16 Useful Features That We Overlooked But Seem Obvious Now

Some products are designed so strategically that they’re even too smart for us to pick up on. There are everyday objects in this world that we have been using incorrectly for years, and now we’re here to tell you how you can use these hidden design features to make your life a whole lot easier.

Reddit users asked the question, “what’s something you realized you’ve been doing wrong for years?” and the responses came flooding in. Keep reading to see if you identify with any of the responses.

How The Staple Staples

“Using a staple remover.

I always used them to “bite” the long side of the staple and just kind of tear it through the paper to remove it. I didn’t realize you can use the teeth of the staple remover to “bite” the crimped side and kind of straighten the crimped side back out and then bite the long side and the staple will come back out the holes it made.” —slider728

The Truth About The Grain

“When I was a kid, I complained to my mother that it was too hard to cut through my pork chop. My mother told me to turn the pork chop sideways and cut with the grain of the meat, so that it would cut easier.

While technically true (it is easier to cut the meat that way) it was a good 15-20 years before I realized that is the wrongest way to cut meat. Steakhouses give you a knife with a horking big handle and a serrated blade because you want to cut across the muscle fibers of a steak. Your teeth are tearing and cutting the meat when you eat it, so you want your teeth to be “cutting with the grain”; use the knife to saw across the grain for more tender bites!” —RodeoBob

The Steamy Solution

“When we were dating my wife made me dinner one night, and included roasted brussels sprouts. That was the night I learned I’d been cooking (steaming) vegetables wrong for 15 years.” —Fluxxxed0

Steaming can be a quick and easy way to prepare your veggies, but it’s not always the tastiest.

How To Flip A Grilled Cheese

“Flipping a grilled cheese in the pan. For decades I’ve been plopping it over with the spatula and hoping for the best (sandwich usually comes apart).

Saw a video where the person lifts the sandwich straight up, flips the pan on top of the sandwich, and turns it all at once.”—ChaseDonovan

Spacing Issues

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily ‘wrong’ from a technical standpoint, but I would type two spaces after a period all the way up to college, lol.

I didn’t even realize it wasn’t really the normal thing to do until one of my classmates brought it up to me. I remember specifically being taught that two spaces was the correct way to end/start a sentence in elementary school, too.” —sasqartch

Can Opener Problems

“Opening cans with a manual can opener. I’m left-handed so I would put the opener on the side, reverse it around so my right hand was in a strange position to turn it with my left hand…

Turns out you open them from the top so that was way too many years of stupid.” —Xerokine

Brush Your Teeth Properly

“I’ve been brushing my teeth in a way that makes my gums recede for about 25 years.

I finally realized that this was wrong at my last dental checkup.” —Matt6642

How To Peel A Banana

“When I realized that you peel a banana NOT from the stem side but from the bottom. You just squeeze the bottom a little and the peel separates and it’s easy.

I learned this by seeing a chimpanzee do it.” —Gen-jinjur

The Ceiling Fan Trick

Did you know that you can actually use your ceiling fan to heat your house in the winter?

You can switch it to turn clockwise so all the heat that rises to the ceiling is pushed back down.

An iPhone Emergency

iPhones have so many cool features built into them.

If you rapidly press the power button, it will sound an alarm, and if you don’t press the cancel button right away, it will automatically contact 911 for you.

The Sharp Bit On Medicine Caps

Why do medicine caps have that sharp pointy bit in them? It’s simple. That’s to pierce the foil seal underneath the cap the first time you open the medication.

It’s to save you from having to use a knife or a pin.

Bumpy Keyboards

Have you ever noticed that the F and J keys on your keyboard have little bumps or raised lines on them?

That’s so you can easily find the home row when you’re typing really quickly.

The Genius Of Baby Onesies

Have you ever noticed that baby onesies have flaps right at the shoulders?

That’s so you can easily pull down the whole garment if (AKA when) the baby has a poop explosion.

Beer Bottle Design

Beer bottles are actually shaped like beer bottles for a reason.

It turns out that the long neck gives you something to hold onto so the warmth from your hand doesn’t warm up the beer.

The Holes In Kitchen Sheers

You know those weird holes in kitchen sheers just above the handles? Have you always wondered what those are for?

It’s so you can pull herbs through and get them off of their stems.

The Gas Gauge

A lot of people reported not knowing that you can actually look at the gas gauge on your dashboard to figure out which side your gas port is on.

That is really great information to have.