Uses Behind Your Everyday Products

Neck Bottles

If you find your beer getting warm way too fast, then you're probably not holding it right. If you hold on the body of the beer bottle, the way the man in the photo is doing, your hands will transfer their heat onto the battle and consequently, end up warming your beer. However, if you hold on to the neck of the bottle while you drink, the beer will stay nice and cool.

This is because long beer bottlenecks are made for you to be able to grab on to them, unlike their lower half. The long neck of the bottle was created to eliminate body heat from transferring to the liquid inside, therefore making it the ultimate place to from which to hold your bottle.

Takeout Containers

Some take out containers are much more user friendly than others. If fact, lousy take out options make all the difference when you're facing a take-out night (you know, those nights when you get home so exhausted that you know you will be ordering in). Well, while they have been serving us chopsticks for centuries, Chinese restaurant take-out containers are far more practical than we have been giving them credit for.

Next time you order in your favorite fried rice dish, instead of dirtying an extra plate, try this out: once you eat the first few bites, and the rest gets a little difficult to get at, simply unfold all sides of you're take-out container and watch how it easily unfolds, creating a flat plate for you to eat off of. Pretty crafty, huh?

Voicemails

So many hilarious sitcom moments have been built on the notion that once you record a voicemail, there is no going back. I mean, You can always record another, maybe slightly less awkward voicemail in attempts to explain the first but truthfully, that has never come across as "smooth" and usually ends up making the problem worse.

I can't help but wonder, how many scenes would have been ruined, and how many relationships could have been salvaged had they only known this small detail: In most phones across the globe - pressing the (*) button, will let you re-record your voice message. Yup. The cat's out of the bag fella's. There are no more excuses for a horrible voice message.

Colored Toothpaste

If you were to compare between toothpaste and whisky than you may be under the impression that one single color makes for fancier and better toothpaste than a blend of them. Nevertheless, while most us end up buying the classic three-stripe kind, we aren’t actually aware of the benefits behind each color and its purpose as part of the toothpaste. For some reason, the toothpaste companies don't bother explaining it to us either… so I'll give it a try.  Each color in your toothpaste tube has different ingredients that do different things.

By combining them together, you actually get the best of many different tooth needs we have. For example; The white part contain substances that remove plaque and as a result, whiten your teeth. Very important stuff. The red stripe usually contains vital elements for proper gum care. Blue holds the antimicrobial and breath-freshening components. The don't actually have to be separated one from another but it's pretty fascinating to know what each part does.

Hole in the Handle

This one is for the home chefs among us. You might have observed a hole at the end of your pots and pans and decided you call a carpenter and put up a rustic pot and pan holder on your wall to hang your cooking tools up from on hooks thus creating a homey cooking environment and saving shelf space at the same time.

While this is a wonderful idea and I fully recommend it, that is not what the small holes were actually made for. In reality, the holes at the end of your pots and pans were placed there strategically in order to provide a holder for your spatula or mixing spoon. It sure beats placing a dirty spoon on the counter and making a mess.

Sneaker Holes

If you own a pair of Converse All-Star shoes, then you may already know this one – which in case, you can move on to the next pro tip on this list. However, if you don’t, first if all, go ahead and run out to get yourself some because they are seriously awesome. Secondly, All-Stars design actually mimics a technique that all basketball players' shoes in the NBA already have.

So there you have it folks, you know those two extra holes on each side of your basketball shoes? Whether they are All-Star's, Nike's or Adidas', those holes are not just there to suit the design of the shoe. Their actual purpose is to make sure the shoes get enough air passages in order to conduct better ventilation. They can also help when tying the laces tighter so that you don’t trip and twist an ankle.

Fuel Mark

When you buy a new car or take your mother in laws one on errands around town, you usually feel a little out of your comfort zone before you get to know all the features of the new automobile. One way we tend to get to know our car is by taking a walk around it and locating the placement of the gas tank. As it turns out, we don't really have to do that, in fact, there is no reason to get out of the car at all in order to check what you’re your gas tank is on.

Next time you're in your can, take another look at the gas meter inside your dashboard, beside the gasometer that tells you how much fuel you have left, the little gas symbol also has a tiny arrow next to it pointing either right or left. The direction of the arrow will let you know which side of the car your gas tank is on in relation to the driver's seat.

Heinz Ketchup Bottle

For some unknown reason, many of us seem to think that banging on inanimate objects gets them to work faster. While it may work with an old TV set, the same cannot be said for a bottle of Heinz Ketchup. Next time you sit down with your burger and fries and decide to add some flavor, don’t tap the bottom of the Ketchup bottle and expect it to come out faster.

Instead, tap the middle area where the bottles raised numbers are and see how much quicker it comes out. That being said, if speed is your main concern as far as Ketchup bottles go, just place the bottle upside down in your fridge and it will always come pouring out the top.

Hole in a Pen’s Cap

If you've ever bought writing utensils in bulk, particularly the standard blue capped pens there are in every office, then you may have noticed this next one. Generally, most capped pens will follow this rule, but as the blue tops like in the picture are so very popular, you may even be able to check it out on the pen right next to you. Go ahead, check it out – does your pen have a hole in its lid?

The story behind pen caps is kind of like the sign in the zoo "don't feed the animals". If you fed them well, it probably wouldn't be an issue, but someone must have thrown in a lollypop at some point and ended up choking some poor animal. Similarly, the tips of pen lids didn't always have holes in them, but once nearly 100 people died from chocking on their pen top, the air whole was put in as a safety measure. Go figure…

Gasoline

This one is a little weird. While gasoline is a known substance used primarily for powering cars, it can do more than create a mixture of fuel and air that pulls through the piston into the cylinder in order to create a spark that ignites the fuel-air mixture into a mini explosion, giving off enough hot gas to give the crankshaft momentum used to move your car forwards. (Yeah, I looked it up!)

Besides all that, gasoline can also unstick duct (or duck) tape, and in some countries, like Germany and Sweden, it is even used for medicinal purposes. As duct tape was created for the use of the USA army, it only makes sense that it would require a poisonous toxin, such as gasoline to strip the tape’s adhesive. However, I wouldn't try this at home, for obvious reasons.

Self-Check Outs

We all thought that self-checkouts would make our lives a little easier and a little less social – just the way we like it. However, what we didn't take into account is that by eliminating the human aspect of checking-out, the self-checkout counters would become extremely picky and very particular about how they would like things to be done. While they are incredibly handy, they can get quite repetitive at times.

Yes, we know we’re putting our items in the bagging area, there is nowhere else to put them! What you didn't know is that most self-checkout stalls come with the possibility to turn off that annoying mumble. Forever. Just search for the mute button the next time you are at your local grocery store. It turns out there are some aspects of human interaction that we start to miss when their taken away from us…

That Baby Strawberry

If You’ve ever picked up a needle and thread then no doubt you've seen that tiny strawberry baby pincushion that hangs from its larger strawberry momma pincushion. But here's something you probably didn't know: Strawberries were not always the tasty fruit and fresh desert component that we not know them as.

In ancient times, strawberries we even used to treat depression. The shape of the pincushion dates back from an era when strawberries were used for polishing metals as they can also to get rid of rust, polish everyday objects. Today It is merely there as an emergency tool for holding your needles.

Perforation On Your Aluminum Wrap Box

If you too used to open the aluminum foil box from the outside, grab a piece and watch helplessly as the entire roll rolls onto the floor and unravels like a sad, less than majestic, aluminum carpet, then this one will be your life saver. Did you know there were arrows at the sides of your aluminum foil box?

They imply that you must push your finger down on them and by doing so, the outer peace's of the box clutch on the inside of the foil roll and prevent it from slipping out of the box. The function as end locks, keeping the aluminum roll lock in tight. And how I functioned without knowing that, I do not know. You're very welcome.

Tiny Hole at the bottom of a Lock

Have you ever noticed a tiny hole above the keyhole of your lock? If, like me, you may have thought that it served as a safety precaution that allows a locksmith to open the lock in case the key got lost or broken, then like me, you'd be wrong. After all it doesn't really make much sense to have a lock that someone else can open that easily. But I was 10 years old, what did I know… anyway, the real reason behind the tiny hole at bottom of the lock is that it allows a passage for accumulated rain water.

If the lock had no draining mechanism then it might freeze and as we all know, when water freezes, it expands, thus causing damage to the lock and deeming it unusable. Pro tip: to keep your lock clean and easy for the key to slide in and out, try oiling it from that same hole. It may be a little oily for a while but it will get the job done so smoothly that it will be worth it.

Plastic Lids

Did you know that the plastic lid that comes with your take away cup o' joe (or any hot drink for that matter) has built in little button things that the barista can press so that you know which of your coffees is decaf and which one is extra hot? Of course you did. But did you know that if you flip over that same plastic lid, its bottom has three little ridges along the inside which, when necessary, allow the cup to sit perfectly on them and function the exact same way as a coaster.

Did you know that one? Well then you definitely continue reading. At least now you can rest in ease knowing that the next time someone yells at you for not using a coaster, you will be prepared.

Marshmallows

You may think that the best way to soothe a sour throat is a nice warm cup of tea. However, between adding the honey and slicing the lemon just so, it may be easier to curl up with a steaming hot cup of cocoa with those teeny-tiny marshmallows you love so much. It may even be more beneficial for you.

While many people assume it is the hot liquid that best soothes a sore throat, science has been in our favor this time and goes to tell us that the gelatin that marshmallows are made of, has actually been proven to help coat and soothe a dry and scratchy throat. Next time you're sick, be sure to mention that one to your mom.

Newspapers

Here's a fun fact: did you know that newspapers are made of a combined mixture between 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 orders 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 then with this little piece of information. If you don’t believe me, just try laying a few newspapers by your shoes or in your gym bag and watch what a difference it makes.

Measuring Tapes

So we all know that the end of a measuring tape has that little metal piece that helps the measuring tape catch on to 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 peace 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 utensil with you as you measure. Additionally, the metal clip also has a tiny hole at its end to help you set a nail in without hammering your thumb instead.

Wine Bottle Openers

Every single family seems to have one of these type of corkscrews at home. While we know that the spirally part goes into a wine bottle cork, and the bendy 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, I mean, it's not as if we are taught proper wine opening techniques at our college parties. Truth to be told, most bartenders don’t even know how to use a wine bottle opener properly, so don't feel to down on yourself.

Ovens

The era of social media is finally making its way to the mom community and these expert bakers are more that excited to share their accumulated 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 and Tangled up in their hands

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 unwarp the dental floss from around them.

One way to avoid this problem is grab on to both ends of the string and tie then 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.

Colorful Bread Tags

The little bag seals that come with bread from the grocery store. At first you may not pay any attention to the color of these bag clasps but you really should. The colors of the tags are not random. They are actually there to let you know exactly how old the bread is. If you can't tell the colors apart, there is no problem, as that is only one way to know how fresh the bread is.

It actually says the days of the week on each colored tag in order to indicative to you the day that this specific bread was made and delivered to your store. What's more is that the colors are usually already organized in alphabetical order to help you out in finding the freshest bag (meaning they start from B, as in Black, then G for Green, then Red, White, and Yellow.

YouTube

Unfortunately, no, there are no innovative and new ways to be using YouTube (at least, that I know of). But this tip will certainly make your YouTube surfing much simpler. While there are millions of keyboard shortcuts that differ between Mac and Windows, and even between YouTube, Facebook and others, there are three that seem to be fairly universal. If you're in the middle of a YouTube clip, and you think you missed something, pressing the "J" key will rewind your video by 10 seconds.

If you'd like to fast forward just a little, pressing the "L" key will fast forward your video by 10 seconds, and pressing the "K" will pause and play. It may seem unimportant to some people but boy can it get frustrating trying to rewind by dragging your mouse and ending up having to watch the whole thing from the beginning.

Elevators

Did you ever wonder why elevators ding so much? If you are I an elevator, you don't need a ding to remind you that the doors are opening, you can probably figure that out on your own. But not everyone can. As it turns out, elevators are one of the many and growing number of things in our life that have been modified and specifically suited to adhere to the needs of the visually impaired and other handicaps.

The dings in an elevator on each floor is actually one of these features that lets everyone know the direction in which the elevator is going. One ding means the elevator is going up, and two dings mean that it is on its way down. Pretty clever, huh?

Staplers

Did you know that staplers can actually staple two different ways? I didn't think so. It's no secret that staplers can both staple and remove staples by pulling them out with the help of its other end. But very few people can honestly say that they know the trick behind "outwards" stapling. On the same end as your regular stapling side there is actually an anvil.

By flipping it around, in the opposite direction, the staple’s prongs will turn outwards instead of inwards towards each other – the way a stapler works. If you knew already knew this, I'm sorry if your parents are reading over your shoulder, because that can only mean that you must have learned it from one of your mischievous friends back in grade school.

Flashlights

You know those flashlights that everyone’s dad has at home? The kind they pick up every trip to the hardware store "just in case"?  Megalite, the flashlight brand, comes with a super handy, super secret replacement lightbulb that not many people know about – but they should. If you unscrew the end of the flashlight like you normally would, in order to replace old batteries, you will find an extra compartment which pops out by a spring.

Inside the compartment, you will find an extra lightbulb for your Megalite. Just unscrew the bottom, pop open the little plastic case containing the secret light bulb and viola'! Your flashlight just increases its life expectancy by at least another 40 years.

Tic Tac Lids

So you know those indented Tic-Tac shaped mold on the inside of your Tic-Tac box cover? I always thought it helped keep the box-sealed airtight and kept the Tic-Tac's fresh and crisp. While I found no evidence that this theory of mine was incorrect, I did eventually learn what the primary purpose of the indent was.

Apparently, it’s supposed to be used as a Tic-Tac dispenser, but seriously, who actually opens their a box of Tic-Tac's fishing for just one single Tic Tac? No one. That's why I just shake it over an open mouth. But kids, don't do this in front of your parents. It is considered very bad manners, and the queen of England will never invite you over for supper again.

Soda Cans

Have you ever wondered why the little tab on top of your soda can that is used to press in to open the can has a little hole in it? Well, once you open the can and the tab is on the opposite side of the opening, twist it around so that the small hole is directly over the open drink slot and you'll see that the whole is just big enough for a straw to fit through.

If you’ve ever tried to put a straw in a fizzy drink, you'd know how tough it is, since the tend to just pop right out, but the little hole on your can top tab can fit a straw through it and hold it in place at the same time. It may not be as exciting as the invention of the light bulb but it certainly beats risking a cut on your top lip by drinking right out of the can.

iPhone Hole

If you're one of the 85.8 million iPhone users in the US (at least as of April 2017), then you may or may not have noticed the tiny hole situated between your phone's camera and its flashlight. If you have, great job, you're a very perceptive person! Do you know what it's for? If not, no worries. It's there. Do you know what it's for? This hole is there in order to record your voice as accurately as possible.

It’s actually a tiny microphone. If you thought you were talking into the microphone when you press your mouth to the bottom of your phone, well, you'd be right. iPhone users are actually recorded from both ends of the phone to make the transmitted sound just that much better. That doesn't make up for making us buy new chargers for each modal though!

Car Keys

While most new cars these days come with a self-start feature which lets you start your car before you are even inside it (this feature is ideal when it comes with the ability to control the air conditioning in your car from afar, so that once you get in to it, the entire vehicle is nice and cool). There is no argument that this feature is insanely awesome, nevertheless, most remotes will still come with a spare key to your car hidden inside them.

The extra key will let you start the car in case the remote's battery dies out or in case there is an electronic malfunction. You will be calling the makers to show your appreciation on that one morning when you're running late to your meetings and the car won't start.

Facebook

If you've ever been paranoid that the government holds some of your deepest secrets and knows everything about you, you probably don't have to be worried about that. No the other hand, Facebook sure does. While 2.3 billion people use Facebook pretty much on a daily basis, you'd think the database can't possibly hold on to so much information about all of us, that's where you'd be wrong. Every group you join and every "like" you click, lets Facebook know a little more about you.

While we can't possibly know everything that goes on behind the scenes, we can check out all the information they hold about each of us. Just enter your account settings, then click on the “ads” tab on the side and you’ll see “your information” and “your categories” tabs. Here you'll find everything Facebook knows about you, from your political standing to your favorite bands.

Instant Oatmeal Packages

There are so many things that we didn't know about Instant oatmeal. One of the cool things about instant oatmeal when packaged in those individual packets is that the packets are actually made out of a plastic lined material so that you can reuse them to measure the out water you need to add after you pour out the oatmeal. On a less exciting note, again, those prepacked packets that you buy at the supermarket?

Sadly, most of the fruit advertised isn’t real, or it may just be a different fruit in disguise. For instance, the strawberries and peaches in Quaker brand packets are actually just flavored dehydrated apples. Bummer, huh? I will never trust another peach for as long as I live.

Juice Boxes

Juice boxes are kind of like miniature milk cartons. If you don't open them correctly they may end up spilling all over everything. Let me start out by saying: you don’t need scissors to open a juice box. It would ruin the whole point of having a juice box, which is having a fun and easy beverage on the go. All you have to do is unpack your little straw carefully so that it doesn't bend and break, and put the pointy end through the designated hole at the top of the box.

However, sometimes even if you do this right, the box may spill anyway because of the pressure from inside. To avoid this, just lift the sides and squeeze in to give the juice a larger area to spread out on before inserting the straw. Good luck!

Applesauce and Yogurt

Have you ever packed yourself a cup of applesauce or yogurt to take along as a snack or part of your lunch and forgotten to bring along a spoon to go with it? Many grocery stores will be kind enough to give you a disposable spoon if you check out with just one yogurt, but you're not always around a convenience store. So what can you do? No spoon? No problem.

The lids on applesauce's and yogurts were actually designed to be transformed into a disposable spoon if need be. Next time you're debating what brand of yogurt or applesauce to bring with you from home, always choose the kind with a foil rapper instead of paper. The foil is bendy and can be molded into a eating utensil – just like in the picture.

Copper Rivets on Jeans Pockets

Jeans, as an object don't usually strike people as a difficult objects to figure out, their function is quite simple. They go on your legs and hopefully, cover up your under-wear as well. While the zipper part is quite simple, no one really knows what those small copper button-things, at the edge of your pockets are for.  However, we don't seem to give it any extra though and simply dismiss the matter, considering them to be a part of the jeans design.

What we don't know is that these claspy-things actually have quite an interesting history behind them. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is. But I do know that these small buttons around your jeans pockets provide the pockets with extra strength for the material, and prevent the fabric from tearing apart when it's stretched.

Can Openers

Can openers are good for… opening cans, yes, but is that all? Throughout the years, hardware companies have been trying to create an ideal solution for opening that ridiculously stubborn plastic packaging that comes with chargers and other toys. You know, the one that even your toughest pair of scissors give up on?

Well there have been a few attempts at a bunch different tools that were made specifically in order to open that thick plastic packaging, but you may like to know that the solution was sitting right there in your kitchen drawer the entire time. It appears someone has been holding out on us for years… whomever it is better hope I never find them.

The Compass App

Each iPhone update brings with it tens of new secret little ways to use it, play with it, enjoy it and ultimately get your mobile phone to be as useful as it possibly can be. I must admit, some of these are absolutely genius and rule out the need for pretty much anything else in our lives short of food and clothing. However, one of the best-kept secrets of the iPhone actually came with the original. Most of the original basic iPhone apps are very useful in any phone… like the messaging app, or even the calculator.

But an exception to that list is the compass app. Have you ever used yours? Did you know you had one? We may not need a compass very often but if you tap into the app and swipe to the left you'll be surprised to find that your iPhone comes with a built in level. Pretty hardy if you're into DIY projects or redecorating your walls.