noticed that one side is straight, and the other is a little wavy. Well, the wavy side is what helps to keep the pin in place all day by helping catch a big clump of hair, while the zigzag pattern is facing toward the scalp, so you can't see it. Cylinder Toward End Of Cable Cord We've all used some kind of cable or power cord before, and you might have noticed a big cylinder-shaped lump at the end of it. These are actually called chokes or ferrite cores, and they're meant to prevent any high-frequency electromagnetic interference. One such interference, for example, is the kind you get when your cell phone gets too close to a speaker and you can hear a weird noise in your call. Extra Fabric With Clothing You're probably familiar with the tiny bag with an extra patch of fabric that comes with some clothes. Most people think that it's there in case the shirt or pants rip, to sew up the hole with the fabric. However, that's not why it's there. The extra fabric is there so you can test out washing the material a certain way, to see if the colors will bleed or if the material will shrink. Pretty neat, right? Wings On Apple Power Cord If you have a MacBook, you might have noticed that there are wings on the power cord that you can pull up. These are not just there at random; they have a purpose. They are there because if you flip them up, it makes it easier to wrap the cord around the power block so it doesn't get in the way. You don't have to use it, but some people like to. Blue Part Of Eraser Why on earth would an eraser need to be two different colors? As a kid, you might have heard the rumor that the blue part was there to erase ink. Well, that is not exactly true, as the blue part is made to be used on thicker types of paper than common notebook paper. The kind of paper artists use are more sensitive to friction, so they need a different type of eraser. Square Patch On Backpacks Do you think the square patches at the back of your backpack look cool? Well, they do, but they also have a purpose. The pig snout, as it is called, is there so that you can carry extra gear on your backpack, such as cords and strings that you can pull through the tab. Pretty neat, right? Color-Coded Ice Cream Scoops I am embarrassed to admit that I've worked in an ice cream stand for many years, but I had no idea why they all had different colors! Well, each color is actually a different size of scoop, as they come in many different sizes, depending on whether it goes in a cup or how many scoops are needed to fill a 32-ounce container. Brass Doorknobs You probably never paid too much attention to a door handle, but if you have, you may have noticed that they're all made of brass. This is not by accident, as surfaces made of brass are more resistant to bacteria so that doorknobs stay germ-free. This is important as people pick up germs from all sorts of places and hold the doorknob, which is then going to be held by other people. Tab On Rearview Mirror Hopefully, we all look at our rearview mirrors when we drive, but you may have done so for years without realizing that there was a tab at the bottom of the mirror. Or, you might have seen it without knowing its purpose. Well, it is there so that you can change the position of the mirror to avoid being blinded by the headlights of the car behind you. Discs Under Bottle Caps One day in your life, you've probably looked under the cap on a soda bottle and noticed a little plastic disc. At first, it seems unnecessary, but the disc is actually there to help with carbonation. Don't ask us to get all scientific, but in basic terms, the discs trap carbon dioxide so that the soda doesn't lose its gas. Ridges On Coins Maybe you haven't noticed this, but quarters and dimes have rough edges, while pennies and nickels don't. Go ahead and have a look. Well, this is because back in the day, coins were stamped in different weights to reflect the coin's true value. To avoid people shaving the edges of the coins and melting them into new ones, ridges were put to make it easy to tell if the edges have been tampered with. Loops On Grocery Carts Yes, grocery carts fill a lot of things, but what most people don't realize is that there are loops that help frame the fold-out section to help protect the things in your cart. Thanks to these loops, you can hang plastic bags with fragile items such as eggs and bread, which you don't want squished by heavier objects. Margins On Lined Paper Have you ever wondered why notebook paper had margins? Well, many years ago, when rats would often go into people's homes, they would chew on paper. With margins on it, a rat could eat the edges of the paper without ruining anyone's work. Obviously, this feature is not needed anymore, but they still help protect what's written from general wear and tear. Paper Condiment Cups Why do we have to fill around twelve of these tiny paper condiment cups every time we order fries? They're so tiny that if we order chicken fingers, we can't even dip them in our sauce! Well, we have been using them wrong all along. These tiny cups can easily be unfolded so that they look like a little plate, just like in the photo above. Pocket In Women’s Underwear Why are there secret pockets sewn into women's underwear? Well, they are there so that women can fit tampons or other small items, and they are called a panty gusset, but most manufacturers don't even bother to stitch it closed. To be fair, it is much more comfortable without the extra seems. Colored Squares On Toothpaste Have you ever noticed that at the bottom of the tube of toothpaste, there is a colored block? It is usually blue, red, green, or black. These blocks are called "eye marks," and they assist machines at the assembly line to know where to cut and fold the packaging. Without it, tubes of toothpaste would all be attached to one another. Plastic Lids On Cups You might be surprised by this one. The plastic lids on top of disposable cups are there to double as a coaster. Of course, if you are in the car, you need to keep the lid, but when you are sitting down and enjoying a hot drink, the ridges on the lid are designed to serve as a coaster that hugs the base of the cup. Holes In Padlock We've all used a padlock at one point in our lives, and you may have seen a little hole at the bottom of it without knowing what it's there for. There are actually two important purposes for this. First, it allows any water that gets inside to drain out of the lock, so it allows the lock to handle the elements. Second, it allows you to pour oil into the lock so that it doesn't get jammed up. Detachable Headrest In Cars When you were a kid, did you ever sit in the backseat on family road trips and play with the headrest of the person in front of you? Come on, I can't be the only one, right? Well, you might have noticed that the headrest can completely come out of the seat, and this is meant to be used in an emergency if you're trapped in the car, as you can pull out the headrest and use the metal parts to break the window. Lines Of Red Solo Cup You were probably too busy having fun to notice a series of horizontal lines on these cups. Well, they have a purpose; they're there to tell us how much alcohol to put in the cup. At the bottom, the first line measures one ounce, which is basically one shot of hard liquor. The next line is five ounces, a perfect amount for a glass alone, while the last line denotes 12 ounces, which is the size of one beer. Three Handles On Jerry Can You've probably seen a Jerry can before, especially if you like traveling and camping. If you have, you may have wondered why there are three handles at the top. Well, these are there so that the fuel is distributed evenly while carrying the can, especially if it is being carried by two people. With two people, they should each grab both outside handles. Wooden Coat Hangers Yes, we agree that wooden coat hangers are fancy and classy, but that is not why they were invented in the first place. Coat hangers were made out of wood to help repel moths and other insects that may want to damage clothing. Heavy clothing, in particular, is prone to this, and the cedar wood has a pleasing smell that is known to repel moths and other bugs. Flaps On Juice Boxes Why are there heavy flaps at the top of juice boxes? Well, simply look at the photo above, and you will see why. This young genius has realized that those bulky flaps can be folded outward to make it easier for children to hold. Remember, these juice boxes are usually meant for those aged two to ten, so this helps them. Vegetable Peelers Not everyone uses their vegetable peeler to its full extent! You can use it for way more than just peeling the skin off your carrots and potatoes. For example, you can use it to thinly slice onions! Not only is it faster, but it also helps to prevent those onion tears. The Hole in the Spaghetti Spoon When you think of a spaghetti spoon, you might wonder why it’s such a strange shape. Well, the middle of the spoon is actually designed that way to help you figure out how to portion spaghetti for dinner. The more you know, huh? Vacuum Cleaner Attachments Do you know all of those weirdly-shaped things that come with your vacuum? You know, the ones that you throw into the back of the cleaning closet, never to see the light of day again? Well, it’s time to get them out and start cleaning! Those things can save you a lot of time because they’re purpose-built for particular spaces. Using a Blender Most people throw ingredients into their blenders willy-nilly, but there’s a real art to it! If you add the liquids first, then add the rest of the solids after, the swirl that the liquid creates will help to blend the solids much more smoothly. Voila! Using Tissue Paper Tissue paper isn’t just for fancy gifts and the insides of gift bags! It has a wide range of uses and can be used in place of blotting paper, or for storing or packing clothes that wrinkle. If you lay the clothing inside a layer of tissue paper, you’ll find that it creases much less. Yogurt Toppings Everyone loves those little yogurt pottles with two sides. Having a topping for your snack makes it feel way fancier, but it’s always so difficult to get the topping out onto the yogurt, right? Try folding the container so that the toppings flip into the yogurt instead. You’re welcome. Tabs on Foil and Cling Wrap Trying to get cling film or aluminum foil out of the box can be a total pain, but it doesn’t have to be. There are usually little tabs that you can push in at the side of every box to help grip the roll. This way, the roll stays in place as you pull it! Eating Toblerone We know that chastising people for eating chocolate incorrectly isn’t a good move, so you eat your Toblerone however you want. But do remember that you can get more of that goodness much faster by snapping the pieces towards the packet, rather than away from it! Shampoo and Conditioner When you use shampoo, you obviously massage it into your scalp to get rid of all the dirt and oil that has formed at the roots. But you don’t want to repeat this with your conditioner! Instead, apply the conditioner to the ends of your roots first, working backward. The oldest and driest parts of your hair are at the ends, so they need it more! Pumping Mascara Wands This old school habit doesn’t actually help you one bit. If you pump the mascara wand, it will push more air into the tube, and make the product dry out way faster. You want to keep air away from the contents, and if your mascara doesn’t make the ‘pop’ noise as the brush comes out, it could be a sign that it’s time for a new one! Using Your Fingers for Makeup You might think that makeup brushes are just a ploy to sell more beauty tools, but it turns out that they’re pretty necessary. Applying foundation with your fingers is definitely the worst way to spread foundation over your face, as it doesn’t ensure even coverage. What’s more, is that your fingers may contain bacteria which you’re then rubbing all over your mug! Try a foundation brush or sponge instead. Eating Oreos You know the drill… first, you twist it, then you lick it, then you dunk it… but what they don’t tell you is that you can save your fingers and your oreo by dunking the whole cookie in with a fork instead. Just stick the utensil into the white part, and off you go! Wearing Earbuds Incorrectly Earbuds aren’t designed to be worn straight up and down, but most people tend to just plug them in and go on their way. They’re supposed to be worn with the earbud above the ear, with the round part facing down towards the ground. Hooking it over the ear stops them from slipping! Extension Cords Made Easy When you’re plugging an extension cord into a power tool, it’s usually because you’re doing something far away. When you can’t see the cord, sometimes you pull too hard and it comes out. Try tying the two cords like so next time, it will save a lot of hassle! Peeling Bananas OK, so Mother Nature designed this one, but there’s still an easier way. Monkeys and gorillas peel bananas from the bottom upwards, as it’s much easier than cracking the stem and peeling down. And they should know - have you seen how many bananas those guys can put away?! Eating Oranges and Clementines Citrus is delicious, but it can be way too messy to take to work or school. Rather than peeling the fruit with your hands, try slicing it like the picture above! It will save you a lot of time and hassle, and what’s more, is that your fingers will stay much drier. Hooray! Eating Pizza Feel free to eat your pizza however you want. Unless you want to eat it the smart way! How is that, you ask? Well, all you need to do is fold the pizza in the middle. It means that you can hold it more easily, and the toppings don’t all slide off to the end on those extra-gooey pieces. Airplane Seats Not everyone takes a suit or a blazer on a plane, but if you’re the kind of person that does, then this one is for you. The hook keeping the tray table upright on the back of the seat in front of you is not just for that single purpose. It also doubles as a coat hook! Trash Bag Removal You know when you go to pull a full garbage bag out from the trash can, and it creates suction at the bottom, making it a total pain to get out? All you need to do is drill a hole or two at the bottom of your trash can. That way, there won’t be any suction! Reheating Food in the Microwave Isn’t it annoying when you pull a steaming plate of food from the microwave oven, only to discover halfway through digging in that the middle is totally cold? Try leaving a hole in the middle of your leftovers next time you reheat them, and you’ll see that they heat much more evenly! We bet that there were a few items on this list that caught you by surprise. We personally felt stupid when we realized that we've been doing some things completely wrong, like drinking sodas with a can without using the little tab. It is so obvious, yet we often do things the way we are used to doing them, without second-guessing if it's the best option. It's human nature, after all. Source: Livestly, Good Housekeeping

15+ Common Household Items That You've Been Using Wrong This Whole Time

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