12 Useful Details That We Usually Don’t Notice

Every day, 50% of serious car accidents are avoided because of clever seatbelt designs. This and other things that make our lives easy-breezy are results of excellent product designing, where engineers think of ingenious solutions using smart features. Some of these are pretty nifty and, oftentimes, way out of our sight.

Bright Side is all about understanding genius ways to improve life. That’s why we listed some well-intentioned details on our everyday items that we’ve been completely ignoring until now.

1. A secret seat belt button

One weird car feature you may have seen is the small circular plastic button found on seatbelts. This may just appear to be part of the design, but it actually prevents the buckle from slipping and gives more length to the strap to keep the driver and passengers secured.

2. The special material for making door knobs

Aside from the aesthetic it provides, brass, copper, and other alloy doorknobs are perfect examples of antimicrobial surfaces. These types of handles eliminate a wide range of harmful microbes within almost 2 hours compared to their stainless steel and glass counterparts.

3. The door design for microwaves

The metal mesh we see on our microwave doors has another purpose, far from being a decorative element. Tiny holes help us take a peek at our food while it’s being heated, keeping us unharmed from radiation as we watch our meal.

4. The clever bumps soft drink bottles have

The bumps we see on the bottoms of our favorite soda bottles are not solely made for marketing purposes. In fact, they are designed to bounce back pressure inside carbonated drinks. They also provide stability and are made much thicker compared to their upper part.

5. The colorful toothbrush bristles

Most toothbrushes have colored bristles not just for design purposes but also as a helpful indicator that your brush is already too worn out to use. Once the vibrance fades and the fibers thin out, it’s time to switch it out for a new one.

6. The hole in a measuring tape

It is widely known that the hook at the end of a measuring tape is used to grab onto the edges of the object we’re trying to assess. However, its hole enables us to do more than just the fringes. It’s there to accommodate the head of a nail or a screw so that you can do handiwork yourself.

7. The button below the rearview mirror

Another safety feature of cars is the seemingly unnoticeable toggle underneath the rearview mirror. Its purpose may seem vague at first, but once pushed, it can help block bright beams while you’re driving at night by adjusting the angle.

8. The bristles by the escalator

These brushes are not for cleaning your shoes — they are much more important than that. They act as shields between you and the edges of the escalator, minimizing accidents, such as stuck clothes or wedged accessories.

9. The unique design of this takeout container

The famous takeout containers are actually carefully designed with patented packaging featuring many uses. Aside from being environmentally friendly, it can be used as a bowl, a makeshift plate, and a microwaveable box to be stored in the fridge and heated.

10. The tiny fuel gauge symbol

Are you about to fill your tank, but have no clue which lane in the gas station to pull into? Search for the fuel indicator symbol on your dashboard. There, look for the arrow and see where it’s pointing. The direction to where it points is where your gas cap is located.

11. The double function of a cup lid

Do you ever wonder why our coffee or juice cups have that distinct concave look on their lids? They are meant to hold your drink, and the slides prevent it from spilling on surfaces. In short, it’s a to-go coaster.

12. The metal hoops in a grocery cart

Aside from carrying our groceries and little ones with us, the metal rails on our supermarket carts are designed to take care of much more. The hoops near the handle are for hanging shopping bags with fragile goods, such as eggs and bread, inside.

Which of these neat finds did you enjoy reading? Did we forget to mention other smart details found in our everyday stuff? Share them with us in the comments.