20+ items that people have found better uses for (23 photos)

Our grandmothers used torn stockings as storage for onions, and our grandfathers filled a shoe polish box with sand and played hockey with it like a puck. Now our standard of living is much higher, but the trend for conscious consumption is in fashion, and we still come up with non-standard methods of using familiar objects. And some of these methods turn out to be very smart!







Many needlewomen use tin boxes made from butter cookies to store small items for sewing and knitting.





Virtual reality systems are well known to reduce phantom pain in amputees. The illusory component of a virtual reality system is similar to mirror therapy, but more effective.



Sugar-free gummy bears will sell even better as chewable laxatives: it turns out that the drug's effects include one.



Tampons were invented to cover bullet wounds and bleeding noses. Only then did women come up with another way to use them. By the way, nurses were the first to invent it.



Cheap shaving foam cleans tiles, fixtures and shower glass better than any specialized product.



“I was prescribed a medicine for diabetes, even though I did not suffer from diabetes. But this medicine helped me get pregnant after almost a year and a half of infertility.”



Botox. It was originally used to combat strabismus, then to combat spasms of the facial muscles. Then doctors noticed that it smoothed out wrinkles. Botox is now also used to treat migraines. Who would have thought that a toxin that temporarily paralyzes muscles would find such widespread use?



“I very rarely use flat-head screwdrivers for their intended purpose. But they never lie idle. They are useful in a variety of capacities - as chisels, scrapers, punches, research tools, very small crowbars, inconvenient, but still chopsticks.. . Their possibilities are endless!"



"The doctor prescribed her prostate medicine for kidney stones. It relaxes the ureter, allowing the stones to pass, making surgery or other operations unnecessary. She was also prescribed another drug to lower her blood pressure, which almost immediately reduced her anxiety." She instantly became a different person. It's amazing!"



Once upon a time there was a rat poison that, when taken, caused the rodents' blood to stop clotting and cause them to literally bleed to death from internal bleeding. The drug washed away vitamin K, which is what its effect was based on. However, over time, rats and mice became resistant to this poison: the smart ones learned to avoid it, and the adapted ones had more complex forms of vitamin K. And after some time, a certain Navy officer tried to commit suicide by taking four packs of this poison, but after taking the vitamin K, which stops the blood thinning effect, he instantly returned to life. As a result, its creators chose a different path for this now ineffective rat poison, creating a cardiac drug Warfarin based on it.



Ketchup cleans copper and gold better than most toxic chemicals sold as cleaning products.



"In an Asian home, dishwashers and empty ovens serve as shelves for storing dishes."



"Sticky Notes were invented by accident when the glue used in them was rejected as an adhesive because it wasn't strong enough. The inventor had a musician friend who liked how easy it was to stick sheet music to a music stand, and how just take them off later. As a result, now we have stickers."



Talcum powder is great for removing excess sand from your feet when leaving the beach. It will help you put on your shoes and avoid walking around with socks and shoes full of sand for the rest of the day.



"I used to be in charge of cleaning cars at a rental company. We didn't have time to thoroughly clean every car, and sometimes we had dogs in the cars. We had a rubber brush to remove dog hair, but it barely worked. But if you put it on If you use a regular rubber cleaning glove, you will be able to remove hair from the seats and carpet the first time."



An old safety razor will remove pills from knitted clothing without any problems.



"Hairspray is great for removing baby paint scribbles from the couch."



"The half-sphere spoon is designed for balling melons, but works great for coring apples and pears."



"I work with children and I smoke a pipe. So I know from experience that pipe cleaners are great for children's crafts."



Play dough was invented as a wallpaper cleaner, but in this capacity it did not gain as much popularity as it did as a children's toy.



"I've been using a climbing carabiner as a keychain for 10 years. Try it, it's much more convenient than a regular keychain."



"Superglue was invented by accident when engineers were unable to separate sheets of glass after trying to make clear plastic. It was later used on the battlefield to temporarily protect wounds from infection."