10 Ordinary Things That Hide Their Special Features From Us

Being surrounded with so many products and services nowadays, we might not even think that they have unexpected features. We might throw away stickers on fruits and veggies without even checking them, play with escalator brushes from time to time, or not use our own phones to their full potential. Luckily, it’s never too late to learn something new.

Bright Side always strives to learn more about the things around us. And we find it really exciting when ordinary things turn out to be completely unusual. Let’s see what they are!

1. Numbers on fruit and vegetables stickers

Little stickers on fruits and vegetables not only tell us about the country where these produces came from, but the numbers printed on them also have a purpose. They are called price look-up codes (PLU). They are used by cashiers to ring you up, but they can tell you about the way a particular fruit or vegetable was grown:

• If you find a 5-digit number starting with 9 — this product was grown organically.
• A 4-digit code starting with 3 or 4 — this product was conventionally grown.
• A 5-digit code starting with 8 — this product was genetically modified.

2. Brushes on escalators

Some fearless people might use those brushes to clean their shoes along the way. Though, this is the complete opposite of the original idea. They are meant to be a tactile reminder for people that they are too close to the edge and need to stay away from this zone. Otherwise their clothes or shoes might get might get trapped in between the moving step and the stationery sidewall.

3. Nintendo cartridges taste bitter.

Nintendo games are extremely popular among both adults and children. Though, the little ones sometimes try to taste them or even eat them. In order to prevent this, Nintendo decided to add some flavor to their game cartridges. They are intentionally coated with harmless chemicals that leave an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth and make kids, or anyone else, never want to try them again.

4. Google Assistant can be controlled with Harry Potter spells

Those who’ve always wanted to cast spells like the famous wizard can get this change with Android phones. If you open google assistant and say, “Lumos maxima,” the phone will automatically turn the flashlight on, saying, “Nox” will turn it off, and saying, “Silencio” will make your phone turn off all notifications and ringers.

5. Dimples in golf balls

Golf balls are full of dimples for a reason, and it’s not to make them look fancy and distinguishable. Originally, golf balls were made round and smooth, but it turns out that the dimpled ones can fly further than the smooth ones. So, this is what gave birth to those dimples — a smooth golf ball would travel only about half as far as a golf ball with dimples does. This and a lot of other different factors can determine the outcome of the game.

6. Circles across the bottom of chip bags

Some speculate that their color might refer to the way the product was produced. Green — in an organic way, black — genetically modified, etc. These mysterious circles are called “printer’s color blocks” or “process control patches.” Producers need them to check whether everything was printed properly, and to tell them where to cut the product packaging.

7. Striped mini-jack

Sometimes we might notice that the end of a mini-jack might have one, 2, or 3 rings. Their main purpose is to separate electric impulses that they receive from devices to transfer information. One stripe in an earplug mini-jack, for example, can provide only a mono-sound signal, which means both earplugs receive exactly the same information. 2 stripes can separate 2 signals and transfer stereo sound. This makes your left and right headphones play a slightly different sound. 3 stripes are usually present in devices that have microphone in them.

8. Lettering on makeup products

On most makeup packages we can find lettering like 12M or 24M, but this time they contain information that was meant for customers, rather than for producers. These things are called “period-after-opening symbols.” The main purpose is to indicate the expiration date. That’s it, the number stands for the amount of months indicated with the letter “M.”

9. Undo previous actions on iPhones

While using the iPhone notes app, you might accidentally delete an important note or just make typos in your text. There is no undo button, so it might seem a bit annoying to try to restore things. The fast and easy way to undo the operation by making a quick flick with your phone. After a short moment you should receive the pop-up notification: “Undo Typing.” Simply click “Undo” and repeat as many times as you need.

Note: If shaking does not work, go to:

iOS version 12 and older: Settings — General — Accessibility — Shake to Undo

iOS version 13: Settings — Accessibility — Touch — Shake to Undo

Once you get there, make sure the slider is toggled on.

10. Hangers made out of wood

While wooden hangers are more durable than plastic ones and suitable for heavy coats and jackets, there is more to their purpose. Good hangers are made of cedar wood, which can help to fight bugs in your closet. Not only does its rich aroma repel moths, but the wood itself can help to absorb unnecessary moisture and remove unpleasant scents.

Do you know of any more secrets that are hidden inside seemingly ordinary things? Let’s share our knowledge in the comment section!