You see random features on things you use every day, and you dismiss them as design quirks. However, product designers go to great lengths to make these products as useful as possible and to make your life easier. The only thing is, these features are so subtle that most users don’t know about them.
Here are 30 cool secret features on everyday objects you didn’t know about.
1. Escalator Brushes
Contrary to what you might have thought about those escalator brushes (if you’ve thought about them at all), they aren’t your shoe-shiners on the move. Known as skirt brushes, they hang out on the sides of escalator steps and serve a very important safety purpose.
When you stand too close to the edge, the brushes gently nudge you back toward the center, away from the danger zone where loose clothing or shoelaces could get caught in the escalator’s machinery. They also keep the sides clean by sweeping away dust and debris.
2. Tomato Pincushion
The little strawberry hanging from your tomato pincushion isn’t just there for the sake of being there. It’s actually filled with emery powder, a substance used to clean and sharpen your needles.
3. Backpack Whistle
Your hiking backpack may have a feature that often goes unnoticed but can be a real lifesaver. The chest strap on many hiking backpacks comes with a built-in whistle on the buckle. Why? In case you get separated from your group in the deep forest, shouting is a bad idea as it will dehydrate you, and the human voice can only be heard over a limited distance. However, if you use this built-in emergency 100-decibel whistle, you can be heard from 1.4 miles away. You can also signal for help using the internationally recognized SOS signal by blowing three short, three long, and three short
4. The Extra Eyelet on Shoes
The extra eyelet you can find on hiking shoes or sneakers is great for jogging and hiking! If you loop your laces through the extra eyelets, you will tighten the shoe around your ankle and prevent it from moving.
It makes your shoes more stable, reduces the impact on your joints, and keeps your feet from sliding around when you’re climbing or descending hills and trails.
5. Ceiling Fan Switch
If you look carefully near the motor of your ceiling fan, you’ll find a small switch near the motor. That switch will actually change the direction as your ceiling fan has different settings for summer and winter.
In the summer, you should set your fan to rotate counterclockwiseto create a downward breeze. This will make the room feel 4 degrees cooler and potentially save up to 30% on energy bills.
In the winter, switch it to clockwise to push warm air down from the ceiling, which can reduce heating costs by 15%.
Trending on Cheapism
6. Car Fobs with Spare Key
Many car key fobs have a hidden physical key inside so you can open the car manually if the battery dies.
The mechanical key is tucked inside the fob, and you can find it by pressing a button or sliding a latch to release it.
7. Holes in Pen Caps
Roughly 100 people in the United States die each year from choking on a pen cap. That is probably why BIC and other well-known brands have decided to put holes in the pen caps. If someone, particularly a child, accidentally swallows a pen cap, the hole allows air to pass through, reducing the risk of suffocation.
8. The Drawer Under the Oven
The bottom drawer under your oven most of us use as a storage drawer for pans and baking sheets, has a different purpose that is quite useful. It is a warming drawer and it was designed to keep cooked food warm until it’s ready to be served. So, it’s probably about time to take out those baking sheets and start using it as intended.
Sign up for our newsletter
9. The Ridges on the “F” and “J” Keys on the Keyboard
If you ever tried typing with your eyes closed and you managed to spell out a half-word, you have the “F” and “J” keys to thank. These two keys have a little bumps on them de and J keys help you find the keys without looking, which is a technique called touch typing.
10. Spaghetti Spoon Hole
You know those funny looking spoons that can be described as a spork that are usually used to stir spaghetti? Well, the hole in those “sporks” is meant to measure one serving of dry pasta noodles. Fancier spoons have even separate holes for different portion sizes.
11. Juice Box Flap
Those triangle flaps you see on the sides of kids’ juice boxes are designed to prevent mess, even though mess often happens as their purpose is largely ignored. When pulled up, these flaps turn into helpful little handles, making it easier for kids who are naturally clumsy to hold the box without juice squirting everywhere.
12. Bobby Pin Grooves
Those ridges on bobby are designed to grip your hair better and hold the pin securely in place. When inserting a bobby pin, you should place the grooved side should face down toward your scalp to make sure the pin can anchor itself more effectively, preventing it from sliding out and keeping your hairstyle intact.
13. Plastic Rings on Bottles
If you’ve ever wondered what the point is with those plastic rings on bottle caps, here comes the enlightenment.
They are called tamper-evident rings and ensure that the product inside the bottle hasn’t been…well tampered with.
When you unscrew the cap for the first time, the ring breaks away from the cap, proving that the bottle was previously sealed and unopened.
14. The Hole in a Pot or Pan Handle
While most of us use the hole on the handle of pots and pans to hang them, it has another clever use. When you’re cooking and need a place for your utensil, place it in the hole. This way, the sauce or whatever is on the spoon will drip right back into the pot, keeping your countertop clean and saving you from the mess.
15. The Extra Hole in Padlocks
Every padlock has a tiny hole strategically placed to act as a drain and keep the lock dry. This prevents water accumulation that could rust the internal workings and cause malfunction.
16. Flat Takeout Boxes
Apparently, you’ve been eating takeout food all wrong your entire life. Those takeaway containers can and should be unfolded into a plate. Say goodbye to getting the sides of your hands greasy or using unnecessary plates to pour out the food—just fold the takeout box’s sides down and get right to it.
17. The Little Slot at the End of Measuring Tape
The tiny, seemingly unimportant slot at the end of your measuring tape is actually a brilliant little feature that might just make your DIY projects a whole lot easier. It hooks onto nails or screws to hold the tape in place, and it guarantees precise measurements by accounting for the hook’s thickness.
When measuring from inside an object, the hook compresses into the slot, and when measuring from the outside, it pulls out, starting from the true zero point.
18. Fabric Swatches
Nowadays most coats come with a few extra buttons and a little fabric swatch. And while you can use them to patch up a tear their original purpose is to test out cleaning products so you don’t ruin your coat.
19. Rivets
Those rivets usually found near the pockets are there for a reason, more precisely, to reinforce the points of strain on your jeans. They help prevent the fabric from tearing at areas that experience the most stress, like the pockets and the fly. Smart, right?
20. French’s Mustard Lids
Dealing with condiments can be a messy affair. That’s why French’s Mustard has a nifty hidden feature you might not know about.
French’s Mustard lids have a tiny nub behind the lid. This little nub locks the cap open to prevent mustard from smearing all over the lid and your food.
21. Black Mesh on the Microwave
That black mesh on your microwave door is not just for looks—it has a crucial function and even a name of its own. Called a Faraday shield, the mesh prevents microwaves from escaping the oven and protects you from radiation.
22. The Pointy Thing on Potato Peelers
The point bit on your potato peelers is there to help you remove blemishes and eyes from potatoes. Instead of using a knife, which can be tricky and unsafe, the notch allows you to easily dig out those small, unwanted spots without wasting much of the potato.
23. Rearview Mirror Tab
The tab on your rearview mirror is used to switch between day and night modes. During the day, the mirror is set to reflect a clear image of the road behind you. At night, when headlights from cars behind you can be blinding, flip the tab, and the mirror will tilt slightly to reduce the glare.
24. Toblerone Candy Bar
It only makes sense that Toblerone bars are shaped like the Alps — the candy bar comes from Switzerland, after all, right? Well, not exactly. While the logic is there, the triangular shape of Toblerone was actually designed so you can press on one of the triangles with your thumb and snap off a perfectly sized serving.
25. Refueling Hatch
We bet you haven’t noticed the arrow next to the fuel icon on your dashboard. But you should, as it indicates which side of your car the fuel cap is on. This is especially when driving a new car.
26. The Small Button on a Seatbelt
The small button on the seatbelt found a few inches above the buckle is called a “seatbelt stopper” to prevent the buckle from sliding down to the floor when the seatbelt is retracted.
27. Blue Bristles on a Toothbrush
Most toothbrushes have blue bristles. Over time, as you use your toothbrush, these blue bristles will gradually fade to white. This fading is your cue that it’s time to go to the drugstore and buy a new one.
28. Soda Tab
The tab on your soda can isn’t just for opening it — it can also hold your straw in place. Flip the tab around, insert your straw through the hole, and ba-dum tss!
29. Grove in the Tic-Tac Dispenser
If you open the lid of a Tic-Tac container, you’ll notice a small groove on the underside. This groove is specifically designed to dispense a single Tic-Tac at a time.
30. Extra Threading on Medicine Bottles
Childproof packages are great for keeping your kid from drinking a bottle of allergy medicine and spending four hours in the hospital. However, they can also be a pain for adults to open. That’s why some companies, like Walgreens, give you the option to choose whether you want it to be childproof or not.
To make it childproof, you leave the cap in its original position and use the push-and-twist method. To make it easier for adults, you can flip the cap upside down and screw it back on.
For more smart household tips, please sign up for our free newsletters.
