23 Products That Serve a Better Purpose Than What They Were Designed For

Featured 12/03/2021 in ftw

Some of the world's greatest discoveries were invented through sheer happenstance; a lucky accident that birthed something so awesome it changed the world. Penicillin. Potato chips. Pacemakers. And some things that don't start with the letter P.

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1. The royal dansk danish cookie container, used by many for storing sewing/ knitting supplies
2. Tampons were invented to plug bullet wounds and bloody noses. Then the nurses started using them to plug a different bloody hole.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sugar free gummy bears would be better marketed as gummy laxatives
6. 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.
7. 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?
8. Ketchup cleans up brass and gold better than most toxic chemicals sold as cleaners.
9. 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.
10. 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
11. A disposable razor will get all the loose bobbles from your clothes.
12. If you’re in an Asian household, dishwashers serve as excellent drying racks, as do empty ovens.
13. Melon baller. It's for making balls from melons but works perfectly to take the core out of apples and pears.
14. Hairspray takes toddler ink pen doodles off my couch. While it makes my hair look just awful sometimes.
15. 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.
16. Shaving cream, the super foamy cheap kind, cleans glass shower doors better than any cleaner!
17. 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
18. Scarf hanger = camisole holder.
19. Play doh was wallpaper cleaner before it was a kid toy
20. 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.
21. Avon skin so soft lotion (I think that's what it's called) works as a great insect repellant!
22. Oven cleaner , removes carbon from engine parts effortlessly
23. Dryer sheets. Excellent for shoe and garbage can stank.

1. The royal dansk danish cookie container, used by many for storing sewing/ knitting supplies
2. Tampons were invented to plug bullet wounds and bloody noses. Then the nurses started using them to plug a different bloody hole.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sugar free gummy bears would be better marketed as gummy laxatives
6. 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.
7. 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?
8. Ketchup cleans up brass and gold better than most toxic chemicals sold as cleaners.
9. 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.
10. 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
11. A disposable razor will get all the loose bobbles from your clothes.
12. If you’re in an Asian household, dishwashers serve as excellent drying racks, as do empty ovens.
13. Melon baller. It's for making balls from melons but works perfectly to take the core out of apples and pears.
14. Hairspray takes toddler ink pen doodles off my couch. While it makes my hair look just awful sometimes.
15. 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.
16. Shaving cream, the super foamy cheap kind, cleans glass shower doors better than any cleaner!
17. 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
18. Scarf hanger = camisole holder.
19. Play doh was wallpaper cleaner before it was a kid toy
20. 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.
21. Avon skin so soft lotion (I think that's what it's called) works as a great insect repellant!
22. Oven cleaner , removes carbon from engine parts effortlessly
23. Dryer sheets. Excellent for shoe and garbage can stank.