Every single family seems to have one of these corkscrews at home. While we know that the spiral part goes into the wine bottle cork, and the bent metal gives us the leverage needed in order to pull it out, no one really knows what the tiny knife on the side is for. Well, the corkscrew knife is actually meant for cutting off the seal from the bottle top so that no wine touches the wrapper.
It’s no wonder that very few people know this since it’s not as if we are taught proper wine-opening techniques at our college parties. Truth be told, most bartenders don’t even know how to use a wine bottle opener properly, so don’t feel too bad.
Newspapers
Here's a fun fact: did you know that newspapers are made of a combined mixture of wood pulp and other recycled materials? That is why they tend to be far richer in fibers than any other type of paper. As we learned from bananas, spinach, and other high-fiber foods, fiber helps keep your body clean. In the same way, having newspapers around your house can actually keep your air cleaner and eliminate any bad odors wafting around.
This makes them an ideal substitute for your monthly magazines or even as an alternative to your regular placemats. Next time someone says print media is dead, make sure to hit them with this little piece of information. Try laying a few newspapers by your shoes or in your gym bag and notice what a difference it makes.
Measuring Tapes
We all know that the end of a measuring tape has a little metal piece that helps the measuring tape latch onto something, leaving one hand to hold the tape itself and one free to mark and write down measurements. But have you ever noticed that the end of the little metal clip is serrated? Well, apparently, this piece has multiple uses besides the one listed above (and none of them include getting your fingertip cut when you accidentally let go of the tape too fast).
The clip is serrated at its edge so that you can scratch in a reference mark, in case you happen to forget to bring a writing pad with you. Additionally, the metal clip also has a tiny hole at its end to help you set a nail in without hammering your thumb instead.
Ovens
The era of social media is finally making its way to the mom community, and these expert bakers are more than excited to share their knowledge. So, you know that drawer under your built-in oven? The one we all keep our pots and pans in? As it turns out, that drawer was never meant to be the home of our cooking utensils.
It was actually created for the main purpose of serving as a food-warming compartment. After your food is done cooking, the best place to store it up until mealtime is in that lower drawer, as it contains some of the leftover heat from the oven above. It also makes it easy to completely take apart your oven for the daunting task of cleaning.
Dental Floss
If you've ever tried using dental floss (which you should, as it helps get rid of up to 90% of the plaque that you miss from regular brushing!), then you know that it is not the most comfortable thing to hold in your hands. Half the time, it feels like you have to sacrifice your pointer fingers for the sake of your teeth and pray that the blood comes back to them after you unwrap the dental floss from them.
One way to avoid this problem is to grab onto both ends of the string and tie them together to create a sort of dental floss circle. The resulting flossing loop would be much simpler to use and wouldn’t hurt your fingers as much. Just make sure to leave much more length to the original string than you would normally because you still want to be able to hold it up to your teeth.