30 Everyday Things With ‘Hidden’ Features People Probably Don’t Know About

Today, I invite you to become a hacker. Don’t worry, we won’t be breaking into forbidden government databases and stealing top secret files. Nothing criminal will come out of this. (At least I hope.)

We will be overriding common objects that most of you probably already have somewhere around you.

Bored Panda searched through the internet and gathered people’s descriptions of the alternative uses they came up with for everyday household items. For example, did you know that spoons are perfect for peeling ginger?

If you own something, you might as well make the most out of it.

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In the U.S., a highway with an even number goes east-west, a highway with an odd number goes north-south. A three-digit highway number is a spur if it starts with an odd number. (A spur doesn’t reconnect to the main highway.) If it starts with an even number it’s a loop around or through a city that will eventually reconnect with the main highway. Highway numbers increase from west to east (odd numbers) and from south to north (even numbers.) A highway number divisible by five is a major highway designed for cross-country travel. I know with the ubiquity of GPS, these facts aren’t too relevant, but I thought it was cool that there’s a logic to it. (Autistic-me likes highways. My wife just *loves* taking long car rides with me.)

To learn why it pays off to look at the world from different angles, we contacted the author of Lazy Creativity and creator of an online community for anyone looking for resources to become a more creative person, Kyle Bernier.

“At its core, creativity is problem-solving,” he told Bored Panda. “No matter what job you have, problem solving is a big part of the work.”

“If you search ‘creativity’ online you’ll get different definitions, but you’ll often receive information about how creativity isn’t necessarily about creating something or forming new ideas, but is instead a process of drawing new conclusions by putting together pieces in a novel way. That’s what problem-solving is and it is a universal tool.”

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Put on airplane mode when playing games on your phone and ads won’t play.

Bernier also said that creativity allows us to escape the monotony of everyday life.

“It’s a change from the same old routine: some days it can be really hard to think about anything other than work, family, money, and all the miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done to keep things afloat. By choosing creativity and making space for it, we have moments where we’re free to think about something else,” the writer, designer, and all-around creative explained.

“We’re free to feel something else, and that’s reward enough many days. Once you choose to accept creativity as an intentional part of your routine, you begin to think about everything differently. Suddenly, things aren’t quite as black and white. You discover new ways of looking at problems, scenarios, and relationships. It can bleed into your work and your relationships, for the better.”

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White vinegar: if you add it to your laundry it takes out every bad smell you can possibly have on your clothes Edit pt. 2: to answer common questions, you can use as much as you’d like, but anywhere from the same amount as the detergent to a cup will do the trick for average size loads. Add it in where you put the detergent, if there is such a place, if not, add it when the washer is filling up with water/when you add detergent. The vinegar smell will not linger, it’ll wash away with all the other gross smells.

Psychologist Robert Epstein, Ph.D., highlighted that stress is a well-known creativity killer and time constraints are another. But he also said there’s no real evidence that one person is inherently more creative than another, and that creativity is something anyone can cultivate. If it’s something you want to try out, Epstein recommends that you:

• Capture your new ideas. Keep an idea notebook or voice recorder with you, type in new thoughts on your laptop or write ideas down on a napkin;
• Seek out challenging tasks. Take on projects that don’t necessarily have a solution—such as trying to figure out how to make your dog fly or how to build a perfect model of the brain. This causes old ideas to compete, which helps generate new ones;
• Broaden your knowledge. Take a class outside psychology or read journals in unrelated fields, suggests Epstein. This makes more diverse knowledge available for interconnection, he says, which is the basis for all creative thought. “Ask for permission to sit in on lectures for a class on 12th century architecture and take notes,” he suggests. “You’ll do better in psychology and life if you broaden your knowledge.”
• Surround yourself with interesting things and people. Regular dinners with diverse and interesting friends and a work space festooned with out-of-the-ordinary objects will help you develop more original ideas, Epstein says. You can also keep your thoughts lively by taking a trip to an art museum or attending an opera—anything that stimulates new thinking.

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if your sink is clogged up pour as much baking soda in it as you can and then rinse with vinegar. It works better than store bought de-clogging chemicals and is way cheaper.

A lot of good can come out from fostering your creativity. “Most people use their words to describe how they feel,” Kyle Bernier said. “Most greetings have a ‘How are you?’ attached to them. We’re asked, ‘How was your day?’ or ‘What’s new with you?’ Creativity is a way to express how we’re feeling without having to verbalize anything or use any words.”

Bernier deeply believes that the art of creating is a therapeutic act in and of itself. “It’s growth through creation,” he said. “If you’ve ever gone onto a self-help website, you know that exercise is recommended to maintain a healthy state of mind and that even ten minutes of walking per day can have incredible impacts. Creativity is the same way. Find your creative equivalent to ten minutes of walking and make time for it each day. You’ll find that the benefits of doing so are almost immediately noticeable.”

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You can use scissors to cut food. Waffles, steak, cheese, biscuits ect. Also a pizza cutter works great for waffles and pancakes. I cut food up for my young kids so I use scissors in the kitchen all the time.

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In my office, it’s happened more than once….someone wrote on the whiteboard with permanent marker. You can wipe and spray anything in there, and it’s really permanent. If you take a dry erase marker, and simply scribble over the permanent marker writing, it wipes right off like a dry erase marker.

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You can view any subreddit with pictures as a slideshow by adding a “p” after “reddit’ in the address. For example, www.redditp.com/r/funny

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NAIL POLISH 1. Secure a screw. Tighten loose screws on cabinets or pot handles by brushing some clear nail polish on screw threads. Insert the screw and let dry before using again. (Bonus – polish also keeps them from rusting.) 2. Stop tarnish. Keep costume jewelry from turning black with a coat of clear polish. 3. Seal an envelope. Worried about whether the glue will hold? Brush polish on the underside of the flap. 4. Mend a screen. Stop a small hole (no bigger than 1/3 inch in diameter) from getting any bigger by brushing a little clear nail polish over the spot. 5. Smooth a hanger. If there are rough edges on wooden or plastic hangers that could snag clothes, don’t throw the hangers out. Just brush polish over the imperfections.

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You can use an elastic band as grip and open any jar. Alternatively, you can use an elastic band as grip to seal any jar so tight that no one would be able to open it without one ;D it’s nice to have someone come to you to help open a jar lol

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TOOTHPASTE 1. Remove crayon marks. Squirt a small dab of non-gel toothpaste on the wall where the mark is. Rub gently with a soft cloth, then rinse with warm water. 2. Deodorize hands. Can’t get garlic or onion odor off your hands? Wash them with a blob of toothpaste. 3. Whiten sneakers. Clean rubber soles by rubbing scuff marks with an old toothbrush and non-gel toothpaste. 4. Buff a DVD. Get rid of light scratches by squeezing a little non-gel toothpaste onto a cotton ball. Wipe over the DVD from the center out to the edge. Rinse with water and dry with a non-abrasive, lint-free cloth – all gone. 5. Defog goggles. Coat the inside of swimming goggles with toothpaste, then wipe off. They’ll be crystal clear.

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Spoons are perfect to peel ginger. Trust me go try it!

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Chrome has so many shortcuts you barely need a mouse. * Ctrl+t opens a new tab
* Ctrl+Shift+t opens a previously closed tab. You can hit it multiple times to open multiple closed tabs.
* Ctrl+w closes your current tab.
* Ctrl+n opens a new window
* Ctrl+shift+n opens a new incognito window
* Ctrl+tab switches you to the tab on the right of the current active one (and loops around).
* Ctrl+shift+tab switches to the tab on the left of the current active tab
* Ctrl+number switches to that numbered tab, counting from the left.
* Ctrl+r refreshes the page
* Ctrl+f5 force refreshes the page. This disables caching, which can help with pages that might have changed but aren’t updating.
* Alt+d selects the address bar so you can quickly go to a new URL.

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SALT 1. Veggie wash. Remove dirt from greens like spinach, arugula and kale by swirling them around in a bowl of salt water. 2. Keep windows frost-free. Rub the inside of windows with a sponge dipped in salt water and frost won’t collect. 3. Banish bubbles. Get rid of excess suds when handwashing garments in the sink or doing the dishes by sprinkling them with a pinch of salt. 4. Clean a greasy pan. Shaking a little salt on the pan before washing absorbs most of the grease. 5. Fix a sticky iron. To remove gunk spots, sprinkle a little salt on a piece of brown paper and run the hot iron over it. Repeat if necessary. 6. Remove water marks from wood surfaces. Make water marks disappear by making a paste of salt and cooking oil. Gently rub the paste onto the ring with a sponge; let sit for a few minutes. Wipe with a soft cloth and polish as usual.

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Suit pockets are real, but are most likely stitched up to preserve jacket shape during display and transport. You can unpick them and use them as usual. But anything heavier than a credit card will distort the suit faster and you’ll look average. Edit: as people keep pointing out, you *should* cut the threads that hold the vents together on the back. The vents are there so you can move around and sit comfortably, and also to help regulate body temperature. Leaving them done up lets you do none of those things and looks silly.

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The funny shoulders on baby onsies are there to let you pull the garment down and off so when the kid has a blowout, you don’t have to pull it over their head.

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A dollar bill is pretty close to 6″ long (6.14 to be exact) if you ever need a quick reference for measurement. I’ve done this more than a few times.

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Use nail clippers to cut through zip-ties and other plastic bindings on new toy packages. Because sometimes scissors just won’t… um… cut it.

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Most metal shopping carts in the U.S. have round notches in the frame that you can use to hang bags of groceries outside the cart.

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DRYER SHEETS 1. Deodorize shoes. Tuck a dryer sheet into smelly sneakers or shoes (gum bags and suitcases too!) over night to eliminate odors. 2. Clean stuck-on gunk. Put a fresh sheet in a pan with baked-on food and fill with water. Let sit for a few hours and the food will easily wipe away. 3. Freshen up the shower. Rub shower doors and walls with a wet sheet to remove minderal deposits and soap scum. 4. Ease sewing. Run a threaded needle through a sheet before sewing; it helps keep thread from tangling. 5. Tame hair. Calm static electricity and flyaways by quickly running a dryer sheet over unruly hair.

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The car rear view mirror has a prism that you can turn with the flipper to dull the reflection of high beams.

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CORN STARCH 1. Slide rubber gloves on and off. Sprinkle inside gloves before you put them on so they won’t stick. 2. Freshen you feet. Shake a bit into socks to absorb moisture and help prevent blisters. 3. Get cooking grease off a wall. Put on a cloth and rub the spot until the mark is gone. 4. Squelch a squeaky floor. Sprinkle a little between the boards to quiet it down. 5. Detangle a knot. Rub some into stubborn knots in shoelaces, string, chain necklaces, etc. Works like magic.

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The zipper on most jeans locks in place if you flip the tab downward.

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I don’t know how many people know this but it always comes in handy for me.
If you accidently close a browser tab press Ctrl+shift+t and it brings it back.

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COFFEE FILTERS 1. Clean mirrors, windows and wine glasses. Put your hand inside like a mitt and wipe. Filters are lint-free and leave no streaks. 2. Catch drips and crumbles. Have kids use for cookies and other messy foods. Pop ice cream sticks through a hole in the bottom. 3. Line flowerpots. Put a filter inside the pot to stop soil from leaking through the drainage holes on the bottom. 4. Protect your china. Keep your best dishes chip and scratch free by putting a filter between each piece when stacking. 5. Save the wine after you’ve broken the cork. If you pour the wine through a filter, you’ll catch the lost pieces of cork.

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Vaseline is not only good for for dry skin and chapped lips, it can also help remove scuffs from dress shoes

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CHALK 1. Remove stains. Mark ring-around-the collar stains heavily with chalk before washing. The dust helps absorb the oils, making the stain easier to clean. 2. Stop varnish. Wrap chalk in cheesecloth and store with silverware. It absorbs moisture and helps prevent tarnishing. 3. Steady a screwdriver. Rub chalk over the handle of a screwdriver to prevent slipping. 4. Keep ants out. If ants are trotting into your house, draw chalk lines around their entry points. Many chalks contain calcium carbonate, which ants don’t like. 5. Hide cracks. Cover hairline cracks in walls until you’re ready to paint by rubbing over them with a matching color.

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HAIR DRYER 1. Remove crayon marks or wax spills. Blow-dry the stain on high heat until the wax melts, then wipe it up with a sponge. 2. “Iron” out plastic tablecloth or shower curtain. Hot air on plastic relaxes pesky wrinkles. Be sure the hold drying 12″ away. 3. Set frosting or icing. Want your cake or cookies to look perfect? Cool air helps harden icing; hot air brightens a dull glaze. 4. Unstick a photo. Blow warm air on the back of the photo album page while working the photo on the other side free. 5. Dust hard-to-reach places. Point a dryer set on cool at those shelves and corners, and blow the dust right off.

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The ends of boxes of tin foil and plastic wrap have tabs you can depress to hold the tube in the box while dispensing.

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Large paper clips make great collar stays for men’s dress shirts.

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if pipes in your bathroom are full of hair use a long strong zip tie and cut the edges on an angle. Makes a great fishing device to get all that hair out.

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