Everyday Items With Hidden Uses That Are Incredibly Practical

Have you ever wondered what these extra holes at the top of your running shoes are for? They’re designed, so you can tie the shoes in multiple different ways. That’s useful when you want to compensate for things such as a bad stride or even a damaged toe. Plus, you can change the look of your shoes the way you prefer.

Many people use a ’dust jacket’ of their book as a bookmarker. No problem with that. It will save your book from bent page corners. But the primary purpose of a ’dust cover’ is to keep the book safe from distortions — for instance, if you spill juice or drop some of the food on your book while reading it.

The Tic Tac dispenses has this little groove on its top, so you could dispense only one Tic Tac at a time. Even though let’s be honest here, nobody does that. Most of us just spill a whole bunch at once, and then we wiggle all those extra Tic Tacs back in.

Those rubber bumps you see between the tire treads are there for your safety. The raised edges tell you what the minimum height of your tread is. If the bumps and the edges are even, it’s time for you to visit the tire shop as soon as possible. But if the bumps are well beneath the level of edges, you’re good to go.

What about that black grating on the microwave window? It’s something called a Faraday shield, and it’s there to prevent microwaves from getting away and turning the entire room into a Faraday cage. If the microwaves escape, your meal won’t cook properly, either. So, yup, this cage is not there, so it would be harder for you to see your meal while it’s cooking, but keeping the electromagnetic energy inside.

How about a wrenches-compatible screwdriver? Cover your screwdriver with the end of your wrench, so you can increase its torque. That’s why the head of your screwdriver is designed the way it is. When you have odd angles, you can use this strategy.

You’ve probably heard those myths the blue side of the eraser can erase the pen. False — its purpose is to erase a pencil, but in case you’re writing something on heavier paper. The blue side can remove the smudges you see after using the pink eraser, too.

Have you ever wondered why oranges in supermarkets mostly come in the red mesh bag? It’s a trick to make this fruit look more orange and encourage you to make a purchase. An extra tip — don’t throw that mesh bag away. Tie it up, so you can have a new small pot scrubber to clean your sink, kitchen appliances, and dishes.

You can see golf balls don’t have a perfectly round shape. Their surface is covered with many little dimples — something golf balls didn’t always have. At one point, experienced golfers started noticing how, through time, older balls with imperfections such as nicks and bumps could travel further. Such things create turbulence in the air around the golf ball, which eventually reduces drag. So, manufacturers started producing balls with dimples, so they could go farther and faster.

You might have noticed that sometimes there are ridges in toothpick tops. It’s more hygienic because when you break that off, you can prop the toothpick up on it, and it won’t touch anything.

Another safety feature you’ll find, this time IN your car, is a tab on your rearview mirror. With it, you can change the position of the mirror, so you don’t get blinded if there’s a car behind you with its high beams on. So, this little tab helps you control the glare of lights coming from behind. This feature showed up in the 1930s, but in the early 1970s, it became a part of standard equipment in most trucks and cars.

Do you see that tiny hole on your iPhone, right next to the rear-facing camera? It’s a microphone. And it’s there, so your phone can record sound as you turn your camera around.

Some cables have a thick cylinder toward the end of the cord. It’s called a ferrite core or a choke. It’s a magnetic iron oxide that stops high-frequency electromagnetic interference. For example, you know that annoying static noise you get if you bring your phone too close to a speaker? This interrupts your call, which is why cable cords with big cylinders are pretty useful because they prevent these things.

Do you know why nearly all luggage bags and backpacks have two zippers? It’s way more convenient and easier to open it that way. But not just that — you can also lock these two zippers together to keep the stuff inside your bags safer.

You know how toilets at public spots, like malls, have those big gaps at the bottom? It’s primarily for better circulation of air. This type of door also makes it easier to clean the toilet or check if it’s occupied if you’re standing in line. Other than that, if you get stuck there, and the lock gets broken, you still have a way to escape — you can just crawl out.

Ever noticed those plastic end caps on utility knives? And they also have scales on them, which indicates you may use them multiple times but with sharp edges. You can separate the blades through these plastic end caps. Then, you can move the slider and bring the sharp blade to the front.

If you’ve ever taken a moment to examine a regular grocery cart, especially its fold-out section, you probably noticed those metal loops jutting out. They’re designed to protect the items you carry in your cart. You can use them to hang bags with soft items you don’t want to accidentally squash with heavier products like bread. Or easily breakable things like eggs.

Many coffee mugs come with curved notches on their bottom. When you’re washing your mugs, put them against the rack at an angle in your dishwasher. This way, the water won’t pool in there, so your favorite cup will be completely dry by the time you take it out of the dishwasher.

If you’re a McFlurry fan, you’ve probably noticed there’s a square hole in the handle of their spoon. It’s there, so you can attach it to the special machine that mixes the ice cream and your favorite toppings together. The machine has a bar that slips into this square-shaped spoon and then thoroughly stirs it. And you get the spoon, so they can minimize the mess during the process. Quite neat, wouldn’t you say?

A regular milk jug has a dent on one side. Some might see it as a random design decision, but a dent has several purposes. One of them is to get bigger if there’s a gas buildup. This happens when your milk is spoiled, so you don’t even have to try it to check this out.

Also, the dent is there, so the jug doesn’t burst if you accidentally drop it. The dent allows the expansion space that deals with the sudden pressure that happens when you drop the jug.

Dental floss. Sure, it’s important for your dental health, and it’s easy to assume what you do with it. But dental floss is great in the kitchen as well because it’s a very precise cake slicer, way better than a regular knife.

Most of the kitchen shears have a serrated opening right there at the center where the blades and handles meet. It’s something you can use to trim difficult herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or chives. Because of this opening, you don’t need to pick the leaves off by hand, but destem them in one motion.

The majority of gelatin containers or single-serving yogurts come with a tinfoil lid. And in most cases, you can use this covering as a disposable spoon. Just peel away the covering and after a couple of simple folds, you’ll have a perfect little spoon for your midday snack.