Everyday Things You Never Even Knew Had A Purpose!

Have you ever wondered why your jeans have a smaller pocket above the actual pocket? Or why there are extra holes on your sneakers? What about the holes in pan handles, what are they for? There are so many unanswered questions about why things are built the way they are, but luckily for you, we dug deep to solve the mysteries and quench our curious minds. Check out this list of everyday things that you didn’t know had a purpose. You’d be surprised by how much you didn’t know!

Zigzag side of bobby pins

Bobby pins’ wavy side aren’t just for design or decoration, it actually serves an important purpose. The wavy side of a bobby pin is the thing that catches the hair to help keep the pin in place. When you use it on your hair, the wavy zigzag side should be the one facing the scalp and the flat side should be the side that’s visible.

The hole in the pasta spoon

How many years have you been asking yourself why there is a little hole in the middle of the pasta spoon? Don’t worry, you’re gonna get your answer now. The original purpose of that tiny hole was to measure out approximately one serving of pasta. Seems a little bit tiny, right? However many dry, uncooked noodles fit into the hole count as one serving. Although nowadays, only a few people know about that hole’s real purpose so it hasn’t been used as much. But now that you know what that hole is for, the next time you cook up some spaghetti, make sure to utilize the hole.

Wings on an Apple power cord

If you’re a MacBook user then you’ve probably seen this a thousand times—the little wings on the power cord. What is it for? Well, apparently, the wings are used to wrap the cord around the power block easily. It’s not really necessary to use it but Apple added that tiny feature to help you keep your cords tight and neat. So, the next time you’re struggling with twisted wires, remember that there’s a small wing that can help you straighten it up.

Black grating on microwave doors

There’s a 90% chance most of you have noticed that all microwaves come with a black grating on its doors. That grating is called a Faraday shield and it’s a very vital part of a microwave. Why? Well to put it simply, it prevents the microwave from blowing up in your face. The Faraday shield acts as an actual shield between you and the electromagnetic waves coming from the microwave. So if you see a microwave without a black grating, that would most probably a fake and you should stay away from that before it blows up.

The little pocket on your jeans

How many items have you tried to put in those little pockets just above your actual jean pockets? Did you know that when jeans were made, those little pockets were specifically made for men’s watches. Now, you may ask why would men put their watch on their pocket? Why not just wear them on their wrists just like normal people would? Well, it’s because back in the days there weren’t any wrist watches, just pocket watches, the one you carry around with a chain, yes that one. So that’s why jeans have those tiny extra pockets, so men could walk around freely and just take out their watch from time to time. Nowadays, since there are no more pocket watches around, you can put whatever you want in those pockets.

Detachable headrest in cars

When I was a kid we went on a family trip to the beach and while in the car, being the relentless little kid that I was, I played with the headrest and accidentally pulled it out! I panicked and tried to put it back in before my dad looks at the rearview mirror and sees me. Luckily, I did manage to put it back before anyone could notice, well aside from my sister who just stared at me while I broke into a sweating mess. The relevance of my story to this item right here is apparently, car headrests are detachable for a reason. And the reason is in case of emergency and you’re stuck inside your car, use the headrest to smash and break your window so you can get out. So if you have a kid and you see them removing a headrest, teach them its real purpose so you can be ready in the time of emergency.

Holes on pan handles

Those holes at the end of pan handles serve a very good purpose. It’s where you should put your cooking spoon or spatula while you’re cooking. I bet you didn’t know that. Well now that you know, you don’t have to look for someplace to put down your spatula when you’re waiting for your food to be cooked. Plus it helps you keep your cooking area clean and with less extra plates or pots.

Square patch on backpacks

A lot of backpack brands carry a signature square patch on their products like Jansport, L.L. Bean, and Herschel Supply Co., but do you know what this patch is actually for? Originally called a lash tab or pig snout, these patches were designed for travel bags to allow people to carry extra stuff on their backpacks. Strings or cords can fit through the patches and you can hang your extra baggage on the front of your bag. This feature comes in very handy especially if you’re the type of person to go backpacking or traveling.

Colored squares on toothpaste

Have you noticed the small, colored squares on your toothpaste? What did you think it was for? Did you think it was related to the product? For design and packaging purposes? A code of some sort? Wrong. It has nothing to do with all of those. These colored squares also known as eye marks are actually indicators used during manufacturing. They are read by light beam sensors and tell the machines where to cut and fold the packaging. Without these squares, our toothpastes will all be connected to one another.

The hole in the bottom of a padlock

Flat takeout boxes

What’s a perfect Friday night for you? A night out at some noisy but lousy bar in the city or a night in binge-watching your favorite TV series with your ultimate go-to takeout—Chinese! Whichever one you choose, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen what a Chinese takeout box looks like. Apparently, there’s a reason why it’s like that and it’s because the box can be transformed into a flat, disposable plate. Yes! You’ve been overlooking the best part about your takeout. So all you need to do is unhinge each side and voila, a plate, where you can eat your orange chicken more comfortably.

Extra holes in Converse sneakers

If you’re a fan of chucks or converse all stars then you already know that those sneakers have two extra holes on the side. Those holes were strategically placed there by the shoemakers for two good reasons. First, it is for your shoes to have ventilation since the material used for the all stars is non-breathable. This keeps you from getting sweaty and smelly feet. And another is for you to get creative with your laces. Yes, the designers actually thought about that and encourage converse fans to unleash their imagination and go crazy with their lace patterns.

Lines inside red plastic cups

Did you ever feel cheated with the amount of shots or beer you had to drink during your college parties? Did you know that you had a proper way to measure your drinks and it was right in front of your eyes or should I say…in the palm of your hands? Because you DID have the answer right in the palm of your hands—the red cups! Yes, remember those bright plastic cups that are ever so present in every party? If you looked closely, inside it are a couple of lines that serve an actual and helpful purpose. The first line at the bottom is equal to one ounce or one shot of hard alcohol, going beyond that is a shot too many. The next line is five ounces, which is just the right amount of punch for one glass. Then the last line at the top is equal to 12 ounces, which is the perfect size of one beer. Maybe if you knew what those lines were for and followed them, then you wouldn’t have blacked out as much you did back in the days.

Wooden coat hangers

There are different types of hangers— wooden, plastic, and metal. But what makes wooden hangers better than the rest of them? For starters, wooden hangers look super dope and elegant at the same time and another reason is wooden hangers are usually made from cedar wood that is known to be a good moth and bug repellent. So to keep your clothes free from moths and other bags, better use wooden hangers.

Long neck bottles

Were you ever curious about why beer bottles are made with long necks? Well it’s because of many reasons. First, the long necks of a bottle make it more comfortable to hold for a long period of time that’s why you have no trouble holding on to that beer while you finish watching an hour-long game. Another is the long neck structure makes it easier for you to pour your drink into a glass without spilling much. The third—and probably the most important reason—is the long neck helps distribute the heat throughout the whole bottle when your warm hands are around it, making your drink stay cold as long as possible.

Spikes in tube caps

Did you ever have trouble opening a tube of new toothpaste or an ointment? Struggled to find a needle or a very thin and pointy bobby pin to push through the semi-thick foil? Let me tell you that the proper way to open your toothpaste tube or ointment is to use the spike on top of the tube’s cap. You might have failed to notice it before, but it’s there waiting for you to put it into use.

Random buttons on jeans

Aside from the tiny pockets, there’s another mystery about your jeans—the many little random buttons. They’re not there to make your jeans look good, they’re placed there to keep your jeans from falling apart. Back in the 18^th century Levi Strauss, the founder and creator of famous Levi’s jeans, came up with these tiny buttons called rivets, after miners who wore his jeans complained that their pants wore out very fast. So Strauss thought of a way to hold the stitches tighter together for a longer period of time and thus, he put rivets on the most delicate parts of jeans. Now you know, when looking for a pair of jeans, you should always check if it has those tiny rivets on them.

The arrow next to the gas gauge

If you ever told me you’ve never once been confused as to which your side your gas tank is on, you’d probably be lying. Pretty sure everybody experienced forgetting which side their gas cap is on. But actually there is a way to remember where our gas tanks are and it has been staring us right in the face all this time! It’s the little arrow next to the gas gauge! If it points to the left, then that’s where your tank is, same goes for the right. Knowing this now, you’ll never have to guess again.

Metal at the end of a measuring tape

The hole on the lid of your pen

Take a look at your ballpoint pen, notice the little hole atop the lid? What do you think it’s for? No, it’s not for you to blow on and make little whistle sounds. It’s also not a ballpoint holder.  And most of all, it’s not the reason your pen dries out easily. You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s like the creators of the lid already pictured the hazards of their product that’s why they put a little hole on the lid. It’s actually to prevent someone from choking or suffocating in case they try or accidentally swallow the lid, especially children. It’s not uncommon for small kids to put everything they see into their mouths, so it’s a good call from whoever put that hole on the lid because it literally serves as a lifesaver.

The loop in the back of men’s shirts

Some men’s shirts come with a little loop in the back. What is it for? It seems ridiculous and unnecessary but actually its invention dates back to the early days of the Navy. When the Navy men were out sailing the vast oceans, they didn’t get to have much closet space, so in order to save space, sailors figured they could add loops on their shirts so they could just hang them up on hooks. After some time, the sailors’ fashion innovation reached and caught the interest of college students. They would often go to the gym and hang their shirts while they worked out.

The hole next to your iPhone’s camera

Ever noticed how as Apple releases new iPhones and adds more and more cameras, there also more and more suspicious holes next to them? Are those tracking devices? Sorry to turn down your spy dreams but unfortunately no, those holes aren’t tracking devices. They’re just extra microphones so that your iPhone could pick up sounds no matter which side you hold your phone. The other microphones are placed at the bottom of the phone and right under the speaker grill.

Soda can tabs

Did you know that the tab on top of soda cans was actually built to be used as a straw holder? Me neither. But now we know. So, if we want to keep our metal (no to plastic) straws in place while we drink our favorite sodas we know what to do. 

The dip at the bottom of wine bottles

Get your favorite bottle of wine. Open it. Take in the aromatic smell. Pour some on your glass. Take a sip and think about how wine makes life more beautiful. Now take the bottle again and look at the bottom. Notice how there’s a dip? That dip is actually called a punt or a kick-up which prevents the bottle from falling over. Wine bottles are specially designed with a punt to help it stand upright and to be able to hold high pressure from drinks like champagne and sparkling wine. Nowadays, some manufacturers found other ways to strengthen their bottles but majority of them still produce wine bottles with punts.