Without even realizing it, we all have been using many of the items on this list incorrectly or inefficiently. When utilized in the correct way, these common household objects can help you solve many small issues in your day to day. We often don’t realize or acknowledge the little things that help make our days easier. But these items around your house can actually make a huge difference in your day-to-day.
Get ready, because we’re going to expose all the things you didn’t know about these common items you use and see everyday. Most, if not all, will probably surprise you!
My Mom Taught Me The Best Way to Unscrew a Broken Lightbulb
Have you ever found yourself in this predicament? A lightbulb has broken, but it’s still in the socket and the sharp edges are sticking out. You don’t want to cut yourself on the glass when trying to unscrew the bulb. If a potato wasn’t the first item that came to mind when thinking of a solution to this problem, don’t worry. We wouldn’t have thought of it either!
To get the lightbulb unscrewed safely, stick half of a potato onto it so that the pointy parts of the broken bulb are well covered. The sharp edge should push into the potato. When you start to twist the potato you should be able to unscrew the light bulb with it. There are so many household items like this one that you can use in handy ways. Who knew potatoes were good for more than eating?
For Us Lazy People: Unfold the Takeout Box
Ordering takeout is not only delicious, but a huge time saver as well. While we all would love to have the time to cook at the end of a long day, this isn’t usually the case. Not to mention, the effort cleaning takes after you cook. Who doesn’t love to conveniently order their favorite Chinese food or pizza and not have to clean a single dish?
Often, takeout meals come in those iconic paper boxes that we are all too familiar with. These are actually foldable for a reason. You can unfold the corners of the box to lay the takeout dish flat and use it as a plate. No need to use a plate that you’ll have to wash later. This hack is useful for lazy people and busy people alike. Easiest. Dinner. Ever!
Push In The Sides of Your Aluminum Foil Box… Trust Us
Isn’t it frustrating when you go to cover your leftovers, and suddenly the whole roll of aluminum wrap comes flying out? Turns out, the box has a built-in solution just for that. It’s interesting that most of us don’t know about these helpful hacks, but companies put a lot of forethought into their packaging and products. They know how much their customers value convenience. Tin foil is no exception.
Go to your kitchen, grab your foil, and look at the end. See those little perforated tabs? Push them in. Next time you reach in to grab some tin foil, you won’t have to scramble to grasp the roll. The roll will stay snugly inside the box. We’d love to know whose genius idea this way because it’s as if they predicted our problem before we even knew it existed. Problem solved!
Dust Pans Are Good For More Than Collecting Dust
If you’ve tried to fill up a bucket with water from a small sink to wash your car, you know how frustrating it can be. If you can’t fit the bucket in the sink you might have to fill singular cups with water until the bucket is full. It’s a huge time waster that no one wants. Not everyone has a hose extension laying around the house, but you probably do have a dust pan.
All you need is a dust pan with a handle. Take the pan and place it in the sink under the faucet. The handle should be facing out. Put your bucket beneath the handle and turn on the water. Now you’ve got your very own spout to fill your bucket. Full bucket, no struggle. It’s not what the trust dust pan was designed for but we’ll sure take it as a convenient hose extension replacement.
The Only Measuring Cup You’ll Ever Need
Red solo cups are actually designed to be able to measure. Despite the fact that most everyone has used a red or blue plastic cup at some point, many still don’t know that you can use the lines on the cups to measure liquids! There are 3 lines on the cup: The one closest to the bottom is 1 oz, the middle line is 5 oz, and the top line is 12 oz. Most often people use these as alcohol serving sizes.
These lines are recommended serving sizes for wine, liquor, and beer. For example, the one ounce is a shot of liquor, the 5 ounce is a serving of wine, and the 12 ounce is a serving of beer. That way you would know how much you should pour in a cup so you don’t over-serve yourself or others. Who would have thought red solo cups could be used as measuring cups?
I Didn’t Believe My Wooden Spoon Had This Secret Power
Grandmas and Nanas everywhere will know this one, but if yours never told you about this little trick, we’ll let you in on it now. To prevent your pot from boiling over all you need is a dry wooden spoon. This may seem like a very weird way to prevent spill, but we promise we aren’t pulling your leg. This trick actually works.
To prevent your pot from boiling over and making your stovetop a mess, lay a wooden spoon across the top. The way it works is that wood does not absorb water. So when water bubbles up to touch the spoon, it is essentially rejected and the bubbles subside. In so many words, the wooden object makes the water retreat. It keeps the bubbles in the pot and under control! Naturally, any dry wooden object would work, but most people have a wooden spoon handy in the kitchen.
Stop Cutting Off the Tops of Your Strawberries
Mmm…fresh, ripe strawberries are a delicious treat. If only they weren’t such a pain to prepare. Cutting the green tops off every single berry is a tedious task! We can’t be the only ones who have bought a beautiful basket of strawberries only to leave them in the fridge too long because we’re too lazy to prepare them.
Taking the top off a strawberry can also be a frustrating process because you end up cutting off half the strawberry on accident. Don’t fret, there is an easy solution. Just slide a straw through the berry starting from the bottom and the tops will come right off. Its a simple and quick solution to prepare your delicious snack without losing half of it in the process!
You’re Storing Your Peanut Butter Wrong
Peanut butter lovers know the frustration of reaching for the jar of deliciousness just to find that the oil has completely separated! This is especially true with a lot of nut butters such as almond butter. No one wants a dry PB&J for lunch. This is less of a hidden feature and more of a hack but our peanut butter lovers will surely appreciate this helpful tip.
Just let gravity do the work for you by storing the jar upside down. The oil will travel down towards the lid and mix nicely with the peanut butter. If the oil ends up on the other side of the jar, you can always flip it and store it right side up again to let the oils mix again.
Don’t Drink the Milk If You See This!
Milk carton designs feature a circular imprint within the plastic. When milk is left in the fridge too long, it will spoil. When milk sours, gases build up on the inside, causing the carton to expand. The inverted circle design allows for this natural gas expansion to occur without having your carton explode within your fridge. Cleaning up a mess like that would be an awful headache.
It also helps your milk carton expand should you freeze your milk. In addition to allowing your milk room to expand, the circle on the side of the carton also serves another handy purpose. It can indicate to you that the milk has gone bad. If the circle ever pops out towards you, this is most likely an indication that your milk has gone bad because the gas from the sour milk has caused it to expand. The more you know!
Try This if You’re Eating Too Much Pasta
This is one of our absolutely favorites for all you pasta lovers. How much spaghetti should you serve one person? Either you have a heap of leftovers you’re too full to eat or you’re going back for more and hoping it’s not all gone. Whether you’re cooking for a family or even just one serving for yourself, this spatula hidden feature is the perfect tool to make the right portion size.
Who knew that the hole in the center of your spaghetti spoon is the solution? We thought the hole in the center of this utensil was simply to drain liquid. Like many of these helpful hidden features, its purpose is two-fold. It’s not there just to drain liquid but also to guide your portioning decisions. One serving of uncooked spaghetti will fit through the hole at the center of the spatula.
The Drawer Under Your Oven Serves 3 Purposes (not just storage)
The drawer under your oven actually can serve three different functions, but this will depend on the type of oven you own. It’s best to consult your manual to discover its true purpose.
If you have a warming drawer, you should typically see the words “warming drawer” as a button option on your stove. If you have a gas oven with a narrow drawer, that would be a broiler drawer. If your oven doesn’t have a button and the drawer is rather deep, then this type is strictly made for storage and you should not put your food in it.
The Arrow on Your Gas Gauge Is More Important Than You Think
Most vehicles that have been manufactured since 2010 have an arrow next to the gas gauge that either points to the right or to the left. The purpose of this arrow is to indicate to the driver which side of the vehicle the gas tank is on.
Most people do not even notice this arrow because they instinctively know the side of their car the gas tank is located. However, if you are driving a rental or new car, this arrow becomes very handy.
Different Plungers For Different Purposes
We all try to ignore our plungers until we actually need them, but you might want to pay a little more attention to this humble tool.
The key is having the right item for the job. A cup-style plunger is better for a sink, while you should use one with a narrower end to clear toilets.
Pom-Poms are Protective
Pom-pom hats are extremely stylish and look very cute today. However, in the past, they had a very specific function that you may not know about.
In the 19th century, French sailors were wearing them for functional purposes. The pom-poms on their hats were to protect their heads from hitting the ship’s low ceilings. Many ships had smaller doorways than expected, and the pom-poms absorbed the blow.
The Simple Solution For The Holes Your Kids Put In the Walls
If you have kids in your home. You’re probably no stranger to damage to your walls. Luckily, you most likely already have the item you need to fix the damage.
Just grab one of the kids’ white crayons and use it to fill those unsightly holes. Fun and functional!
What Sets Wooden Hangers Apart?
We use hangers in our day to day life, but did you know why wooden hangers were created in the first place?
They were made to keep bugs like moths away from a wardrobe because they can damage clothes, especially if they are made of wool. Usually, wooden hangers are made of cedar which is known for its ability to repel moths and other insects.
Look Out For This Hole on Your Locks
Have you ever shoved a bobby pin or other small object into the hole on the bottom of a padlock to try to unlock it?
Those holes are designed to prevent moisture from collecting inside the lock to prevent rust. The hole also can help if your lock gets jammed. If you pour WD-40 or oil in this small hole, that should fix things.
My Grandma Taught Me How to Use Pam Outside of the Kitchen
Every kitchen has a can of this stuff around. It’s so much easier to use, and much easier to portion than just pouring oil from the bottle.
It has more uses than greasing a pan, however. You can also use it to grease hinges! It works great when you’re in a pinch and don’t have WD-40 around.
How to Achieve the Perfect Manicure Right At Home
These stickers were what we all used in school in order to keep the sheets of paper kept in three ring binders from ripping loose. You can also use these labels for getting a moon or half-moon manicure, known as French or a reverse manicure.
All you need to do is apply a hole-punched reinforcement sticker to the bottom portion of your nails and paint the tops.
What the Blue Side of the Eraser is Actually Used For
You probably noticed that there are erasers that are different colors. Many people think that two colors look more appealing to kids and that is the reason for them.
The difference between the blue and the red part is that the blue part can be used on the thicker and tougher types of paper, while the red one should be used on either notebook or loose-leaf paper.
You’ve Been Using Bobby Pins Wrong Your Whole Life
People with thick hair, this one is for you. If you know the pain of perfecting a hairstyle just to have it fall apart in minutes, you might be using bobby pins wrong.
Most people put the flat side against their scalp, but it actually works much better if you use the bumpy side down! This is how they were intended to work, anyways.
Are Your Sticky Notes Folding Up? Try This.
Post-it notes seem as simple as can be, right? Write, peel, stick. However, if you’re peeling from the bottom, you’re doing it wrong!
Peel from the side to help the note lay flat against the surface and stop the edges from curling up. Who knew there was a “right way” to use sticky notes?!
Flip The Pill Bottle Cap Upside Down
This hack kinda blew our minds. Pill bottles with the safety lids can be hard to open, right? This is especially true for elderly people or those with limited dexterity in their hands.
However, the other side can also be used to seal the bottle! Just make sure to close them with the secure side if you have kiddos around.
Fast Food On the Go (As It Was Intended)
While it’s unclear if the design of these fast food meal containers were intended to be used this way, it absolutely can make your life easier. After all, fast food was meant to be consumed on the go.
If you slide your soft drink straw through the middle of your meal container, your fries and nuggets or burger can rest perfectly, supported by the lid of your drink. This way, your entire meal can fit sturdily inside your cup holder should you find yourself eating in the car.
What Could That Little Piece of Fabric Possibly Be Used For?
It is common to get an extra button with your new clothes. The reason for an extra button is pretty obvious – if a button falls off, you have got an extra one to replace it with. But what about a piece of fabric that often accompanies the button? Many people think that it is used for patching up a rip in their clothing.
However, it is too small for that. The real purpose is so you can test cleaning products on this small piece of fabric in order to make sure that a certain cleaning product does not ruin the material before you wash the real thing.
The “57” Ketchup Trick
Glass ketchup bottles are rarer these days, which means you might not know how to get the condiment onto your plate when it refuses to come out.
Find the little “57” that’s raised on the side of the bottle, angle the opening toward your fries, and tap that spot with the heel of your hand. It really works!
The Hidden Feature On The Mustard Lid
Do you ever squeeze out mustard from the bottle and get the condiment all over the inside of the cap rather than on your food? This situation happens to many of us, and many of us may not know that the mustard lid was actually designed to prevent this from happening. Turns out we’ve just been using it wrong.
The next time you’re using French’s Mustard, take a look at the back of the cap. There is actually a tab here to lock the open lid in place. Simply click the lid down and you’ll no longer have to deal with messy mustard caps.
Just When We Thought We Had Everything Figured Out…
We know what you’re thinking…”How could I be using a banana wrong?” It’s not that you’re wrong, per se, it’s just that there’s a better way to open them!
Opening bananas from the top causes bruising and can be frustrating. Flip ‘em around and squeeze the bottom. Ta-da! Your snack is ready.
How Can Your Bread Clip Make Your Life Easier?
Isn’t it always the way? You can find one sock but not the other. Sometimes it feels like socks have their own free will to escape from our sock drawers!
Remedy that problem with this cool breadclip hack. Lock your socks together and never worry about what your socks are doing when you aren’t looking, again.
Colored Squares at the Top of a Toothpaste Tube
If you look at the top of your toothpaste tube, you will notice a colored square – blue, red, black, or green. Many people mistakenly believe that each color reveals the ingredients of toothpaste: red for natural and chemical, green for all natural, blue for natural plus medicine, etc.
The truth is that these squares have nothing to do with your toothpaste’s formulation. It is just a mark for light beam sensors during the manufacturing process to indicate to the machines where one tube ends and the next begins.
A Built-in Spoon Rest
Here’s another tip for the kitchen. When you’re short on counter space and don’t have room for a spoon rest, you can use the hole at the end of your pan handle!
Just make sure the burners are off so you don’t solve one problem and cause a much bigger one. Trust us.
The Headrests of Your Car Seats Have a Secret Function
The most obvious feature of the headrest is to provide comfort to passengers and drivers while driving and keep all passengers safe in the event of an accident. However, there is another hidden feature at work here. You probably have noticed that the headrests are detachable and have metal bars.
If you are ever trapped in a vehicle and need to get out as quickly as possible, the headrests can be used to smash your car windows. It is a rare situation, but you never know what may happen and when you’ll need to know this helpful tip.
Use a Soda Can Tab to Hold a Straw
Ever wonder why a soda can tab has that hole in it? We’re not sure, either but we do know it has a surprising use you may not have heard of.
Instead of struggling trying to get that next sweet sip, just stick a (biodegradable) straw through the hole! Genius.
Most Microwaves Have A Hidden Silencer Feature
It’s 2 in the morning and a late night burrito is calling your name. You can’t wait to heat up your snack, but you also don’t want to be that annoying roommate who wakes up everyone in the house with the loud beeps of the microwave.
Fear not, friends! Did you know that most microwaves have a hidden feature that helps you silence its sounds? Typically, if you hold down a single button on the microwave for a few seconds (try the “1” button), it will activate “silent mode,” and you can now enjoy your microwave at any time of day, free from incessant beeping.
Flip the Side of the Yogurt Cup
We felt a little silly for not knowing this one, but we had to share in case you didn’t know either! Ever enjoyed one of those yogurt cups with the topping sidecar?
Well, they actually bend at the perfect angle to dump the berries or granola right on top. Maybe these things should come with instructions!
Seal a Screw with Nail Polish
Loose screws can be such a pain. If only there were a magic substance you already have in your cabinet that could help prevent this…
Oh wait, you totally do! Clear nail polish has a number of uses. You can paint it over the sides of a screw to keep it tightly in place.
Use Painter’s Tape for Perfect Caulking
Caulking is one of those tasks that nobody wants to do. It can be a huge mess, and it’s hard to get the perfect edge.
An experienced handyman once told us that you can use painter’s masking tape to get a crisp, clean line. Just make sure to remove the tape before the caulk dries fully.
Unclogging The Toilet
Clogged toilets can be a nightmare. However, instead of turning to the common physical methods of unclogging your toilet, a little bit of dish soap can have this problem solved for you.
Just pour one cup of dish soap into the bowl and let it stand for about 20 minutes to allow the soap to get rid of the debris causing the clog. Then, flush the debris with a bucket of hot water and your toilet pipes will be debris free.
Quickly Delete Entries in the Calculator App
If you’re one of the world’s 900 million-plus iPhone uses, you may find this hack to be a handy one.
Save yourself some grief next time you need to do some quick math. When using the built-in calculator app, you can simply swipe right to delete the last number you entered.
Silica Gel From Shoe Boxes Have Alternative Uses
Many people mistakenly believe those little bags that are found in shoe boxes are air fresheners. However, they actually are silica gel packets, which serve the purpose of absorbing moisture.
The packets of this gel also have different uses, including drying out a wet smartphone that you dropped in water or helping your clothes smell fresh. Therefore, next time you find these items in a shoe box, do not throw them away.
Written By: Lisa Lee
This article was originally published on trendymatter.