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Even the biggest discoveries can happen by accident. So it's only natural that many of the world's famous products were created for one purpose but people found them useful for a completely different task.

In an attempt to learn about as many of these cases as they could, Redditor u/ljchazal posted a question on the platform, asking other users, "What products serve a better purpose than what they were designed for?" And everyone immediately started submitting their answers.

As of this article, there are 14K comments under the post, many of which provide surprising insights into such things as talcum powder or botox. Bored Panda went through them all and handpicked a selection we believe is worthy of your time. Enjoy.

#1

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Press and Seal sucks for food use in my experience, but we use it to apply numbing cream on my son's chest at home before he gets blood drawn from his port at the oncology clinic each week. It holds the cream in place and adheres to his skin well enough that the film doesn't get dislodged by the seat belt on the ride to the hospital. It comes off painlessly, which is not the case for any medical films we have tried. It's a strange little miracle in the pediatric oncology world.

Cancermom1010101010 , wikimedia Report

There are many approaches to creating a product. So to find out more about these practices, we contacted Chris Lefteri who's recognized throughout the world as a leading authority on materials and their application in design.

"In my work, the process starts with researching and finding materials and because it's about bringing material innovation to my clients, it's essential that we understand what the material can achieve and start designing from that," the creator of FixIts, a reusable bioplastic stick that is revolutionizing repairs and the fight against unnecessary waste and product obsolescence, told Bored Panda.

"If you play with materials, pull them apart and ask them what they want to be, then they will give you the answers. It's much more effective than designing products and then trying to fit a material into something you have already designed."

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#2

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones The royal dansk danish cookie container, used by many for storing sewing/ knitting supplies

JanDiPyo , openfoodfacts Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

why is this an international thing? we do this here in africa too, and yes, with royal danish.

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Trying to determine whether or not a particular design is good, many turn to Dieter Rams and his '10 commandments.' According to Rams, good design is innovative, makes a product useful, is aesthetic, makes a product understandable, is unobtrusive, is honest, is long-lasting, is thorough down to the last detail, is environmentally friendly, and involves as little design as possible.

But can we say that something is inherently bad because people found a new use for it? One that wasn't foreseen by the manufacturer?

"I love products that are misused!" Lefteri said. "People do it all the time, the back of a chair to hang clothes, a brick to hold open a door, an upturned pot as a step to reach. It's inspiring to see creativity applied in this way. My product FixIts, which is a moldable plastic that can be reused again and again, was created exactly with this in mind. It lets consumers find their own uses and be creative in how to make, mold, and mend."

#3

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Amputee here. VR systems have been shown to reduce phantom pain. The proprioceptive illusion of a VR system is similar to mirror therapy but more effective.

Low_notes_z06 , flickr Report

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My Name Is Mars
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

VR is also being used to help those who suffer from chronic pain and it looks quite promising. That gives me hope as a 40 year old who's suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 6 and Adult Onset Still's Disease as well as fibromyalgia. Some days my pain is so intense I can hardly get out of bed much less be productive in any significant way.

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Taking a broader look, Lefteri thinks that it's more and more important that we find new ways to use materials and products since the global community needs to really think about the impact we all make on our planet. "If you can reuse something rather than throwing it away then that's far better than it ending up in a landfill," Lefteri added.

And he's right. Every year, we dump a massive 2.12 billion tons of waste into the Earth — if we put all of it on trucks, they would circle the world 24 times.

Garbage is dumped on land-based dumpsites or in the oceans and include:

  • Construction waste;
  • Industrial waste;
  • Household waste;
  • Plastic waste;
  • Electronic waste;
  • Radioactive waste;
  • Sewage;
  • Run-off waste (fertilizers, pesticides, and oil from, for example, farms running off into groundwater, rivers, oceans).

We need to do better.

#4

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Sugar free gummy bears would be better marketed as gummy laxatives

Reasonable_Roger , flickr Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yes, that's because they contain maltelol. Your body can't digest it, so it gets rid of it asap. Any sugar-free sweet ("candy") with maltlilol will do this.

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#5

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Tampons were invented to plug bullet wounds and bloody noses. Then the nurses started using them to plug a different bloody hole.

oneburntwitch , pexels Report

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Spacey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tampons are a medical and hygiene necessity. So why are they taxed?

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#6

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Shaving cream, the super foamy cheap kind, cleans glass shower doors better than any cleaner!

WateringBird , flickr Report

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#7

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Congested? Vicks Vapor Rub. Cough? Vicks Vapor Rub. Headache? Vicks Vapor Rub. Squeaky door hinge? Vicks Vapor Rub. Dry skin? Vicks Vapor Rub. Anything stuck? Vicks Vapor Rub.

Steiger92 , flickr Report

#8

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones I was prescribed a diabetes medication called Metformin, despite not having diabetes, which helped me to fall pregnant after almost 1.5 years of unexplained infertility so that’s pretty cool.

maps_mandalas , pexels Report

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September Meadows
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Metformin, have to take it twice a day for my diabetes. Read that they suspect it's a longevity miracle drug, tests are ongoing but only if you're not diabetic. smh 😔

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#9

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones There's a prostate drug that my wife's doctor prescribed her for passing kidney stones. It relaxes the ureter, which let her pass the stones, which made surgery or other options unnecessary. I thought that was pretty neat.

Also, doc gave her another drug to lower her blood pressure (beta blocker), which reduced her anxiety almost immediately. All the time I've known her, she's been a nervous wreck over the most mundane things. Now she lives normally. She became a different person instantly. I could always see the shell she lived in and now it's broken away and gone. She's the person I saw behind the shell. Amazing.

Lebatolol (the BB) and flomax for the kidney stones.

ImJustSo , flickr Report

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Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beta blockers are listed as approved for anxiolytic use, it's listed in the medication leaflet. Is this a "different depending on country" based thing?

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#10

There used to be a rat poison that would make the blood in the vermin stop clotting and literally let it bleed to death on the inside and lacking vitamin k. It's also odorless and tasteless, so the rest or mouse would come back and have more blood thinning until it died. Well, eventually rats and mice became resistant to this poison (because the smart survive and learn to avoid it or they had higher forms of vitamin k), and this, combined with a Navy officer attempting suicide by taking this four blocks of this poison and being just fine after getting vitamin k to stop the blood thinnig effects led to the creators taking a different path for this now ineffective rat poison...

And that's the story of the popular heart drug Warfarin.

CrackersTheBigDuck Report

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#11

I very, very seldom use flathead screwdrivers for their actual purpose. They’re just so useful - chisels, scrapers, punches, exploratory instruments, very small crowbars, shitty chopsticks... the possibilities are endless!

king-of-the-sea Report

#12

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Botox. Originally used to control crossed eyes, then to control spasming facial muscles, when it was noticed it alleviated wrinkles. Now also used as a migraine treatment. Who would have thought injecting a toxin that temporarily paralyzes muscles would find such widespread usage?

toodlesandpoodles , picpedia Report

#13

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Ketchup cleans up brass and gold better than most toxic chemicals sold as cleaners.

deleted , pexels Report

#14

I used to clean cars at a rental company. We obviously didn't have enough time to deeply clean every car, and sometimes people would bring their dogs. We had a rubber brush for removing dog hair, but it hardly worked. Wearing a rubber glove and rubbing the hair off the seats and carpet worked wonders.

jpfrost17 Report

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Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just tried this on on stair rug that vacuums just would not remove cat and dog hair - works super!

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#15

Binder clips.

I use them for everything except holding documents- closing chip bags, holding parking stubs or packets of headache powder on my visor in my truck, keeping cables bundled, keeping the trash bag from slipping down into the trashcan, holding up my mini Spider-Man bobblehead so it looks like he's clinging upside-down on the bottom of a shelf, keeping rubberbands contained so they can't take over my junk drawer...

TransmogriFi Report

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Desiree McKinnon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use them to keep my phone charger cable from falling behind my desk, and to hold the bottom of the toothpaste tube after I've rolled it up

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#16

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones sticky notes were invented on accident when the adhesive used in them was rejected as a glue because it wasn’t strong. The inventor had a musician friend who loved how easy it made pinning his sheet music up, and now we have post-its

Maria-Stryker , flickr Report

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Johnny Pierce
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No way. Romy and Michele invented Post-its. I learned it in business school.

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#17

Thalidomide.

Originally developed as treatment for morning sickness, Thalidomide infamously caused serious birth defects in thousands of children. However, a cancer research lab in the 90s found out that Thalidomide cut off blood vessels shortly after the same lab discovered that solid tumors need new blood vessels to grow. Thalidomide has turned out to be a good potential treatment for multiple myeloma.

beaverteeth92 Report

#18

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones If you’re in an Asian household, dishwashers serve as excellent drying racks, as do empty ovens.

overdramaticteen , flickr Report

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no_name
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my office there was always big deal to never leave dishes in dishwasher because people are incapable of checking if the dish is clean od dirty and just put dirty dishes among clean ones. Also, the sink was full of dirty dishes, so it's better to just empty the dishwasher immediately

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M O'Connell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone who worked in my office many years before I started crafted a little hanging sign out of a plastic storage bin divider that says "CLEAN" in heat-embossed letters. Whoever runs the dishwasher hangs the sign on the top rack before they hit 'start.' 20211202_0...0800e9.jpg 20211202_070811-61a8c580800e9.jpg

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Jo Choto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, if you have a dishwasher, you can use the dishwasher to actually wash the dishes and then they will dry in those same racks.

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Pink kitty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly! And if you decided that you wanted to hand wash your dishes why wouldn't you let them dry in a drying rack that sits right next to your sink?

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Candy Rude
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Haha most Asian families do not "trust" the dishwasher to actually clean the dishes. Plus why waste the money and time. You wash them, you scrub them, and then you either dry them or just put them in the dishwasher to air dry. The oven is mostly for storing pots and pans and the dishwasher honestly usually has all the Tupperware stored in it. Im only half Asian and it's taken a good decade to be convinced to use the dishwasher to actually do the work. I still double check everything though .... Old suspicions are hard to dislodge. I was 26 before I even learned how to use the dishwasher. Lesson #1 was REALLY REALLY important though.... Do not use dish soap in the dish washer, even though it sounds like it makes perfect sense. Guess how I found out? Maybe the instant panic inducing house foam party way!

troux avatar
Troux
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an ex who was raised in Asia and had a perfectly functioning dishwasher when her family moved to the US. It took me months of "No, seriously! Use it!" before she finally did, and it was actually a really good one! Pretty life-changing for her.

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Sawdust
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They say that automatic dishwashers use less water than hand washing the dishes.

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Eucritta
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can attest to this. We've got a low-water one, it uses about 3-1/2 gallons per load. Handwashing a day's dishes used, by my guesstimate, about 10 - if we were careful.

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Ryan Deschanel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So it was not just a "fresh off the boat" control freak stingy mother joke?

candyrude avatar
Candy Rude
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is. But it also has a HUGE boulder of truth. Fastest way to get yelled at as a kid in an Asian household. Or sadly even as an adult. Try to use the dishwasher. Or even try to convince the elders to use the dishwasher. Fresh off the boat has SOOOO many true things in it. My friend laugh and say it helps them understand my quirks better. Especially when I told them how much of it is real experiences.

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K
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a dish washer and never turned it on once in the two years we have it. I just store stuff in it

jknbt2 avatar
jk nbt
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

if you are single & use the same 10 dishes every week, just wash them & leave them in the dishwasher. Saves the trouble of putting them back up on the shelves only to have to take them down again. "Genius level"

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Wesley Lucas
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

lol, I was gonna say, my family's Cuban but we definitely did the same thing. When my husband and I first started living together, it took him a while to remember to check the oven for any pots or pans before just turning it on. He definitely melted quite a few things 🤣

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An Co
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every Dishwasher should have a big bold sign on it that glows reading "Clean". Turns on when cycle ends, shuts off when door opens. A tiny glowing dot is NOT enough.

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother in law does this too, and she isn't Asian.

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Marco Lara
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My partner finds it strange that I have always stored my most often used cast iron in the oven. She finds it cumbersome to have to check an oven before preheating. I think it makes more sense to store I big heavy thing that I use all the time somewhere where it can cool and dry that is out of the way but not out of reach. And, it’s not very hard to take two seconds to open a door before heating an oven

heyjude34 avatar
Kel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did this in my first apartment bc I was too poor to actually run it

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Bobby
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my dishwasher is shot, but the heating elements still work so its a drying rack/plate warmer now :)

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Anjelika
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We store pans in the oven, we obviously take them out when we need to use it

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Jules Marten-Feldmann
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did that when my dishwasher broke. Just opened it and put the dishes in there, it has so much more space than a normal dish rack

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RaroaRaroa
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. Dish racks are never big enough for several plates, plus pots, plus glasses, cutlery etc. So of course the dishwasher is the place to put things. Also, keeps the bench tidy while they dry.

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September Meadows
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not Asian, but I've done that for decades. Also if I have just a couple items to dry not adverse to using a cold stove top burner as a dish drainer

libby6 avatar
Stargazer66
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not Asian and I'll often hand wash a small load of dishes and put them in the dishwasher to drain and dry.

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Queen Jackson.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They aren’t drying racks? And you’re telling me the oven isn’t a storage cabinet? Outrageous!

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Paul Z.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why Asian? Does it not apply to other, or mixed households?

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Tom Johansson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How about using the dishwasher as intended and save, energy, water and time? And also getting dry dishes in a few minutes?

dsbrown67 avatar
Donna Brown
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am one of the few that still handwashes my dishes. I use my dishwasher to store baking sheets, cutting boards and pot lids.

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Mary Jaye
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

mine has been broken for years. I live alone and it is not worth fixing.that is exactly what I do with it. a lot bigger than a dish rack!

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Vasana Phong
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ovens are the best , I remember we didn’t notice the extra storage compartment under the oven ( I believe it’s like a warmer) many many years later

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Mark Kelly
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just use the damn dishwasher. Here in Canada we have tons of water.

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Steve
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is also true if you’re in non-Asian households since dishes and dishwashers have nothing to do with race

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G Dub
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

From Trinidad and we had no clue what it was when we moved to the states. To this day, the family is scattered but we still only store dishes to dry in it. Don't trust it🤣🤣🤣 And people, turn the faucet off so you don't waste water. Hand washing, yea!

kkermes avatar
Kim Kermes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dishwasher isn't working, and it took me months to think to use it to dry dishes. More counter space!

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KAILEE SMITH
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Average white American here. we did this too esp the oven. My husband kept turning on the oven then having to let the dishes cool and then cook food so we stopped. Oh that bottom drawer of the oven is supposed to be for cooking as well. who knew lol

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zoponex
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm Scots-British and have always used my oven for drying dishes. Never the dishwasher, as it's always holding at least some dirty dishes.

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Susun Wilson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a 65 yr old farm kid who does just that! I run the dishwasher occasionally dust & freshen. My mother & grands always dried pans & such on & in the kitchen stove & that's plain farm sense.

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Jessica N
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I store cereal in mine, boxes fit nicely in between racks

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Ashbug
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our dishwasher has been busted for years and I hand wash the dishes and store them in the dishwasher

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Tami
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Asian household? I read about this tip in an etiquette book from the 50s. If you're having a party catered, make sure your dishwasher is empty because the caterer might want to use it to store dishes.

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Ebony
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can steam dinner in the dishwasher to. Food should be in a vacuum sealed bag to hold in all the flavors and not let water in. It works

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Yoinks!
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never seems to be enough room in the cabinets, and it's just me here in the apartment--my first one *with* a dishwasher--so it was the obvious choice to convert into a dish cabinet. I stuck a bottle cap to the door with "Quake Hold" putty so it doesn't close completely and mildew won't develop. But I never store anything in the oven, for fear that I'll forget about it and a year later I'll decide I'm nostalgic for fish sticks and accidentally burn the place down. (My neighbors once put a box of leftover pizza in their oven and wound up setting off their smoke alarm.)

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Florian Tauber
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cutlery is arranged incorrectly, always sort the handles downwards

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Liam Walsh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It really doesn't make any difference if your dishwasher is working efficiently. Also, a few years ago I stumbled as I approached the dishwasher and fell forwards. I genuinely ended up with a knife point in the palm I automatically put out to save myself. You can be sure I do not put knives handle-down in the dishwasher anymore.

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Elita One
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dishwasher has a drying setting but never dries properly so I always leave the door open and racks out for the dishes to dry. I also have a sliding sticker that goes between dirty and clean.

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#19

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Talcum powder is great for getting excess sand off your feet when you get off the beach and want to put your shoes on without getting sandy socks and shoes for the rest of the day

PM_ME_YOUR_DOGSNCATS , flickr Report

#20

Q-tips are meant for cleaning my ears and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise

TheFunkmaster223 Report

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Elita One
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If we're not meant to clean our ears with them then why does it feel like having an orgasm when we use them? 🧐

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#21

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones A disposable razor will get all the loose bobbles from your clothes.

deleted , flickr Report

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olx
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

also will cut your clothes if you're not *very* careful. just- trust me.

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#22

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Hairspray takes toddler ink pen doodles off my couch. While it makes my hair look just awful sometimes.

speckledapron , pexels Report

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kristina law
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I swear I used so much Aquanet in the early 90s lol I can almost smell the fumes now

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#23

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Play doh was wallpaper cleaner before it was a kid toy

YellohDJDan , flickr Report

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Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We used something like 'Play doh to clean the keys of our Typewriter internal keys back in the olden days - it was a bit stiffer. Used something like Play doh to strengthen my hands after an injury - back in the olden days!

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#24

Pipe cleaners. As a teacher and a pipe smoker, I can safely say I use them for arts and crafts about 1000x more often than I use them to clean out my pipe.

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Auntriarch
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a child I thought pipecleaner was one word, didn't twig that it was cleaner of pipes until I was about 6, and we moved next door to a pipe smoker. It may have been when I said oh look, Mr Dykes is using a pipe cleaner to clean his pipe, sound of penny dropping

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#25

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Melon baller. It's for making balls from melons but works perfectly to take the core out of apples and pears.

deleted , pixabay Report

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#26

Ive used the same carabiner as a keyring for over a decade.
Its never had to support anywhere near the kilo Newtons its listed to be able to support.
Slipping keys on and off it is kilo tonnes easier and secure than normal key rings though.

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Ozacoter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have two attached to my electric scooter. It doesnt have any kind of storage so we bought two of these and hung an old backpack on the back of the scooter. Now I have a "trunk" in my mobility aid :)

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#27

Vacuum sealers.

My FoodSaver never sees anything edible. Instead, I use it to protect infrequently used items from dust & moisture, and to make archived papers (taxes, passport, etc.) easier to store. It's also very useful to repackage bulky or specialized cleaning products & supplies & emergency items.

Food, that just gets eaten, usually.

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#28

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Bubblewrap initially was just fancy wallpaper.

Also, superglue was invented by accident, when engineers couldn't separate glass sheets after attempting to make clear plastic. Later it was used in battlefields to temporarily close wounds.

daktarasblogis , flickr Report

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September Meadows
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wall paper 🤔 I'd feel as though I'd walked in on Dexter, getting his kill ready 😵

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#29

My dad bought a fruit scale specifically for the purpose of weighing meatballs. His reasoning was that, if all the meatballs he prepared are the same weight, he'd only have to poke one to know whether or not they were all cooked because the heat absorption would be more or less identical.

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Penelope
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except when your oven heats unevenly. Which is another headache altogether.

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#30

People Share Product Purposes That Aren't What They Were Designed For And Here's 30 Of The Best Ones Scarf hanger = camisole holder.

princessmouseskin , pixabay Report

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