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32 Common Items That Are So Widely Misused You Might Not Even Know Their Original Purpose
Interview
Did you know that frisbees were originally just pie containers? Or that Play-Doh was intended to be a wallpaper cleaner? Sometimes, customers find a better use for products than what they were originally marketed as, so companies decide to pivot. But there are also plenty of cases of companies being in denial about what their products are used for, regardless of how many people purchase them for different reasons.
Redditors have recently been discussing some of the most commonly misused items people buy, so we’ve gathered their thoughts down below. Enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the products you’re guilty of using for different purposes too!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Back in the days before digital cameras, 35mm film came in plastic bottles that everyone used to store their weed in.
#2
Treadmills. Intended for exercise, but globally recognized as the best clothes racks you never knew you needed.
#3
Former GF gave me a model Death Star. Looks like pewter but I'm not sure. A bit smaller than a tennis ball. It looks pretty cool, but she was so excited when she explained "Look! It opens up! It's a grinder for dried spices when you cook!"
Didn't want to hurt her feelings by explaining that she had given me a weed grinder. I was dying inside holding in the laughter.
Zedrapazia 9 months ago
To be fair, you can also use it to bring herbs if you want to do that. Is even quite practical. I have one that looks like a fat round cat, and I don't even drink, let alone smoke anything.
To find out more about how this conversation started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user EVERYTHING_WAS_TAKEN who posed the question, "What is an item that everyone misuses but the makers pretend they don't know?"
She shared that Q-tips/cotton swabs inspired her to ask this question. "I was looking at the pack in my bathroom and started wondering if there was other stuff out there like it," the OP told Bored Panda. "Everyone puts them in the ear, and the manufacturers definitely know that. I think I've learned a whole new world of how deep exactly some people put them from this Reddit post, though. Don't damage your ears, kids! Swab responsibly."
#4
Ozempic for weight loss which leads to shortages for people with diabetes.
Sexual Harassment Panda 9 months ago
My 76 yr old mother with diabetes relys on Ozempic and will some times have to go without for a week or two because the pharmacy is out. Very concerning just for someone else's vanity.
#5
Flat head screwdriver - scraper, pry bar. chisel, weapon, stake, etc...
#6
The 'Terms and Conditions' booklet. It's the world's most popular unread bestseller.
"I'm an artist, so I frequently misuse objects and repurpose them," the OP continued. "But this post was meant to find out about physical things that are misused in the same way by the majority of users, and is common knowledge."
And as far as why companies pretend that they don't know people are misusing their products, EVERYTHING_WAS_TAKEN supposes that it's for several reasons. "They would have to redesign something that already works properly for its intended purpose, so that just means extra cost on their side when they're not technically liable for misuse," she noted.
#7
The drawer beneath your oven. It's for keeping baked goods warm, not for storing pans.
#8
Kitchen scales. I bought one on Amazon that had poor reviews because you couldn’t measure out portions of a gram. My stupid a*s asked my husband why the hell someone would care if the measurement of their flour was 1/10 of a gram off.
He just stared at me until I got it lol.
#9
I'll start : QTips/cotton swabs. Everyone puts them in the canal, but the boxes always pretend like they're made for the outside of the ear.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago
You want clean ear canals, the nurse at the clinic I went to recommended Debrox. It comes as a little kit with the Debrox drops and a little squeeze bulb. Huge game changer for me. Followed the instructions to the letter and my ear wax is gone.
"Also, tons of people would complain, so customer dissatisfaction," the OP shared. "And people misusing the item would find something else to buy, so customer loss."
"In some cases, you actually can't 'fix' the product to stop a specific misuse because it's being used technically properly but for a different goal," she explained. "So there's nothing they can do. And honestly, some of these misuses are so bizarre it would just be weird for a company to try to address it," she added with a laugh.
#10
Back in the days of the Prohibition, a lot of grape juice was sold with extremely explicit instructions of all the things you'd need to do to ferment it but with the disclaimer of "here's what's illegal to do".
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago
In the pictured example. Strangely, the brick and the Benzoate of Soda are both shelf stable so they could have easily included it with the brick but they didn't. Hmmmmm....
#11
Think Johnny Appleseed was planting apple trees for the health benefits of apples? Nope it was to make cider.
Going way back, farming advances and the cultivation of grains was primarily to make beer, going way back to Mesopotamia.
#12
I caught a friend of mine rubbing one of the antibacterial hand wipes from KFC all over his friends chicken. The little packet said 'a hint of lemon' on it, and he thought that he was meant to flavour the chicken with it...
EVERYTHING_WAS_TAKEN went on to share that most of the responses to her post were unexpected. "I was thinking cotton swabs, Reddit was thinking drugs and other questionable activities," she said with a laugh. "Yeah, it was definitely interesting how many people answered the same things - I guess the question worked!"
"The funny ones to me were the people who hadn't seen my comment proposing the cotton swab, and started their comments with, 'There's no way this post isn't talking about Q-Tips...'" she added.
#14
Back massagers.
ArcTan_Pete:
Especially the famous Hitachi Magic Wand for 'relieving sore muscles and back tension'
SadieCat17 (she/her) 9 months ago
CERTAINLY NOT ONE OF THE KINDS SHOWN IN THE PICTURE!!!!!!! I sure love shattering my pelvis. /s
#15
Up until recently, Pedialyte. Marketed as a drink for babies, but was used as a hangover cure. Recently they started marketing to adults however.
Finally, the OP added that if we could misuse characteristics of animals however we wanted to, she thinks it would be great to misuse an elephant's brain, a lion's heart, a kitten's lovableness, and a T-rex's arms. "What could be better than a chicken with T-rex arms?" she asked. "Good thing humans are still relative blobs and we haven't figured that out yet."
#16
Hydroponics kit. To help you grow some really big tomatoes, innit.
#17
The various items that Hospital ERs have to remove from people’s rectums…
#18
Recently, I found out the existence of fake urine for "experiments" and "pranks."
The real use is to bypass drug tests.
#19
No one uses Miracle Whip as a salad dressing.
TheBlueBitterfly 9 months ago
Chicken salad, potato salad, macaroni salad.. not "greens and cut veggies" salad! (But it's better if you use real mayo anyway!)
#20
In the UK, sales of nitrous oxide cannisters used for whipping cream have skyrocketed in the past 10 years.
Spoiler: This isn't due to the correlation in popularity of 'The Great British Bake Off', it's due to its disassociative psychoactive effects.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 9 months ago
About 15 years ago there was this sketchy bodega around the corner from the house I was living in. Always thought it was weird they carried those keyboard dusting cans. Then my roommate told me people use them to get high. Then he proceeded to demonstrate. We don't live together anymore.
#21
Whoever makes the little tiny ziplock baggies to hold 'buttons' or 'jewellery' in.
🦄 Unicorn Princess 9 months ago (edited)
We all know what they are really used for. Well at least i do being a recovering addict. (5 years as of 02/06/24) Edit: I'm not saying it was the only thing they were used for. Shoot when I make jewelry it is normally in a little baggy until it is delivered to the person who ordered it. Also there's some sort of crabby person on here who likes to download people giving encouragement to others. Grow the actual f♡c♡ up!!! Edit 2: Just forget I said anything.
#22
I have a dry herb vape that from the instructions seems to think that people really want to inhale the essence of rosemary or thyme.
#23
Cup ramen in the foam containers… they are not supposed to be microwaved and supposedly only recently are they designing a cup that can be.
#24
Cough medicine containing dextromethorphan (robocough, robotabs). If taken as prescribed, it's a cough suppressant. If taken in much higher dosages, it's a dissociative anesthetic, like pcp or ketamine. Kids and adults have been abusing the stuff for decades. There's a whole subculture around it.
David 9 months ago
PSA IF YOU ARE JUST LEARNING THIS AND PLAN TO EXPERIMENT PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST The other ingredients in many cough syrups can kill you or your liver in recreational doses So can DXM in high enough doses as the dissociative effects start to affect your autonomic systems (breathing / heart)
#26
Kmart "Spice grinders" that for some reason are one of the only products in the kitchen aisle to have anti theft devices on them.
Edit: kmart is still really big in Aus
#27
Had a co-worker order an electric water distiller.
I works just as well for making nearly pure alcohol, although it is marketed specifically for distilling water.
#28
Bobby pins. Groove side faces down towards the scalp to effectively hold the pin in place.
#29
Poppers, "leather cleaner, do not inhale or ingest"
Zedrapazia 9 months ago
For people who don't know what that is, it's occasionally used by gay dudes because it has a muscle relaxing reaction when breathing it in. I doubt I have to explain what muscle has to relax and why. Depending on the country it's illegal to buy. What you learn at the university when studying law is sometimes fascinating ...
#30
Uncle Ben's rice. It's very popular for cultivating mushrooms of the magic variety.
SadieCat17 (she/her) 9 months ago
In all fairness, most people use it for eating rice and not as a sanitary incubation pouch.
#31
Not exactly misuse, but I've heard that those thin packets of sugar are supposed to be bent in the middle, not torn from the side.
Sounded bizzare, but it actually works. And leaves you with only a single piece of waste too.
Daya Meyer 9 months ago
So we really need to learn how to rip up a paper bag? Like, is there a forbidden way?
#32
Travel neck pillows. I’ve only seen about 5 people wearing them correctly (opening in the back, not the front) and I fly at least three times per week so I see them constantly.
Rahul Pawa 9 months ago
The listings on Amazon for neck pillows all show people using it with the opening in the front. So if the photos on the listings show the intended use, then most people use them as intended, which may or may not be the best way to use them.
What do you think ?
Kristal 9 months ago
Wow, I had no idea about all the drug stuff. Lol can you tell what I don't do? Miracle whip is disgusting though, it's not even useful as a door stop.
Casey Payne 9 months ago
With enough drugs you can use anything as a door stop. I'd advise against it though. Leaving open a portal to another reality causes disruption in time and space and ultimately mass migration of lost souls to... The Twilight Zone.
Load More Replies...
SonicAlchemy 9 months ago
Despite the article title, I was pleasantly surprised and amused that the majority of these were about drugs and "masked" paraphernalia. When I saw Miracle Whip before I clicked the article I'm thinking "Ok, a bunch of people thinking they're chefs are going to spew about their lame food hacks and tell me that Country Crock isn't butter" but I actually loved this. By the way, those that commented on the poppers, stop acting like you only know because of what you've heard 😆
QUINN SANE 9 months ago
Why are all of these about drugs? Do people think they’re cool and edgy because they do drugs? Grow up. This site is getting stupider by the day.
KatSaidWhat 9 months ago
Um, they are not. And no, people don't think that at all, they are commenting on an article about misuse. Also, you need to grow up if you are going to be that naive about how many people use recs very safely without succumbing to the propaganda.
Load More Replies...
TheBlueBitterfly 9 months ago (edited)
Stamp bags. There's such a booming stamp collecting market! Flavored cigarillos and wraps/cones. Rush, remember that stuff? "Do not inhale." Keyboard duster. Butane torches (and I don't mean the lighter-sized ones, the giant "for culinary use" ones.) The little cheap "rose in a glass tube" and metal "tire pressure gauge" you see on the counter in convenience stores and gas stations. Bonus if they sell soap-free steel wool (ChoreBoy) INDIVIDUALLY beside it!
Tracy Wallick 9 months ago
I have one of those tire pressure gauges, what else are people using it for? (I don't even drink, so I'm oblivious)
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Csaba Horvath 9 months ago
Most of the mentioned products are not "So Widely Misused You Might Not Even Know Their Original Purpose".
Gavin Johnson 9 months ago
The Harry Potter toy broom. Y’know for pretending that you are playing Quidditch? The fact that it vibrates and that older sisters all around the world suddenly started wanting to play Quidditch is a mystery…..
Bloobee bloobee bloo bloo bloo 9 months ago
Back in the late 90s or early 00s there was a big fat pen marketed for children that vibrated to make cool squiggly lines. Bought one for my young daughter and it wasn’t long before I got rid of it. I just couldn’t get the image out of my head of her playing with a vibrator 😬
Load More Replies...
Kristal 9 months ago
Wow, I had no idea about all the drug stuff. Lol can you tell what I don't do? Miracle whip is disgusting though, it's not even useful as a door stop.
Casey Payne 9 months ago
With enough drugs you can use anything as a door stop. I'd advise against it though. Leaving open a portal to another reality causes disruption in time and space and ultimately mass migration of lost souls to... The Twilight Zone.
Load More Replies... SonicAlchemy 9 months ago
Despite the article title, I was pleasantly surprised and amused that the majority of these were about drugs and "masked" paraphernalia. When I saw Miracle Whip before I clicked the article I'm thinking "Ok, a bunch of people thinking they're chefs are going to spew about their lame food hacks and tell me that Country Crock isn't butter" but I actually loved this. By the way, those that commented on the poppers, stop acting like you only know because of what you've heard 😆
QUINN SANE 9 months ago
Why are all of these about drugs? Do people think they’re cool and edgy because they do drugs? Grow up. This site is getting stupider by the day.
KatSaidWhat 9 months ago
Um, they are not. And no, people don't think that at all, they are commenting on an article about misuse. Also, you need to grow up if you are going to be that naive about how many people use recs very safely without succumbing to the propaganda.
Load More Replies... TheBlueBitterfly 9 months ago (edited)
Stamp bags. There's such a booming stamp collecting market! Flavored cigarillos and wraps/cones. Rush, remember that stuff? "Do not inhale." Keyboard duster. Butane torches (and I don't mean the lighter-sized ones, the giant "for culinary use" ones.) The little cheap "rose in a glass tube" and metal "tire pressure gauge" you see on the counter in convenience stores and gas stations. Bonus if they sell soap-free steel wool (ChoreBoy) INDIVIDUALLY beside it!
Tracy Wallick 9 months ago
I have one of those tire pressure gauges, what else are people using it for? (I don't even drink, so I'm oblivious)
Load More Replies... Csaba Horvath 9 months ago
Most of the mentioned products are not "So Widely Misused You Might Not Even Know Their Original Purpose".
Gavin Johnson 9 months ago
The Harry Potter toy broom. Y’know for pretending that you are playing Quidditch? The fact that it vibrates and that older sisters all around the world suddenly started wanting to play Quidditch is a mystery…..
Bloobee bloobee bloo bloo bloo 9 months ago
Back in the late 90s or early 00s there was a big fat pen marketed for children that vibrated to make cool squiggly lines. Bought one for my young daughter and it wasn’t long before I got rid of it. I just couldn’t get the image out of my head of her playing with a vibrator 😬
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