29 Surprising Features On Common Things That Are Not Widely Known

Peeling an orange doesn’t have to be hard and messy. If you cut the top and bottom off and then make a cut on its side, it will unroll in a nice line of orange segments.

When heating up food in the microwave, make sure to create a small hole in the middle. This way the heat will distribute evenly and your meal will all be the same temperature.

On the back of your makeup products, you can often find numbers like: "6M", "12M" or "24M". They represent the life of the product on your shelf after opening. So in the above example, you have about 12 months to use this face cream before you should think about throwing it out and replacing it.

After you’ve made your smoothie you have to wash that blender. It can be difficult and, no matter how hard you try, the smell of the ingredients can stay for a long time. But there is a very simple way to get your blender perfectly clean. After making your smoothie, just pour some water in it, add a splash of dishwashing liquid, blend it, and it will wash itself. All you need to do now is just rinse it off.

Nearly every stapler has two functions! The more common setting bends the staple back onto itself, ensuring that your papers will be held together tight. But if you rotate the base plate, the staple will bend outward, which is meant to be used for a looser hold that you can more easily remove later.

If you pour milk from the other side of the carton there’s less milk sloshing around and it’s easier to hold it steady. It may seem weird, but give it a try and see how it works.

Sure, you can use the button to replace a missing one and you can use the piece of fabric to patch up a hole. But they're actually there so you can test how the fabric reacts to different detergents.

Toothpaste ads usually show a gorgeous dollop of toothpaste that runs along the entire length of the brush, but the truth is that you only need a pea-sized amount to get your teeth clean. The ads feature larger amounts for the sake of aesthetics and to encourage you to use up more product.

Wooden hangers were created with a specific purpose in mind. The specific type of wood used in most hangers is hand-selected to repel moths and other unwanted insects and pests that can harm clothing. The wood in the hanger helps make sure that clothes are not only unwrinkled, but that they stay undamaged while they are hanging out in closets.

The arrow points to the side of the car your gas cap can be found on. If your car is older, or doesn't have an arrow, the direction of the fuel hose sometimes indicates where the gas cap can be found.

There are loops on shopping carts that can be used to hold your grocery bags, keep them upright if they have fragile items, or store extra if you’ve got a lot of groceries.

The limited space inside a microwave has always been inconvenient when you want to have a meal together with your friend or partner. It would be easier and more convenient if you could prepare both meals at the same time. Most of us don’t realize that the whole space in the microwave is good for heating, even above the spinning plate. To heat 2 plates at once, simply put the first plate on the microwave platter pushed to one side, then place an upside-down coffee mug next to it and place the second plate on top of the mug.

Wet a paper towel, wrap it around any warm drink, and put it in the freezer. It’ll be cold in literally 5-10 minutes!

There is a thing inside the lid that's designed to get just one piece out. Flip the box, then turn it on its side, and open, there should be one Tik Tac sitting in its place.

If you need to step away from your computer, place your laser mouse over the top of your analog watch. The mouse will read the ticking of the second or minute hand and will keep your computer active, so you don’t have to retype your password.

Use a staple remover to remove keys from key rings instead of abusing your nails.

Isn't it annoying when you need to use foil, often the whole roll comes out. There’s a simple solution right there on the box, it even says: “Press Ends To Lock Roll” and that’s exactly what it does. If you look on the sides of the box, you will see the little grips, you just push them in and they hold the roll in place.

Most people peel their banana from the top part, which is wrong. The best way to peel a banana is from the bottom, so you don’t squeeze the fruit. In fact, monkeys apparently figured this out a long time ago.

It's called a lash tab, and it's there for you to attach whatever you'd like to your bag. For instance, a hiker could lash a sleeping roll to their bag using the lash tab. Originally, it was added to bags to carry tools like axes.

Use the rearview mirror tab to stave off those bright lights. Next time some guy has his high beams on and blinds you through your rearview mirror, remember to press down on the tab of your rearview mirror, so it angles down. That way, the light reflects downwards without impacting your field of vision.
On manual tilt versions, a tab is used to adjust the mirror between “day” and “night” positions. In the day view position, the front surface is tilted, and the reflective back side gives a strong reflection.