Hidden Features of Everyday Items You Had No Idea About

James Loftus - January 24, 2023

Right when we think we understand all there is to know about the items that surround us in our daily lives, we learn that we really do not understand much at all. Whether it is the tab on the top of a soda can, or the tiny rivets on a pair of jeans, everything has a hidden feature or two that we simply have not considered. Below are 50 Everyday Items with Hidden Features you may not know existed.

Ah, the handy pull-tab

The “pull-tab” is a very versatile item with many talents. First and foremost, you can use it for it’s intended purpose, to open up your favorite canned beverage. Secondly, the hole in the tab works magic as the perfect straw holder, keeping it from swaying all over the place. And on a more charitable note, these little tabs go a long way to help the McDonald House charity. Simply remove and save your pull-tabs for later donation, and the people over at the McDonald’s House charity will recycle them for cash. This cash goes towards maintaining current, and building new McDonalds’ houses.

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This is an actual lifesaver!

If you are doing a lot of writing during the day, you will undoubtedly and unknowingly take up the habit of chewing on your pen cap. We’ve all done it, but with this little habit comes a very real danger, the possibility that you might inhale it, obstructing your wind pipe in the process. This is an especially dangerous issue for young children who, as they crawl around the house, have a tendency to pick up everything they come across and stick it in their mouth. To deal with this situation, companies like Bic began to create openings at the tip of their caps so that, even if you or your child swallows a cap, there is still an opening for air.

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It that third hole some type of camera?

Depending on the type of phone you have, you will recognize the obvious glass lenses protruding. But what is that incredibly small hole situated next to the lenses? If you believed that was a third lens or possibly a way to gather additional light for the photo, think again, it is a microphone. While it seems an odd place for a mic, it is actually one of three, the other two being on the front of the phone, and it’s designed to pick up ambient sounds to enhance the ambient quality of your call.

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Keep your stove top sauce free!

Nowadays, most, if not all, pots and pans come with a hole at the top of the handle. The obvious purpose is that one can hang their cookware when not in use. This is especially handy for those who do not want to have to dig through their kitchen cabinets looking for that elusive sauce pot. But did you know that these holes have an additional benefit? Yes, as the photo depicts, they make for a great place to keep your wooden spoons so that you do not have to create an even bigger mess on your stove top.

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We’re here to save your sanity!

There are many infuriating challenges in life. One must go to college and get a good job. You’ve got to find that special someone, get married, and start a family. But maybe the most difficult challenge in life is getting the ketchup out of the ketchup bottle! Luckily, the Heinz company has created a solution for the common man. Simply turn the bottle to a “45” degree angle, find that little “57” on the neck of the bottle, and tap it and before you know it, that delicious red ketchup will be flowing smoothly onto your favorite French fries.

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Why the raised lines on the F and J keys?

Just imagine if we still had to use a pen and paper to write letters to each other? Lucky for us, Christopher Sholes and James Densmore came up with the QWERTY design of the typewriter almost 75 years ago, which eventually became the computer keyboard that we all know and love today. As for the small, raised lines on the F and J keyboard keys, also known as position keys, they serve the purpose of helping you find the correct hand position on the keyboard without having to look at it.

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Holes in the top of my Tootsie Pop stick?

The Lollipop may be one of the more iconic candies in history, and like most candies, it’s compromised of sugar and not much else. This brings us to that little hole at the top which, as is often stated, has a practical purpose. During the process, the very hot, syrup like sugar being poured into that mold, makes its way into that tiny hole which helps secure your Lollipop, preventing it from simply sliding off.

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Love me some Toblerone!

Toblerone is famous for many reasons; first and foremost, it is a scrumptious chocolate that melts in your mouth. It also comes from the pinnacle of chocolatiering, Switzerland. And last but not least, it is instantly recognizable for its unique, triangular shape which, according to the company, is designed so that each piece can be easily separated with the flick of a finger, allowing you to enjoy your Toblerone with ease.

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Is this how you really want to treat your Oreo cookie?

Look, we are no one to mess with perfection, especially when it comes to the magnificent Oreo cookie. Taking an Oreo in between your thumb and first finger, and carefully dunking only half of it into a glass of ice-cold milk is the only true way in which to enjoy one of God’s great gifts to mankind. But, in the effort to be as open to new ideas as possible, we must mention an alternative method, which is to stick a fork into the white filling, and dunk it into that ice cold glass of milk. The decision is yours!

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The Long Neck Bottle

So why the long neck? One might think that this is a way to grab onto the bottle comfortably, but there are other reasons as well. Our hands are generally quite warm which is a problem if you like your beer cold (No offense to our friends in the U.K.). The long neck works as a bit of a separation from the base of the bottle where the cold beer sits, hence keeping your warm hand from warming up that cold brew.

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Keep that sports blazer wrinkle free

This particular airline has taken the extra litte step to make sure that you will have all the creature comforts, including the digital monitor you can use to watch your favorite movies, the always important drink and food tray for that top notch airline food, and one small item that you probably didn’t know about, the hook right in between that monitor and drink/food tray. Feel free to use this hook to hang your sports blazer next time you fly the friendly skies!

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The age old problem of cutting foil and plastic wrap

Every time you go to tear a piece of foil or plastic, the roll moves and pulls out more than you’d like. This is where you drop a few four-letter bombs and try, try again. Luckily, all you have to do is reach into the side of the box where you’ll find a tab that pushes in. Do so and you now have a brake that will stop the foil/plastic from moving, allowing you to separate that piece without issue.

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What’s that tiny hole for?

If you turn a padlock upside down and take a closer look, you may find a very small hole to one side of the key insert and wondered what the heck it is for? The answer is two-fold; first it works as a way to vent the lock so that any water that collects inside has a place to drain, increasing the possibility of rust and or corrosion. Secondly, the hole is actually a place to inject oil so that the mechanisms inside do not seize up, preventing the lock from opening.

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It’s all about that brass man…

While many may believe that their classy appearance and sturdy feel are the reasons for their popularity, there are a variety of benefits to the use of brass for your door. First off, unlike steel, brass does not rust, which is important when it comes to corrosion and the longevity of the knob. But there is an added reason most may not consider, brass is very effective at killing bacteria, something that is very important when you consider that so many people touch these doorknobs.

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Have you ever noticed the cylinder at the and of your power cord?

If you’ve ever taken a close look at the power cord for one of your electronic devices, you might notice a peculiar cylinder that wraps around the cord at the end of the female plug. Some may think that this is simply a type of grip to help you hold onto the wire as you insert the plug, but the reality is that it is a component that blocks out any possible electromagnetic interference.

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“Bob” that hair…

The “Bobby” pin was named in honor of the girls that would “bob” up their hair to go out dancing during the roaring 1920’s craze. While one side of the pin is flat, the zig zag side of the pin was designed specifically so that the pin does not just slip out of your hair as it might if both sides were flat. This design quickly became popular for keeping all those big, “bobbed” hairdos in place.

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C’mon, you knew this!

Okay, so it may be pretty obvious that the tab at the end of your measuring tape is there to grab onto things, much like a hook might do. There is another benefit. What you probably did not know is that that little tab is also part of the measurement. The first 12 inches of your tape is actually 1/16 of an inch short, and the tab is 1/16 of an inch to make up for that!

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What’s with that extra hole?

If you are like me and you really only use your running shoes as more of a fashion statement than to run in, then you will probably not be familiar with the extra holes at the very top of the shoes, sometimes referred to as the heel lock. These holes have a specific purpose, to tighten the shoes a bit more than normal to prevent them from moving around extensively while running. This is meant to reduce the possibility of blisters from that extra movement.

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And you thought the shape of screwdriver handles was for better hand grip…

When you look at the shape of the average screwdriver, the first thought may be that it was designed to provide better grip for your hands, and while that is partially true, another feature comes into play. The hexagonal shape works brilliantly when aided by a wrench as is the case here in this photo; you gain much more leverage and torque. Just be careful not to strip the head of the screw.

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Extra cloth that comes with new clothes

It seems like every time you buy a new article of clothing, it comes with a little pouch containing a small piece of the same material the clothing is made from. You may have thought that this was an additional piece that you might use as a repair in the case that your new pair of pants or blouse developed a tear in it. In reality, the cloth is designed as a test piece for the laundry to determine the proper way to wash your new clothing, and whether or not it will color-bleed and ruin your load of expensive designer shirts.

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What’s the deal with that half-belt?

If you’ve ever been bumping around a place like New York City, you’ve probably seen a few of these jackets with a belt on the back and thought to yourself, “That is very fashionable.” But in reality, that was not the intention. These jackets are based on military coats that were much larger as they did double duty as both a jacket, and a blanket for soldiers in the field. During battle, the belt worked to tighten up the extra fabric so that it would not get in the way and interfere with the soldier’s duties.

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Stripes anyone?

If you were around in the 1970’s, then you are familiar with this product. Their commercials for this tri-colored toothpaste slithering out of the tube were memorable, and the ad campaign was incredibly effective; Aquafresh created a paste that was both colorful and practical. The premise was simple; the white stripe was specific to cleaning; the blue stripe kept your breath fresh, and the red stripe maintained a stronghold on that dreaded plaque. This ingenious recipe allowed Aquafresh to dominate the market.

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Keep that carbonation on lockdown

All the little tricks that you see on the internet are bogus; there is nothing that will keep your carbonated drink from losing its carbonation once it has been opened. The only thing you can do is keep it sealed as tightly as possible to slowdown the leaking, and that’s where these little tabs on the inside of the bottle caps come into play. They work much like a gasket in your plumbing or car, by helping to create a true seal between the cap to the bottle.

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Check out this cool little trick!

Many love their wireless headphones and for good reason, there are no wires to get in the way! But if you are a “wired headphone” holdout, did you know that there is a little trick that will make your life easier. Rather than inserting them in the ear canal with the wire facing down, try it with the wire facing up. You’ll still get the same sound quality, but now you won’t have to worry about them falling out all the time.

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What’s with the extra buttons?

“It looks just like a button, but what does it button too?” Turns out that, while it looks exactly like the same tab that you used to button those jeans of yours, it’s not a button at all, it’s simply a rivet used to secure that tiny thumb pocket. There is also a business angle to it. The legendary Levi Strauss owned the patent on these rivets, so any jeans company that used them had to pay him. Genius!

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HDTV channels for free!

The pandemic has forced the world’s population indoors, and being home all the time requires that you have a television to help pass the time. If you love to watch HDTV, but do not have the money to buy a digital subscription service, all is not lost. If you can pull together a few bucks for the equipment, you can get access to a variety of HDTV channels including FOX, NBC, ABC, and even PBS. At present, there are HDTV antennas available for as low as $26!

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Apple is just so clever…

As a company, Apple has gotten a bad rap over the years for the way they operate with some of their product decisions leaving loyalists scratching their heads. There was the removal of a headphone jack on the iPhone a few years back, and the annoying lack of a back button for navigation can be frustrating. With that said, they also think of the little things which brings us to the clever inclusion of these tiny prongs on their chargers that work to secure the cable. This one is a win, win!

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Don’t pump the wand!

Mascara is like a miracle worker, sent to save your eyes from looking tired and worn down. However, many women who use this little miracle are making a grave mistake, one that drastically cuts down on both the effectiveness and the shelf-life of the product. By simply pumping the wand in and out, you are inadvertently pushing more air into the bottle and air is the enemy of any good mascara, causing it to dry out, clump and flake. Instead, simply twist the wand or run it in a few circles to get the proper amount you need.

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Who would have thought to use a vegetable peeler this way?

Anyone like me who loves to cook will welcome this little trick. There are different ways to cut up an onion depending on what you want to use it for. You can go old school and use a knife to slice it right down the middle to make onions for your favorite hamburger, or, if you’d like to get there much more quickly, you can break out the ole potato peeler and peel away perfectly portioned slices for your salad!

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Wait, I always thought they were just trying to look colorful?

For years, the misconception has been that the red side of the eraser was designed for erasing pencil, while the blue side could get rid of those pesky mistakes written by an ink pen, right? No, not so much…The two colors of the eraser are not there to indicate what type of led or ink they can erase, they are there to indicate what type of paper they can erase on, specifically that the red side works best on lighter gauge paper while the blue side is meant to be used with a heavier gauge paper.

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What’s the deal with the loop?

These “loops” have been around for quite a while and are often the subject of speculation, and even ridicule. The “loop,” was developed as a way to hang the shirt and keep it looking pressed when these Ivy League students needed to hang them up during sporting activities. These shirts also took on the persona as being a part of the yuppy uniform, worn by the educated, and financially elite working on Wall Street.

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Spaghetti Spoon Hole

If you are like me, you love you some spaghetti; it is really the perfect meal. It is affordable for those on a budget, it’s full of carbs which works as an incredibly source of energy, and it is easy to prepare. Just boil some water, add a pinch of salt, and 10 minutes later, you have a full plate ready to enjoy. All you have to do is take your spaghetti spoon and gather just enough to fit through the hole in the middle, and you will have the perfect proportion for a single person.

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What’s up with that little arrow?

Imagine you are in a rental car and you’ve arrived at the gas station for a fill up, only to find that you’ve pulled into the pump on the opposite side of your gas tank. Now, surrounded by angry drivers waiting to get in to use the pump and giving you the “side-eye,” you have to carefully maneuver your car in a complete 180 degree turn to the correct position. Car manufactures feel your pain, so in 2010, they’ve come together and added a tiny arrow on the fuel gage, indicating which side of the car the gas tank is.

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What’s the point of those ridges?

Let’s say you were to reach into your pocket and pull out some coins consisting of a dime, a couple of nickels, a quarter and a few pennies. If you were to examine their edges closely, you would see that some are smooth while others have ridges. Back in the day, coins, including dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars, all had a certain amount of the silver, which can be brittle, causing the edges to chip off. To counter this, ridges were added. Even though silver is no longer used to make these coins, they are still designed with ridges for aesthetics.

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Pom poms

If you live in a cold-weather climate, you’re familiar with this; it is a beanie that keeps your head warm when it’s 20 degrees outside. But what’s up with the little ball on top? As with most things, there is a practical purpose. For sailors working in the tight confines of submarines and ships, it is not uncommon for them to bang their head on the many low-profile doors, so the navy added balls to the top of their beanies as a way to cushion the blow.

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Why the indentation?

If you go to your refrigerator and pull out a gallon of milk, you will notice something unusual; there is an indentation on the side. Some may take this as an aesthetic design trait, but there is a functionality behind it. As milk ages, it will begin to develop bacteria naturally, and that bacteria will then create gas which will need a place to go. As the gas production increases, the indentations begin to expand outward, making room for the gas so that it doesn’t blow the cap off the top.

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Why is there a hole in the elevator door?

Next time you ride an elevator, keep on the lookout for the small hole in one of the doors. It is a “key hole,” a very essential component that makes the elevator accessible in the event that it suddenly stops moving in between floors. The firemen that are coming to rescue you will need a way to get in, and that’s where this hole comes into play. It is a simple receptacle for a special key that will open the doors so that the firefighters can make their way in and rescue you!

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Wooden coat hangers

When you think of cedarwood coat hangers, you think of class, quality and durability. When I was a kid, having cedarwood coat hangers meant that you were a success (unlike the plastic ones in my closet). But besides representing a bit of elegance and class, as usual, there is a practical side to wooden hangers. Cedarwood is not only strong, but it helps to keep bugs away, it absorbs bad odors, and it is its own natural air freshener, bringing a wonderful, clean-air smell to your closet.

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Will those tiny holes in airplane windows cause us to crash?

No, it was not a small gremlin that snuck into the plane and drilled those tiny holes in the windows as a way to sabotage your flight. While these holes may seem unnerving for those already panicked airline passengers, fear not, all is safe. To begin, the window is made of three layers with only the outer two layers being structural in nature. The middle pane contains the small hole known as the bleed hole, and this hole both helps to maintain air pressure between the outside and the cabin air, and it works to release any condensation that might fog up or freeze the windows.

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Chinese food containers

It’s no secret that, besides being tasty and inexpensive, Chinese food is incredibly convenient. All you have to do is grab up that menu from the front of your refrigerator, call your local restaurant, and order up some Chicken Chow Mein or Beef and Broccoli. But what’s even better is that you can enjoy your lunch or dinner just about anywhere you like thanks to these handy containers. Just undo the tabs that connect the four corners, and your food will simply blossom right before your eyes!

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Why not spread those condiments out?

Have you ever tried to use one of those skinny and short ketchup containers you get at your local mom and pop burger joint, and gotten frustrated by the difficulty it is to get effective ketchup coverage on your friend fries? Dipping gets you a tiny bit of ketchup on the tip of your fry and that can be infuriating! Do not fret as the solution is a simple one, just pull the container apart from each side and it will expand like an accordion allowing you to drench your French fries in ketchup till your heart’s content.

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The Solocup

Unless you’ve lived a sheltered life in a cave in the Andes mountains, you will recognize this next item, the Solo cup. The Solo cup has been a faithful companion to every drunk college kid, rave partier, and weekend barbequing dad for years. Did you know that, outside of its durable construction and bright red color, lies a practical measuring tool? Yes, each line represents the proper measurement for a particular alcoholic beverage including liquor, wine, and of course beer.

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The McFlurry Spoon

The first time you get a McFlurry ice cream from McDonald’s, you will notice an interesting detail regarding the handle of the spoon. It’s not your typical spoon with a thin handle designed for gaining adequate grip, it is a very awkward looking, over-sized boxy looking thing with a large hole in the middle and looks to be anything but practical or comfortable. But there is a practical purpose, the machine that makes this ice cream treat actually connects to the spoon, using it as a part of the mixing process.

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What’s with the hook on the shopping cart?

One of the things that I hate most while shopping is trying to avoid crushing my favorite 12-grain wheat bread, and my dozen, farm fresh eggs. Even if you have been using shopping carts for many years, there is a good chance that you missed this cool little feature, the small hooks that surround the cart. These are not a part of the aesthetics; they are there to provide you a place to hang your delicate food items so they do not get crushed by that gallon of milk.

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Black bands on audio plugs

Have you ever wondered what the deal is with those little black rings that go around the connector pins on audio jacks? They are not there for aesthetic reasons; they actually serve a vital purpose in the process of transmitting the audio signal. Each of these plugs is made up of different pins which need to be separated by these small, plastic rings. One pin carries the audio signal while the remaining pin works as a ground, which is important to prevent distortion and or interference.

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I’ll bet you didn’t know this; I sure didn’t!

If you’re like me, there’s a very good chance that you’ve enjoyed thousands of cold, soft drinks in your life. And if you are getting those soft-drinks at any of the go-to, fast-food franchises, it probably came with a paper cup, a plastic lid, and a straw (nowadays, that straw is usually paper☹). But there is one thing that is difficult to notice about those plastic lids, the three tiny bumps on the cover. All you have to do is remove the lid, lay it face up on the table, and place the cup on top for the perfect drink coaster.

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And you thought that drawer at the bottom of the over only held pans…

During the pandemic, many people were locked down in their homes and looking for things to do, and one of the activities that really jumped off on You Tube was cooking. You could learn all that you needed to become a quality chef, all by binging endless cooking shows. These shows would give you all kinds of little secret tricks, including the ability to use the bottom drawer of your oven, usually meant for pans, as an impromptu food warmer!

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Here’s a hidden feature you may not have thought of!

I’m not sure just how many times I’ve splashed milk all over the table when making my cereal in the morning. I just don’t get it. I try to slow things down, but nine times out of ten, I end up splashing milk on the side of the bowl, onto the table, and occasionally onto the floor. If I had only known this little hidden feature that all I have to do is hold the milk carton in the opposite direction than I normally would, and I could have avoided all those messy cleanups!

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Now that’s different

Okay look, we know that, if you do not want your desktop computer from going to sleep on you every time you step away for a few minutes, all you really have to do is go into your computer settings and change things so that it will never go to sleep. However, even though this next trick is a bit on the gimmicky side, it is still cool. All you have to do is take your Apple watch and place your laser mouse on top of it. The laser will read the watch as it tics along, and no more nighty night for your laptop.

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Here’s a little hidden feature for ya!

Everyone and their mother has been peeling bananas the same way from the beginning of time, right? You grab the stem at the top, separate it, and peel your way down. It seems like a tried a true method, but there is an alternative, and one that even the most famous connoisseurs of bananas, the monkey, knows instinctually. Rather than reaching for the top stem, turn the banana upside down and begin the peel from there. You’ll find this to be a much more convenient way and you’ll be enjoying your banana before you know it!

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