Chances are that if you’re not a mechanic, you probably have no idea these even exist. And why would you? It’s not like we go around checking our tires every day. But if you did, you would notice there are little rubber bumps on the tread of your tire.
These raised edges inside the indentations of your tire’s tread indicate when it’s time to change tires; if the edges are even with the bumps, you should get to the tire shop, fast. If the edges are well above that of the bumps, you’re good to go.
The Threaded Bands on Audio Jacks
If you were to look closely at an audio jack, you'd notice it has deep ridges. These bands are there so it's a tighter fit when the jacks are plugged in, but this is just one of their functions.
The threaded bands are made of an insulating material that protects the wires when sound is being transmitted. What's more, the number of ridges on a jack will tell you which end goes where.
Silica Gel Packets
Everybody knows that silica gel packs are there to preserve a product's "freshness." But have you ever wondered how this little bag of tiny beads manages to do that? Silica gel sucks the moisture out of its environment, and they absorb up to 50% of the humidity in an enclosed environment, helping keep things nice and dry.
Next time you buy a new product that has one of these little packets, save it instead of throwing it out — next time your phone falls in the toilet, you can quickly shove it into a handful of these little beads. Definitely works better than rice, and is far less messy!
The Stripes in Your Toothpaste
If you've ever bought a tube of Aquafresh toothpaste, you've definitely noticed that the toothpaste has multicolored stripes. And no, despite the fact that the stripes are red, white, and blue, this has nothing to do with patriotism. Back in the 70s, people started to notice that brushing their teeth wasn't enough to keep bad breath away for long periods of time.
So, toothpaste makers added an ingredient (the blue stripe), whose sole purpose was to act as a breath freshener. Then, when people started to get concerned about the health of their gums, they added the red stripe, which is meant to control plaque. Multicolored stripes became a huge seller, and with time, many other toothpaste brands followed suit.
Women's Shirt Buttons
You would be surprised to learn about buttons on a woman’s shirt. Not only do they keep your clothes closed tight, but their position on your shirt — whether they are on the right or left, is symbolic of social status.
That’s right! Back in the day, buttons on the right would indicate that you might have been a farmer or ‘commoner’ because chances are you were dressing yourself. Buttons placed on the left, however, told the world that you were upper-class and most likely dressed by servants. We wonder if button placing might have been a sneaky little marketing ploy in 17th-century France. Sounds like it could have been.