46 Everyday Things That People In This Thread Had To Relearn How To Do As They Were Doing Them Wrong

Growing up, I was under the impression that I was just one of those people who didn't like steak. Steaks in our family were all cooked the way my mom liked them: beyond dead, beyond well done, so they wouldn't moo. Then, a bf made me a steak medium. I tasted it and suddenly knew why people like steak!

PartyMcDie:

I had that experience with fish. My mother and all my aunts (her sisters) all grew up learning that fish should be cooked properly through. And a little bit more just in case the center was raw somehow. I had a piece of halibut in a restaurant, and it was a delightful revelation because it was so tender! Didn’t feel like sticky gum between my teeth.

LumpyWelder4258:

Same with veggies. They were cooked to mush.

The top of traditional stoves come up like a car hood so you can clean under the burners. My mom always complained I was never cleaning under there well enough but either didn't know or didn't show me that the top comes up.

mycatpartyhouse:

And many oven doors have unlatchable hinges so you can remove the door, clean your oven more comfortably, and replace the door in a stable configuration. Read your instructions for use, people!

OrphanGold:

You can also take the door apart with a couple of screws (usually near the top inside) and clean the glass on the inside. (Things I learned cleaning rental units for my landlord.)

I was 27 years old when my ex bought crumpets while we were shopping. I didn't understand why she would enjoy them.

When we got home, I learned you're supposed to toast them. They are indeed very good toasted.

27 years eating crumpets raw. G*****n it.

Edit: a very good question was asked, and the answer is for some reason my parents kept them reasonably often available. But I never saw anyone actually eat them. They both worked a lot, and me and my sister would get our own snacks of an afternoon. Sometimes I'd be hungry, and there would be nothing in the house to eat except whatever was being prepped for dinner that night, so I'd rummage around and fund these crumpets and be like, "well, these f*****g suck to eat, but I'm hungry so I guess they're better than nothing" and I'd have one.

I never bought them myself as an adult, because I thought they were terrible. I did, however, occasionally visit my parents and... well, then I'd feel bad about eating their other food, but sometimes I'd see these s****y crumpets in their kitchen and be like, "well nobody else seems to eat these stupid things, and I'm hungry, so I may as well have one so they're not wasted"

Truly, my ex opened my eyes to something wonderful that day.

chmath80:

Ok, it's been 4 hours, and nobody else has addressed the elephant in the room: you clearly, and unsurprisingly, don't like raw crumpets... So why tf would you keep eating them for 27 years?

OP:

Asked and answered my friend. As a kid, lack of choice. As an adult.... I think probably because I'm a dumba*s.

The bumpy side of the Bobby pin goes against your head, not the flat side. They somehow both stay in better and feel more comfortable now??

buttery_orc:

I found out a few years ago, but when I thought about it, it really made sense. Because those "fancy" ones, the bobby pin with like a cute flower or whatever? the bumpy side is alsways the side that goes against your head, because the flat side is glued to the decoration part.

littleone281:

You can also lock the bobby pins together by sliding two bobby pins bumpy sides together.

Ceiling fans have a switch for summer and winter spins.

thatsaSagittarius:

Counterclockwise in summer and clockwise in winter. It’s usually like a small black sliding button on the fan itself.

Sharonsboytoy:

FYI, some of us with pets and light colored ceilings never use the winter mode, as the fan will push dirt and dust toward the ceiling, leaving a circular mark. We have several pets, and have learned the hard way.

I learned I've been shampooing wrong my whole life until a couple weeks ago.

I used to get a pump of shampoo and put it on top of my head and massage around.

Now I get the pump of shampoo, lather it in my hands, and then lift sections of my hair and massage the roots. Hair feels cleaner and less tangly because I don't do a lather ball from the top.

mcdonaldsfrenchfri:

I actually get a better lather the second time! I feel like the first shampoo is to get any product out and top layer of oils then the second wash is really cleaning. My first wash never lathers well I think because of the product and oils.

The numbers on the toaster are for minutes. My whole life I thought they were different levels of toastiness.

Washing towels without fabric softener. Fabric softener ruins the absorbency of the towels and can’t soak up all the water. Leaving a light water film that’s annoying until it air dries.

No-Secret-9073:

Wash your towels with a cup of vinegar instead of fabric softener.

God, this isn't me doing something wrong, exactly, but a misunderstanding I had no thought to challenge. It never came up in conversation in my entire life (I'm 45). And apparently, I have been wrong my entire life about the stupidest thing: water polo.

I learned literally today, 8/15/25, that water polo is not played with the players on horseback, playing actual polo but in water up to, like, the bottom edge of the horse's thighs, to make it harder for everyone, including for some reason, the horse.

My son and my partner were both just aghast at my insane idea, and when they explained it to me that there were no horses involved in water polo, I absolutely lost my mind.

I reminded them that I grew up poor, and was also a crazy person, and that made everything make sense somehow.

That hard-boiled eggs are easy peasy to peel if you crack them under a running tap or in a bowl of water and let some of the water inside.

All my life I've done this without water, with chunks of egg white always coming apart with the shell.

Luneowl:

I put them in a mason jar with a little water, screw on a lid and give the jar a few good shakes. That mostly peels the eggs.

Not really doing it wrong, but I’m 36 and I just found out 2-3 years ago that I will not get severe stomach cramps and die of drowning if I swim directly after eating.

Kitchen-Bad5234:

I used to believe as a kid (that played instruments in school) I had to wait 30 minutes after eating to practice trumpet. I think I might’ve made it up to tell my parents and then convinced myself 🤣

There’s a filter on your washing machine and it needs to be cleaned every so often. I knew about dryer lint, but nobody told me that the washer has a filter as well.

Wonderful-Ad-6830:

Same with the dishwasher. My MIL was talking about cleaning the filter in the dishwasher recently and I was like "whutttt?". Checked for mine when I got home and cleaned it out. It's pretty gross.

I just learned when you double knot your shoelaces you can pull the long lace ends really hard and they come untied. I’d been trying to awkwardly pick the knots apart with my fingernails for years.

lumihand:

I started running and had to learn how to tie my shoes so the knot doesn’t come undone so easily. Apparently I never learned how to tie my shoes properly for over 30 years. how to tie your shoes

Last week on Reddit I learned that people wash their produce. I fully just spray it off with my sprayer before eating it or cooking it. I don’t even dry it off or scrub it at all just run water over it. I had no idea fruit was dirty and yes I realize how deeply stupid I am now.

Spare_Objective9697:

If you’re buying produce from any big box store you will NEED to wash it. I installed some safety equipment in the distribution centers for a large chain. The floors are disgustingly dirty and all the dirt debris gets kicked up into the produce. Also, people (order pickers) are driving around hocking loogies and boogers and lord knows what else, while they are driving around picking orders. Please always wash your produce. I use Theives Vegetable wash.

orangelemonman:

I dunk it in water either a little vinegar. Vinegar is really good at k***ing mold so it helps my produce last way longer.

Not something I did but something i didn’t know. I learned that Washington is completely seperate from Washington DC. I knew DC wasn’t above me but I don’t think i realized Washington was even where it is. And ofc I hear Washington DC, so I think Washington state. I'm a stupid californian who believes that nothing else is real but California, Nevada, and New York, pretty much. Maybe Florida.

I've always been s**t when it comes to geography.

ZeGermansAreHere:

Wait until you hear about New Mexico...

Not recently, but it was well into my adulthood before I finally realized I had been wearing my d**n pants wrong all my life. I had been wearing them on my hips, rather than my waist. I always had issues with them falling down and my buttcrack being perpetually visible. I needed to fasten my belt ridiculously tight.

One day I got sick of it and just hiked them way up, and instantly it felt right. Suddenly pants finally made sense to me.

mcdonaldsfrenchfri:

I mean low-rise was extremely popular in the late 90s early 2000s haha.

I recently discovered that when blowing your nose you shouldn't squeeze it, just hold the tissue lightly around your nose and then blow. I was squeezing my nose, so not a lot would come out and would often have to use up to 10 tissues to get a sensation that my nose is finally clear. It somehow never occurred to me that squeezing your nose would make it harder for stuff to come out of it. I'm 22 btw, learned it last year. Better late than never, I guess.

UnluckyLuke87:

You should squeeze one nostril at a time to increase the air pressure on the remaining one, and alternate blowing either.

OP:

Yeah, I was mindblown when I figured it out, life changing experience for me tbh

I was I think 37 when I realized I’ve always spelled “hundred” on checks as “houndred”. I’ve literally paid houndreds of dollars that way. The bad part is I knew how to spell it correctly but for some reason when writing a check I would write it wrong.

One of my closest friends’ car broke down when it had around 100,000 miles on it. The mechanic told him the engine was ruined and showed him the oil, which was a thick, black sludge. The mechanic asked how long it had been since he’d changed it, and my friend said, “wait—you have to change the oil?”.

Tangy_Fetus_1958:

I just started changing my own oil again after years and of going to one of those “5-minute” places where it never takes five minutes, it always ends up way more expensive than you expect, and they always try to upsell you air filters and wiper blades. The new Mobil 1 oil I used says you can go 20,000 miles between changes (dang!), though I’m not gonna do anywhere near that.

Brushing my hair. As a kid I only had short hair because that's what my mom wanted me to have, and when I grew it out as a teen, I didn't know how to brush it so I'd brush straight down from my scalp to ends in one go, and you can guess what happens. Split ends and pulled out hair. I just thought it was what you had to deal with when you had long hair. I was 28?when my mom saw me brush my hair after going swimming and she stopped me and asked what the heck I was doing. I was never taught how to brush my hair correctly. Now I try to do it the right way, but often catch my self ripping that brush through my hair.