Why Umbrellas Have a Pointed End + 19 Hidden Purposes Only 1% Know

Many shirts have two buttons on the cuffs but only one buttonhole. So, what is the second button for? Turns out, you can use it whenever you are wearing a watch, so the cuff is looser.

Most clothing items you buy come with a small bag of fabric or a button, or both. Buttons, obviously, can be used as a replacement if you lose the original ones.

Pieces of fabric can be used to patch up a hole, but, most importantly, it’s a tester. You can use it to test different washing products on it and see what happens to the fabric.

Some umbrellas have a tip at the top. And, turns out, it’s not just a pretty design. When going inside on a rainy day, you should just close your umbrella and tap the tip against the floor to drain the water faster and more effectively.

Many backpacks have this diamond with two parallel cut-out slits on its front, and it’s there for your comfort. You can attach something to it, like a water bottle or shoes. It comes especially handy if you travel somewhere or go hiking, so you don’t have to hold your stuff.

Okay, the next thing is gear loops — and probably from the name of it, you already have an idea what they’re there for. You can strap in some useful gear you need to have with you, like trekking poles or shovels.

Some gear will need to be secured — to do it, drop the handle through the loop and rotate it upward. Then, secure it with the elastic hook at the top, and you’re golden.

On the back of many makeup and hygiene products, you can find this symbol with a marking, like 6M, 12M, and 24M. This is the number of months this product can serve after you open it and before you should throw it out.

The two sides of a cotton pad are different because each of them has a particular purpose. A cotton pad has several layers to ensure that it’s soft, strong, and can absorb liquids. The edge is stitched to hold it all together. The smooth side of a pad is for applying products — like tonics and lotions, and the embossed side is best for cleansing and makeup removal.

Also, any pack of cotton pads has those strings on the sides. They’re there, so you can hang the package somewhere. Then, you can open the package at the bottom, where the perforated line is, and take them out.

Did you know that there is an efficient way to pull a thread from yarn? When you pull from the outside, the yarn rolls away, so you need to hold it. However, if you pull it from the center, it will stay together.

We’re all familiar with staplers, but I bet you don’t know all its secrets. Most staplers have a compartment to store spare staples, which can be located either on top or at the bottom.

Also — surprise! — this metal plate you press staples against can be turned around. This way, the device will staple your documents by turning the metal ends outwards.

No need to wonder anymore whether you need to get a smaller or a bigger container. Turns out, plastic food containers have volume measurements on their bottoms, indicating how much food they can fit.

Ceiling fans come with a small switch on the inside of the blade. You might not have noticed it because it’s not in plain sight, so check yours out. This switch allows you to change the direction of rotation. Now, why would you want to do that?

The blades of a fan push the air in different directions, depending on the way they rotate. In the summer, you need the air to be pushed down to create the effect of a breeze. In the winter, the direction should be changed so that the air is pushed up toward the ceiling — it then heats up before going down the walls.

Have you noticed that the gas tank sign on cars’ dashboards has a little arrow next to it? Well, this arrow has a purpose: it points at the side of the car where the gas tank is located.

Very useful for forgetful people who constantly wonder where their gas tank is and also for those who drive rentals once in a while — the answer is right in front of your eyes. If you can’t find the arrow on your panel, then the fuel hose on the icon indicates the side instead.

All car tires have 12-digit numbers printed on them, and they’re actually important codes for car owners if they want to get the right tire. The first letters identify the type of tire. “P” stands for a tire for light passenger cars, and “LT” is for heavy vehicles. Then, the following numbers stand for the width of the tire, its radial, and its diameter.

Measuring tapes have that metal stud on the end, which you can use to attach the tape to the surface you measure — this way, you don’t need to hold it yourself. But there’s also a small slot, which can be used to hang the tape on a nail — again, to free your hands and keep measuring. The bottom of the end of the tape has a ridged edge — it will help you to make a mark if you don’t have a marking tool with you.

On the tape, there are black diamonds that are placed every 19.2 inches. They are useful for construction workers when spacing engineering joists. They can also be useful for you if you want to hang something heavy, for example.

The diamond will mark the exact center of a wooden joist — those are placed 16 inches apart from one another. There, you can drill something to that center to make sure whatever you hang is safely attached to the joist instead of the unreliable thin wall. Pictures will survive, but it’s particularly important if you’re hanging something heavy.

Did you know that batteries have an expiration date? Yes, it’s printed right on their label, but I have never noticed it before. The expiration date doesn’t mean you can’t use it after that. It’s more like a recommended usage period, after which the manufacturer can’t guarantee full battery life due to deteriorated components.

These little feet keyboards have are actually a standard. The height of a keyboard should be adjustable, allowing the angle between 0° and 15°. The reason to fold the feet out is for you to see the keys better, in case you don’t type blindly.

A little problem that comes with it is that, in this case, your wrists are bent, and it’s not good to keep them in this position for a long time.

Pans have those holes on the ends of their handles. They’re not there just for you to hang them — you can also place your cooking spoon in there. It’ll hang right above the pan, and the sauce will not spill around. Make sure to tap off the sauce or food beforehand, though, so that it doesn’t go down the spoon’s handle.

Stickers with numbers you can find on fruits can tell you some information on how the food was grown. A four-digit code that starts with a “4” means that the fruit was grown conventionally, meaning it contains chemicals and pesticides.

So, your best choice should be a fruit with a five-digit number. And if you see the number 9, it indicates that the fruit is certified organic.

On the bottom of plastic bottles, you can often notice a mark of a triangle with a number engraved in the middle. This number specifies the type of plastic that was used to produce the bottle.

These codes help people and local recycling centers to sort returns. Products that were made of plastic of types 1 and 2 are the easiest ones to recycle. Plastics of types 3 through 7 are tougher to recycle.