One can never know enough life hacks, habits, and tips. We can discover a fact about an item we use on a daily basis, and suddenly everything starts to make sense. The normal things we have in our kitchen, garage, or office have unexpected stories to tell, along with interesting facts that we had no clue about.

We at Bright Side decided to shed some light on some interesting facts and also prepared a list of clever uses for everyday items that might make your life easier.

1. If you eat your food raw, you will tend to lose weight. If you eat the same food cooked, you will tend to gain weight.

There’s a difference in calories between cooked and raw food items. Based on some research, cooked food has more calories than raw food. It has been explained by the fact that cooked food is broken in advance, which makes it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients. On the other hand, the body burns off some calories while absorbing raw food, as the process lasts longer.

2. You’re supposed to shake out the popcorn kernels through the little opening.

Let’s face it, it’s really frustrating to find unpopped kernels at the bottom of the microwaveable popcorn bag. But there’s an easy trick to avoid this — all you need to do is microwave your bag of popcorn, open the slit very slightly, and shake out the kernels over a bowl to separate them from the popcorn.

3. You can put shoes in the dryer by hanging them by their laces.

Shoes can also be dried in the dryer without getting ruined or making annoying banging sounds. The solution is easy and quite practical: start by hanging the shoes by their laces. After that, hang the shoes in the machine and close the laces in the door. Start your machine and wait for them to dry.

4. The extra hole found in running shoes is called the “heel lock” and helps to prevent blisters.

Professional running shoes have an extra hole at the top, and it’s called a “heel lock.” To tie your shoe with the heel lock, you thread the lace through the extra hole on the same side as the previous hole, forming a loop. It’s a great technique to stop your heel from rubbing up and down at the back of your shoe and keep your feet “locked.”

5. Dishwashers have filters you’re supposed to clean out once a month.

If you start noticing that some of your dishes are coming out of the dishwasher with a bit of food stuck on them, it’s likely time to clean your filters. You’ll need to remove and clean the filters gently using hot water, and don’t forget to clean debris from the area near the filter. It’s best to create a schedule to clean your filters in order to prevent grittiness in your dishes.

6. Frozen vegetables can be healthier than fresh vegetables.

Frozen veggies are healthy and can sometimes be better than fresh ones. The reason behind this is that veggies destined to be “frozen” are collected at a time when their freshness and nutritional value are optimal. Then they’re cooked in a way that preserves their nutritional value, kills off any bacteria, and stops it from spoiling, all before freezing them, according to nutritionists.

7. If your coffee is too bitter, you can add a few specks of salt to make it smooth.

Adding salt to coffee might sound weird, but it cuts the bitterness of coffee better than milk or even sugar. According to a food science expert, “For every cup of water and 2 teaspoons of ground coffee, you should add half a teaspoon of salt to neutralize the bitterness of the coffee.”

8. You can use a mug to increase your phone volume.

If you don’t have a Bluetooth speaker or don’t want to use one, there is a way to make your phone a bit louder. Just put your phone inside a glass or a mug to amplify the sound. This technique is very simple and effective — just be sure your mug is empty without any liquids inside.

9. Microwaving helps preserve the nutritional value of your ingredients better than any other cooking method.

It’s no surprise that the microwave has been very helpful, but many people are still skeptical about using it since we’ve been hearing how dangerous it is for our health. However, it has been proven that microwaving does a better job of preserving vitamins and other nutrients. That’s because the best cooking method is one that cooks quickly, heats food for the shortest amount of time, and uses as little liquid as possible.

10. Pen caps have a small hole at the top to prevent choking if swallowed.

The holes on the top of pen caps are not a random design feature, they are actually there to reduce the risk of asphyxiation if pens are accidentally swallowed. So even if the pen accidentally goes down your throat, you’ll still be able to breathe through that little hole in the cap. This is an amazing, innovative way to manage human carelessness.

11. The little arrow tells you which side of your car the fuel cap is located on.

In your car, you probably already know where the fuel filler is located, but things can get tricky if you’re using a different car. In that case, you can just check the gas gauge, as you’ll find an arrow pointing to the side where the fuel filler is. This solution was created in 1986 by Ford’s interior trim designer, Jim Moylan, who experienced some frustration locating the filler while driving a company car.

12. If you’re ordering Chinese food, you can unfold the takeout box to get a plate.

When ordering food from outside, we typically prefer to eat from the box instead of looking for a serving plate. The Chinese food containers are perfect for that matter, as you can create a plate by folding the takeout box’s sides down, and you’re good to go.

13. Starbucks containers are actually designed to sit on their lids to help prevent unsightly table stains.

There’s a great hack that Starbucks users have revealed to avoid the sticky coffee rings that are usually left on the tables and desks. The trick consists of removing the drink lids and using them as a coaster. That way, you’ll leave the surface clean without any mess while enjoying your drink.

14. The hole on the inside of your pasta utensil is supposed to measure a single serving of spaghetti.

For pasta lovers, there’s an easy way to know what a single serving of spaghetti looks like. Instead of cooking too much spaghetti or not enough, you can grab the pasta spoon with the hole in the middle to help you resolve the matter. All you need to do is place a handful of dried spaghetti through it to measure a portion for one dinner serving.

Is there another interesting hack we can use that you can add to this list? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!