20 Things in Our Home That We’ve Been Using Wrong All This Time
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In the realm of common appliances and everyday items, we frequently believe we possess a comprehensive understanding of how they operate, only to realize our comprehension is incomplete. Using certain items for an extended period might lead us to unknowingly interpret the “user manuals” in reverse. Some of these “guidelines” may have been passed down to us, and we may not have considered questioning their accuracy.
Here are 20 everyday objects you didn’t know you were using wrong.
1. Spaghetti Spoon is Also a Measuring Spoon
Most of us just use the spaghetti spoon to scoop out the delicacy once we’re done cooking. Did you know that the hole in the middle of the spoon is meant to measure how much we need to cook to feed everyone?
No more guessing on the amounts of spaghetti to boil. Each measurement is supposed to be one serving.
2. The Vacuum Cleaner Attachments
The vacuum cleaner comes with several different attachments, each with a specific purpose. There’s a large part with a small bush for carpets, one for floors, and even one little nozzle for crooks and smaller spaces.
Sometimes, we end up using only one part of the vacuum cleaner, doing ourselves great disservice.
3. Your Blender
When using a blender, most people will put the solid chunks first and then add the liquids. Did you know adding the liquids first makes for easier blending?
The liquids will create a swirl that will pull your solids to the bottom, making blending easier.
4. The Cleaning Sponge
While the sponge is the ultimate home cleaner used for almost everything in the house, we forget one vital thing—sanitizing it.
It’s a home-cleaning superhero, but it has no superpowers if it’s not cleaned and sanitized. You can throw it in the washer, dishwasher, or grab a new one frequently.
5. The Garlic Presser
It makes cooking with garlic so much easier, but the garlic is a sticky ingredient, it will definitely get stuck on the presser. One of the biggest cleaning mistakes you may be making, is throwing the presser in the dishwasher together with everything else.
The presser needs to be scrubbed separately, and the sticky chunks eliminated. This requires a toothpick or a small brush.
6. Bobby Pins
Bobby pins have been around since the First World War, but most still wear them wrongly. Most people wear bobby pins with the grooved side facing up, while it should be worn with the groovy side facing down to hold the hair in place.
Now we know.
7. Laundry Detergent
How much detergent should you be using to wash your clothes? A lot of it is not the answer.
There’s the notion among many people that the more detergent, the cleaner the clothes. Unfortunately, more detergent means the clothes will be harder to rinse, and they may actually trap more dirt.
A little goes a long way.
8. A Plunger is Not Just a Plunger
We employ plungers to clear clogged drains, sinks, and toilets, but it’s important to note that distinct types of plungers are suitable for specific applications.
The plunger used for unclogging drains and sinks differs from the one intended for toilet use.
9. Steam Iron Storage
Do you drain the water off your steam iron when you’re done using it? Many people erroneously store the iron with the water still inside, which may eventually ruin the iron.
Always drain any remaining water before putting the iron away.
10. How To Store Peanut Butter
Natural peanut butter enthusiasts must contend with the layer of oil that forms at the top of the butter and mix it up every time you use it.
That happens because you’re storing your butter wrongly. If you stored the peanut butter upside down, the oil would aways be at the bottom when you open it. Keeping it in the fridge will also make a huge difference in how quickly it separates (hint: very slowly).
11. Over or Under, That’s The Question
The jury is still out on the proper way to display toilet paper, but it seems the proponents of over are winning the debate.
The toilet paper patent from 132 years ago shows the toilet paper should be displayed over, not under.
End of debate.
12. Slow Cooker
The slow cooker’s secret to soft, well-done meals is heat retention. That is lost if one keeps opening the lid occasionally to check the state of the meal.
The best way is to leave the lid on for the duration the meal needs to cook.
13. Toothbrush Storage
Most people store toothbrushes in enclosed cabinets to keep the room neat. That, however, is a dangerous thing to do. Toothbrushes need to dry to keep bacteria out, and they don’t dry while imprisoned in the bathroom cabinets.
Let the toothbrushes be free.
14. Hair Washing Tips
You have been washing your har all your life, and can’t imagine you can get it wrong. However, if you have been applying your conditioner from root to tip, you have been washing your hair wrong all along. The trick is to start from the tip, the oldest part of your hair, to the roots.
Working from the roots may make the scalp oily.
15. Mascara Bottle Pumping
You probably don’t even think about it; you just instinctively pump your mascara to get more of it onto the brush.
Unfortunately, this also pushes air into the mascara bottle, making it dry out faster.
16. How Often Do You Wash The Coffee-maker?
It’s possible and expected that the only part of the coffee maker that’s washed regularly is the pot. This leaves the remaining removable parts unwashed, a potential breeding ground for bacteria.
17. Multi-purpose Dish Soap?
Dish soap is versatile, but it’s versatility can be stretched to unnecessary surfaces. When used in other places instead of on cutlery and crockery, dish soap tends to leave streaks of unsightly white lines.
It may be best to stick to cleaners designated for these spots when cleaning counters and tables. Otherwise, wipe up the water with a rag right after to minimize the look of any streaks.
18. Whole Foods In Blenders
Blenders have powerful, metallic teeth that can grind anything to liquid. But we must use them well.
To keep the blender functioning at maximum, throw in chopped chunks of fruit or vegetables in the blender while it’s on and spinning.
19. Applying Foundation
The quickest way to apply foundation on the face for a quick make-up session is by fingertips. Almost everyone who has applied makeup has done this, and it’s not right.
Fingers aren’t the cleanest part of the body, and constantly having them on your face can give you breakouts from bacteria. Use a sponge instead, and wash it regularly between uses.
20. Using Non-Stick Pans
Stirring things on a non-stick pan must be done with a silicon or wooden cooking spoon. Using a metallic cooking stick scrapes off the non-stick film, ruining the cookware and releasing nasty checimals into your food.
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