There’s items we use almost on a daily basis that feel like they have no more secrets for us. We know what it’s for, why it’s designed the way it is and what the dozens of possible variants are. It’s easy to feel confident about knowing all you need to know about it. That’s a dangerous trap to fall into however, because even everyday objects still have a lot of secrets that many people aren’t aware of. You’d almost think more effort went into their design than assumed!
Let’s take a look at some commonly used things that have functions we were barely aware of. It’ll be fun, promise.
Margins on Notebooks
Margins on notebooks are easy, right? They give you a nice line to start writing so your text is properly centered. But that’s not why margins were invented at all. In fact, they were meant to protect important texts from rats and mice, since apparently they stop eating paper at the red line.
V-Shaped Stitch on Shirts
This may seem like nothing more than a weird fashion choice that has somehow survived the test of time, but this V-shaped stitch has one of the most important functions of your entire shirt: it collects sweat. The only reason why it isn’t used in all clothing these days is because our fabrics are a lot lighter now so we sweat less, and it’s an easy way to cut on production costs.
Baby Onesie Folds
The onesie fold has one purpose that makes life easier for many parents: it allows the onesie to be put on over the legs instead of over the head. Not having to traumatize your child when you’re putting its first clothes on seems like a pretty good deal, no?
Plastics on Smartphones
As you probably all know, smartphones these days are made almost purely out of metal. There’s a few tiny plastic details on the sides which look like they’re just an aesthetics thing, but they’re actually the whole reason your phone works. The radio wave signals can’t pass through metal, so without this little bit of plastic your phone would simply not be able to connect to anything.
Backpack Whistle
That’s right, backpacks have built-in whistles. Well, not all do. But if you have one like the one in the picture with the weird-shaped buckle – that’s a whistle. You never know when this thing may save your life, so be sure to remember it and look out for it when you’re buying a new backpack.
Credit Card Kitchen Aid
As dumb as this sounds, a credit card can be very useful in the kitchen. You can use the embossed numbers to grate cheese and you can use the card itself to slice your way through a piece of cake. And let’s be honest – if you have cake and grated cheese, that’s 90% of the kitchen work done.
Black Mesh on the Microwave
I bet you’ve always wondered why every microwave has that atrocious black mesh on the screen. It’s actually there to protect us from the harmful microwaves. The fact that afterwards we eat food that was made by those harmful microwaves is sadly something the black mesh can do nothing about.
