# Stupidest product design you’ve experienced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621 "2023-03-25T02:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 59
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1161 "2024-03-04T19:17:40Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > As for sheets, I use fitted sheets which I have no problem with when covering the mattress, but only with folding them. I’ve watched youtube videos with allegedly foolproof methods, but I never could follow, let alone reproduce the techniques. Pretend the corners are where the seams meet at the mattress pockets. Fold everything else inward, as neatly as you reasonably can, so you’ve got a reasonably straight line between the corners and the excess creates a double thickness with the adjacent parts of the sheet. Then fold like you’d fold a flat sheet. I don’t know whether that explanation’s any better. And my results aren’t perfect; but then my results are rarely perfect on a flat sheet, either, because I’m not trying all that hard. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1162 "2024-03-04T19:55:41Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Pretend the corners are where the seams meet at the mattress pockets. Fold everything else inward, as neatly as you reasonably can, so you’ve got a reasonably straight line between the corners and the excess creates a double thickness with the adjacent parts of the sheet. Then fold like you’d fold a flat sheet. > > I don’t know whether that explanation’s any better. I’m afraid I’m a hopeless case, because I couldn’t follow your explanation either. My first address for household questions is still my dear old mother, and she showed me the way many decades ago, step by step, but it was already useless the next time I had to fold a sheet at my home. Now I just roll them together and stuff them into the cabinet, and the few creases that appear will be straightened out by the tension when they will be stretched over the mattress. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1163 "2024-03-04T20:14:50Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Now I just roll them together and stuff them into the cabinet That works! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1164 "2024-03-04T20:25:26Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’m afraid I’m a hopeless case, because I couldn’t follow your explanation either. Let’s try this. When the fitted sheet is on the mattress, the horizontal portion of the sheet is a perfect rectangle. Keep that rectangle in mind. When you go to fold it, lay the sheet upside down and you act like the rectangular part is a flat sheet your folding, and the crinkly bits are just sitting on top of the flat sheet. As you fold it, keep the crinkly bits inside the smaller and smaller rectangles. Then stuff the whole thing along with the flat sheet into the matching pillowcase. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1165 "2024-03-04T20:28:53Z")
I appreciate all your tips, but as I said, I already saw youtube vids with similar techniques and explanations, but I’m just unable to reproduce them. I’m happy with my roll-up method by now. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1166 "2024-03-05T02:58:51Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Now I just roll them together and stuff them into the cabinet Even better: Now I just ~~roll them together and~~ stuff them into the cabinet. Or from my bachelor days: you just put that one set of sheets that you own back on the bed after you wash them; no cabinet needed. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1167 "2024-03-05T03:11:01Z")
I do that (wash the bedsheets and then immediately put them back on the bed) but then again, I’m still a bachelor. Though I’ve already bought replacement sheets for when that set eventually wears out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1168 "2024-03-05T23:27:31Z")
I have always had 2 sets of sheets. So you don’t have to wash the one set before you can sleep again. For all the years I was single and then married to my late wife we used a sensible efficient system I called the “organized crumple”: Grab the sheet somewhere kinda near near the corners, fold those two points together to put the sheet roughly in half, rotate 90 degrees, repeat until you have a ragged pile of many layers of fabric that’s roughly rectangular and smaller than your linen closet shelf. Then put it n the shelf and do the same to the other sheet. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1169 "2024-03-06T00:14:07Z")
Now, to me, the thing that you put on right over the top sheet is a “blanket”. The various layers that go over that are “blankets”. And if there’s a particularly nice-looking one that goes on top, that’s a “blanket”. And blankets come in various lengths or widths, and are accordingly different levels of practicality. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1170 "2024-03-06T02:07:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I have always had 2 sets of sheets. So you don’t have to wash the one set before you can sleep again. Having a spare set of sheets proved very important last night when, as I was preparing for bed, I discovered the cat had left a nice wet hairball in my bed. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1171 "2024-03-06T04:05:47Z")
A blanket, to me, is a single layer. A comforter is two outer layers stuffed with something inbetween them. I’m not clear on the difference between a comforter and a duvet, if there is one. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > I have always had 2 sets of sheets. So you don’t have to wash the one set before you can sleep again. > > Having a spare set of sheets proved very important last night when, as I was preparing for bed, I discovered the cat had left a nice wet hairball in my bed. I like to have three sets: so one can be on the bed, one can be in the laundry waiting to be washed, and there’s still a spare set in case a cat pukes on the bed before the second set is washed and dry. This is influenced partly by the fact that I don’t have a dryer and instead linedry my clothes, outside when weather permits and indoors when it doesn’t; but I think I’d want it that way anyway, in case I wanted to change the bed in the evening and not to have to do laundry before bed. In the long run, it doesn’t cost any more, because three sets used in rotation will last three times as long as one set and a time and a half as long as two. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1172 "2024-03-06T04:21:21Z")
The main difference between a comforter and a duvet is the cover - a comforter is all in one , with a non-removable cover. It’s not uncommon to have a comforter that matches a set of sheets ( a bed in a bag). A duvet is the quilted piece that goes inside a removable cover. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1173 "2024-03-06T04:24:49Z")
Ah. To further confuse things, I have used (and sometimes still do) a comforter cover. I grew up with the things, in the 50’s and 60’s, when I’d never heard anybody use the word “duvet.” They’re a lot easier to wash than the comforter, if sometimes a bit of a bear to get on. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1174 "2024-03-06T08:17:08Z")
How now every single time I try to hook my phone to my car to charge or play music via bluetooth my phone IMMEDIATELY watches to go into “Automobile Connect” mode so I can control my phone from my car’s multimedia console except I don’t want that because it just makes my phone more difficult to use, I want my phone to control the multimedia device and not vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1175 "2024-03-06T15:13:18Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > A duvet is the quilted piece that goes inside a removable cover. > [@doreen](#): > > Do you mean it’s easier to wash a duvet _cover_ than a comforter? Well I’ve been using the wrong word for many years! I’ve learned something here today. A “duvet” in my world is something I put a comforter inside of. Apparently I should be saying, duvet cover. When I want to change up my bedroom, I buy a different duvet cover in a different color/print. Because I use a top sheet, I do not wash the duvet cover very often. I wash that as much as I would wash a comforter, a few times a year. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1176 "2024-03-06T18:11:06Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I like to have three sets: so one can be on the bed, one can be in the laundry waiting to be washed, and there’s still a spare set in case a cat pukes on the bed before the second set is washed and dry. This same requirement is applied to the pumps in water/wastewater treatment plants, and to the pump houses that collect and transmit water, wastewater, or storm drainage. If you _really_ need one pump, then you have to have three. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1177 "2024-03-06T18:12:51Z")
Makes sense. One in use; one in the middle of undergoing maintenance for which it has to be shut down for a while; and one in case the one in use breaks before the maintence on #2 is finished. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1178 "2024-03-09T04:19:35Z")
Bought a Wembley Stretch Performance belt for our impending trip to Belize. Advertised with “Bottle Opener Buckle”. Bottle opener is on the _inside_ of the belt buckle, meaning you have to unbuckle the belt in order to use the bottle opener. I’m sure that would go over well in a cantina 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1179 "2024-03-09T04:56:00Z")
“Is that a bottle of beer or are you happy to see me?” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1180 "2024-03-09T14:08:09Z")
Or just twist the front of the belt to expose the opener, poke the bottle into your crotch, grunt as you snap off the bottle cap, then rearrange your belt with one hand while taking your first swig with the other. Wait, … that’s not making it better, is it? 😁 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=60)