Everyday Items With Brilliant Secret Uses That Most People Fail To Notice

You know those little plastic things that keep your bread bags tied up and your loaves fresh? Well, they have a second function: the color of the tag indicates what day the bread was baked. Blue is for Monday, green is for Tuesday, red is for Thursday, white is for Friday, and yellow is for Saturday. As for Wednesday and Sunday, bread shipments are less common on those days.

The little hole at the tip of the cap wasn't added just so it could be used as a makeshift whistle. Studies showed a lot— like, a lot — of people swallowed and subsequently choked on caps. The hole helps would-be chokers breathe easier until help arrives. It may seem trivial, but who knows how many lives this little design has saved?

By just doing a little bit of crafty folding and unfolding, these containers can act as plates, too. Yep, ordering takeout saves you from cooking and doing the dishes! It also comes in handy for any Chinese food fans in a picnicking mood. And with the chopsticks provided by many restaurants, you'll be all set!

Doing that weird tongue thing to try and corral a straw that's bobbing up and down in a can of soda might make you the butt of a few jokes and stares. To avoid that bit of embarrassment, you can simply keep the straw in place by putting it through the tab. That's actually what it was meant to do in the first place.

Ever pack applesauce for lunch and forget utensils? Like a goon, you probably poured it into your mouth, making weird slurping sounds all the while. Next time, do a little twisting and shaping with the foil lid—it can easily become a spoon! Now that's a piece of DIY ingenuity that would make Johnny Appleseed proud.

When jeans first became fashionable, that tiny pocket had a simple function: to hold a man's pocket watch. It was pretty necessary, considering those accessories were all the rage back then. Chances are that unless you also carry a monocle, you aren't carrying a pocket watch. Use it as a phone or coin pocket instead!

In some ovens, there's a little drawer that's the perfect size for trays, pots, and pans. So of course, that would be storage space, right? Not exactly. You're supposed to use it to keep food warm while waiting to eat! Of course, in some other cases, this drawer also functions as a broiler, so make sure that you double-check!

What's the deal with the little grooves or bumps on the F and J keys? If you're a classically trained typist who doesn't look at the keyboard, those marks indicate "home keys," or where your index fingers rest. These bumps are also handy for more amateur typers, who can be saved from the time suck of having to look down at the keyboard.

At a fast food joint or diner, little paper cups serve as containers for your condiments. Dipping a fat nugget into them can get a little tight on space, though. Good thing cups are built to unravel a bit to become more like a saucer. It'll also allow you to dunk as many fries as your heart desires.

At the end of the handle of your typical frying pan or pot, there's a little slot so that you can hang your cookware up and out of the way. But that little hole can also secure a drippy spoon while you're cooking! That's simple and elegant design in a nutshell.

When an elevator gets stuck, repairmen need some way to operate the thing manually. This is a keyhole that allows them the opportunity. Hopefully, you never have to see this thing serve its purpose! But we should all be glad this feature is there, just in case.

Afraid of leaving a soda ring on your freshly cleaned coffee table? Well, you can pop the lid off your soda cup and use it as a coaster! The bottom of the cup should fit perfectly into the grooved ring on the lid. Just don't spill, and you'll be all set.

On the typical gas gauge, you'll see a little picture of a gas tank. Most importantly, there should be an arrow pointing to the left or right. That's an indicator as to which side of the car the gas tank is on! That should save you from making a bonehead blunder next time you fill up.

In the rare event that you want to offer someone one single Tic Tac, the container itself has you covered. The little ringlet that keeps the lid sealed tight also holds a single tasty mint. That's the best way to ration out your treats when you are around the biggest mooches in your friend group.

While plungers have been removing any number of vile things stuck deep inside your sewage pipes since the dawn of time, their purpose doesn't have to be so singular. Cup plungers especially work well on clogged sinks. You can even tackle clogs in your shower or bathtub with them.

Warm beer can be a total drag and ruin just about any drinking experience. And wouldn't you know it, your own hand might be the beer-warming culprit. Carry the bottle by the neck instead to prevent the heat of your palm from affecting your brew!

You know those weird spoons meant for scooping pasta? Well, the holes in their basins may be useful for letting water drain out, but as luck would have it, they're also a measuring tool. That space happens to fits about a single serving of pasta! Remember that next time you're unsure about portions.

At the end of measuring tape — usually within the metal, flat tab at the end — there's a hole meant to hook screws or nails. That way, you can keep the tape in place without having to stretch your arms to their limits or ask another person for help.

Near the arch of your foot in a pair of Converse sneakers, you'll find a hole for laces that might seem totally unnecessary. But if you slide your laces through those in addition to the others, you'll find they provide a lot more ankle stability than the usual lacing method!

When you look closely into a microwave, you see thousands of tiny black holes covering the door. It turns out those are not just for decoration. This grating is called a Faraday shield, and it ensures that hazardous electromagnetic waves don't escape and harm people waiting to open the door.

Back when rats used to infest homes, they'd gnaw away at reams of paper that were being stored. In response, people would face the paper margins out, and these zones allowed rats to gnaw at the paper without consuming important work. It's a good fix for anyone who didn't have pest control.

As a kid, you probably remember yanking the two front headrests out of their holders while sitting in the backseat. But that detachment is all by design. The headpieces come loose so in the event of an emergency, you can use the metal ends to break through windows.

You might as well call the raised number 57 on a ketchup bottle the sweet spot. That's where you should tap if you want to get the condiment flowing — don't smack the bottom of the bottle! Otherwise, your fries will be cold by the time you get any ketchup on them.

Ever notice the notches covering the sides of spare change? The reason behind these ridges dates back to a time when coins were stamped in different weights. People could shave the edges, melt them, and mold them into new coins. Minters caught on, and they developed ridged edges to prevent forgery.

Although many people believe those extra bits of fabric in clothing are for sewing patches in the event of a hole, that is not the primary usage. In reality, they're actually so you can test wash the material to know if it will shrink or bleed. That could save you from a chaotic laundry situation.

Internet lore has many people believing the colored squares indicate the ingredient in the toothpaste, but that's completely false. Rather than communicating anything to customers, these "eye marks" simply tell the assembly line machines where to pinch and cut off each tube.

Okay, so it seems pretty obvious these bits of fabric are used for hanging, but where did they originate? Well, Navy sailors used the loops to hang their shirts because there wasn't enough room for hangers in the closets of submarines. It seems this trick is handy above water too.

Why on Earth do some types of erasers have blue sections on one end, and then the normal pink ones on the other? The blue part is actually used to erase marks on paper firmer than loose leaf. Artists have mainly used this end to remove thicker and heavier marks on canvases.

Underneath every twist-off bottle cap is a thin blue disc that can be removed. But those bits of plastic are really doing us a huge favor. These actually trap carbon dioxide, so the drinks stay fully carbonated until they're opened.

The little dimples on a golf ball do more than just make them easier to pick up. By adding these little holes to the ball, manufacturers made it possible to minimize air blockage that would otherwise slow down the ball. Here's to maximum speed!

Also known as "lashing squares" or "pig snouts," these are used to thread rope or lace through to carry extra items. What if you don't have any extra items to make use of these in your everyday life? Go camping, and they're sure to come in handy.

The flaps on each side of a juice box may seem useless, but they come in very handy for parents with small children. Have kids hold the box by the flaps after you've pulled them out from the sides of the box. This way, the little ones won't accidentally squeeze the juice all over the new rug.

Whether your cart is full and you'd like to keep delicate groceries separated, or you already have a few groceries that you've purchased from another store, these hooks can provide an overlooked helping hand. Incredibly, many people have shopped for years without noticing them!

Aluminum foil is tricky to section cleanly. Isn't it so frustrating when the tube tries to jump out of the box when you try to pull some off? Well, if you pop in the sides of the box with the roll inside, it will stay in place no matter how many sheets you need to tear.

This factoid might help comfort any nervous flyers out there. These tiny openings in airplane windows help balance the pressure in the cabin while the plane ascends to high elevations. Even if the outer pane of the window breaks, the hole still allows for equalized pressure.

Stop throwing away nail files when they lose their ruggedness! If you look closely, you'll notice you can actually peel off the layer you've already used to reveal a fresh one. Saving money on little things like that will really pay off in the long run.

Chances are that you don't need much storage for CDs in this day and age. Use your obsolete CD racks to organize the clutter of your kitchen drawers. Nothing screams "clutter" more than all those loose Tupperware lids in your cabinets! So stacking your Tupperware lids in the CD racks will make life so much simpler for you.

Never waste time or toothpaste again. Always have a binding clip fixed to the bottom of your rolled-up tube! That way, you can achieve the trifecta of organization: neatness, efficiency, and maximum usage. Those tiny clips aren't just handy in your office, it turns out!

Here's a solid gold solution to filling up a container that's too large for the sink. Simply use a clean dustpan to funnel water from the faucet into the perfectly placed container. It may take some trial and error with the water pressure from the tap, but it'll get the job done!

The next time you need to drill into a wall at home, try this tip to avoid destroying any wires hiding on the other side. Just grab a microphone and a recorder, as the device will apparently emit a droning sound if you’re close to any electrical connections. Even better, it should help keep you safe.