When it comes to most of the products you’ve got laying around the house, they seem pretty straightforward and simple to use. Even if there aren’t basic instructions printed on the back, most of the things you use on a daily basis are so self-explanatory that you feel comfortable skipping those instructions anyway.
Unfortunately for you, it turns out that maybe you should have paid a little more attention, because you’ve been absolutely botching the correct way to use them.
Here are some items you probably use just about every day, that you had no idea you were using completely wrong.
13Chinese Takeout Containers
You may have never even thought to try this, but did you know that the containers your Chinese food comes in fold down into plates?
12Soda Can Tabs
Soda can tabs aren’t just used for opening up your favorite soft drink. You’re actually also supposed to use the hole in the tab as a straw holder. That is if you like drinking your soda in the most embarrassing way possible.
11Beer Bottles
You haven’t only been using your soda cans wrong, you’re also probably holding your beer bottles wrong. Holding the bottle down low causes your body heat to warm up your adult beverage. You’re supposed to hold it by the long, thin neck, which doesn’t heat up the beer as much.
10Aluminum Foil
Next time you decide to make a tinfoil hat to keep the government out, note the tabs on the sides of the box. Pop those and the roll will be held in place inside the box, making dispensing the foil easier.
9Pots and Pans
You really shouldn’t place your spoons on the counter when you’re making a sauce or anything else in one of your pots and pans. Most handles on pots and pans have a little hole in which you can place the spoon to keep it away from the bacteria on the surface.
8Tic Tacs
You probably need these to combat what we can only assume is terrible breath, but Tic Tacs are a pain to get out of their small, plastic prisons. There’s a little reservoir in the lid, however, that’s designed to let you slide a single Tic Tac into for easier access.
7Wooden Spoons
Let’s back up into the kitchen for a moment – if you place a wooden spoon over the top of a pot of boiling water, it will prevent the contents from boiling over and making a hot, scalding mess on your stovetop.
6Fast Food Cup Lids
Chances are you avoid using coasters anyway so you’ll likely skip right on past this one, but did you know that those plastic lids that come with your McDonald’s or Burger King or, well, any other fast food cup are designed to double as coasters?
5Extension Cords
It’s easy to trip over some extension cords and unplug them, causing frustration as you try to light an adult film set…or, ya know, anything else. Just knot the two cords around each other as pictured above, and it’ll keep them from ever coming undone unless you want them to.
4Natural Peanut Butter
Image shot 2008. Exact date unknown.
Have you ever opened up natural peanut butter and noticed all of the oil pooled on top? Well, first of all, that’s supposed to be there. But you’re supposed to store your peanut butter upside down so that oil, and all of the other oil, distribute evenly.
3Bananas
Go and watch a nature documentary on monkeys, because they’re adorable and hilarious. But while you’re doing that, note how they open up their bananas. They eat from the end we think is the bottom, as the peels are designed for the banana to be pushed up and out from that end.
2Condiment Cups
If you’re ever in a fast food joint and noticed the little paper condiment cups, you’ve no doubt noticed they’re crinkled and folded up a bit. You’ve probably wondered why, too. Well, because they’re designed to expand, giving you more area in which to pour that delicious ketchup you need with your fries.
1Beer
There’s really no wrong way to use beer, unless you’re accidentally spilling it or drinking some terrible domestic brand. But did you know that along with being delicious, beer makes a great polisher for your gold? Assuming you have gold?
