The things that we use every day become such a huge part of our routines that we seldom notice their simplest features. However, look carefully and you may notice that your favorite items have been designed to do much more than you thought. For example, the little brushes by the side of an escalator are not for polishing your shoes but are actually an interesting safety feature. Bright Side has found some day-to-day things that have always had some amazing hidden features that we probably never knew about.
1. The tiny button on your jeans has never been truly acknowledged.
These tiny buttons are called rivets and they’re placed on your jeans at areas that are most likely to tear apart from strain or movement. Now you know what’s keeping those pairs of jeans in your ward -robe last forever.
2. The extra eyelets on shoes
The extra eyelets on shoes. If you loop your laces through them, then you tighten the shoe around your ankle and prevent the shoe from moving around. This way you increase the stability of the shoe, decrease impact loading rates, and prevent your foot from moving about while climbing or descending hills and trails. It's great for jogging and hiking!
3. Grooves on the bottoms of cups
These little grooves at the bottoms of your cups are designed to make washing them in the dishwasher more convenient. When placed upside down, the grooves allow the water to flow rather than stagnating and spilling over your feet when you take them out. They also allow cool air to flow beneath the cup and keeps them from cracking when they heat up with hot beverages.
4. The holes on the handles of utensils aren’t just to hang them.
Most of you may have hung utensils through the little holes on your pots and pans’ handles. However, these can also be used to hold the spoons while cooking to avoid the utensils from getting messy.
5. The hole in the cap of the pen has nothing to do with the pen or the ink.
Who isn’t guilty of nibbling their pens while snoozing through a lecture? It’s no wonder that most swallowing accidents occur in children between the ages of 6-15 years. The cap has a hole to allow air passage to prevent cho-king if someone swallows it.
6. The little pompoms on beanies aren’t just an extra touch of cuteness.
This style was introduced to French sailors so that they wouldn’t beat their heads on the ceilings of the ship that were too low. Later, the design was adapted by army troops and that’s how the pompoms ended up on our cute beanies!
7. The little slot at the end of measuring tape
Most measuring tape comes with a metal stub with a small slot on the end. The slot can be hung on a nail for measurements, without needing another hand. Notice carefully and you would see that the stub is also serrated on one side. This can be used to mark points without using a pencil.
8. Most childproof prescription bottles can be altered.
Most plastic medicine bottles come with childproof lids. However, not many people know that all you need to do is turn them upside down and they’re no longer childproof. It’s important to make sure that this is done only when the medicine bottles are designed for this purpose and you are sure that there will be no children around it.
9. The ridges on the “F” and “J” keys on the keyboard
Ever wonder how you can just type effortlessly without looking at the keyboard? Well, thanks to these small ridges on the “F” and “J” keys, your index fingers can locate other keys with your muscle memory.
10. The brushes on the sides of escalators aren’t for polishing your shoes.
You may have been using these escalator brushes to clean your shoes, however, these bristles are actually a big safety feature. One of the biggest reasons for escalator mishaps is people getting their clothes and bags stuck in them when they stand too close to the sides. These nylon bristles play with your mind and make you keep your feet away from the escalator’s skirt panels, hence avoiding accidents.
11. You can use your screwdrivers as wrenches as well.
A lot of screwdrivers can be easily slid through a wrench and are used to create more torque. This feature is especially helpful at complicated heights and angles.
12. The arrow next to the fuel tank symbol in the gas gauge
The little arrow next to the fuel tank sign in your gas gauge depicts which side of the car your fuel tank is on. This feature is extremely handy when you’re driving a rented car.
13. The little wings on an apple charger
The wings on your laptop’s charger can be flipped up to wind the wire, hence keeping it tangle free in your bag.
14. The little dot next to the camera on an iPhone is not a flash.
This little dot is not a flash, it’s a microphone for recording when you’re using the back camera.
15. Most locks have a little hole next to the keyhole.
16. Edges of some coins
The ridges on the edges of some coins. Ridge patterns on coins are a relic of the past when precious metal coins would be as valuable as their weight. However, some sneaky rogues would shave off the edges of coins and use that metal to mint new coins while spending the shaved coins as if they didn't weigh less. The ridges were added so it would be obvious when somebody had shaved off parts of a coin and was trying to cheat the system.
17. Little arrow-like symbol on a dashboard
The little arrow-like symbol on a dashboard. It’s not only you who, upon arrival at a gas station, has had to work hard at remembering which side your gas tank is on. It turns out, the answer has been right in front of you.Every dashboard has a little symbol—an arrow or a triangle—placed near the gas gauge. It indicates precisely that which you forgot: which side your gas tank is on. If the arrow is pointing left, look for the filler cap there. If it is pointing right, you know what to do.
18. The number "57" on a Heinz bottle
The number "57" on a Heinz bottle. Apparently, the embossed number "57" on Heinz’s bottle is what the company’s spokesperson calls a soft spot. “All you need to do is apply a firm tap where the bottle narrows, and the ketchup will come out easier." No need to punch that bottle too much!
19. Wooden coat hangers
You might think that wooden coat hangers are simply a fancier version of the ones made from plastic or wire. But in reality, they actually have a unique purpose to them. These closet hangers aren't just made from any wood. They're from cedarwood, which is known to repel bugs and moths. Not to mention its refreshing scent and durability. These hangers are perfect for heavy clothing that is susceptible to da-mage from insects, such as coats and jackets or dresses. Especially those that were made from wool.
20. Double-colored erasers.
Double-colored erasers. The different-colored sides are used to erase marks made by different pencils on different types of paper. While the soft pinkish-orange side is used for light grades of paper and lighter pencil marks, the blue side is meant for grainier, tougher paper and darker marks. The blue side was later promoted for removing pen marks because a lot of people didn't understand what it was meant for. The little hole helps drain water from the lock when it is used outdoors to prevent it from clogging and rusting. This hole can also be used to oil the lock’s hinges.
This is how people reacted to this post:
Mark Williamson - A goodly number of these are pure bunkum, tosh, old wives tales, myths. Pompoms for example go at least back to Scandinavia and the 8-9th century. The order of typewriter keys is all about who won the early typewriter layout wars, and nothing to do with speed or jamming. The door knob thing is a marketing gimmick and is not borne out by actual studies. Much of this list is highly dubious.
Daniela Vukovska - Do people really don't know about the extra buttons and the ridges on the keyboard or the arrangement of the letters in it? And about the escalators - I know this because I have watched this horror movie called "The Kiss" which was literally hor-rible Do people really don't know about the extra buttons and the ridges on the keyboard or the arrangement of the letters in it? And about the escalators - I know this because I have watched this horror movie called "The Kiss" which was literally hor-rible but one scene where a girl's necklace got stuck in the escalator and she depart still haunts me at night
Neenee Lepire - Rewievers can use a fabric swatch to make a garment whole again. I use to work in a tailor shop. We had a couple of large boxes full of the section of pants we cut off when hemming pants shorter. We did not rewieve because none of us had skills in that, but we did use those pants scraps to patch.
Leisha Kribs - I never noticed the arrow on the gas gauge before in any car I've ever owned. I looked in my current car and sure enough there it is! LOL…
This Article Was First Published on brightside.me
