# What Products Have Better Uses Than Their Intended Function? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215 "2023-01-14T14:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/61 "2023-01-15T16:58:14Z")
WD-40 can be used to clean Plexiglas and remove minor scratches. Well, not so much “remove” scratches, but it will fill and obscure them. I’m not sure how long it lasts, though. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/62 "2023-01-15T18:47:46Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Pipe cleaners these days are used much more for crafts than for cleaning pipes. Despite the name, many “pipe cleaners” made today are not meant to be used to clean pipes. As I discoverd the hard way when I wanted some to clean out the tubing on my Camelbak. All I could find were some decorative ones that were quite useless for cleaning pipes, so they were obviously not intended for that use. The name is just a holdover. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/63 "2023-01-15T18:51:26Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Lipton French onion soup mix has always been far superior for mixing with sour cream as a chip dip than as a soup mix. I wonder if anyone ever actually makes soup from it. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/64 "2023-01-15T19:22:41Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > > > Vise grips > > As a kid they were the channel changer on the TV, and I was the remote. Who says voice command remotes are a new invention? Not I. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/65 "2023-01-15T19:26:26Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > …The name is just a holdover… This may be another example (and the name may be uniquely British). I have owned many water pump pliers - > **[water pump pliers - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/water_pump_pliers)** - and I have _never_ used them on a water pump. Pliers - yes; grips - yes; nut crackers - yes… I’m assuming from the name that at some point in the past they were _intended_ to be used on water pumps. Though to be fair, they (or similar pliers) also have a host of other names more descriptive of their superb multi-use capability. [Tongue-and-groove pliers - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-and-groove_pliers) > - **adjustable pliers** , > - **Channellocks** (i.e. Channellock brand pliers), > - **water pump pliers** , > - **groove-joint pliers** , > - **arc-joint pliers** , > - **Multi-Grips** , > - **tap or pipe spanners,** > - **swan neck pliers.** > - **Monkey pliers.** j > Blockquote ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/66 "2023-01-15T19:39:57Z")
TIL Channellock is a brand name, not just a descriptor. ---
**Author:** ![Feurmann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/779978/32.png) [@Feurmann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feurmann)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/67 "2023-01-15T23:28:04Z")
Those large plastic bag sealers (the ones that have a click fastener at one end) also make a good teabag squeezer. Not superior to their intended use, but additional to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/68 "2023-01-16T01:35:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder if anyone ever actually makes soup from it. I’m sure they do … once. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/69 "2023-01-16T03:00:26Z")
VO5 Balsam & Protein Conditioner was **excellent** as a cream to shave your legs; I got fewer nicks with it than all but one brand of women’s shaving cream. They discontinued it years ago, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/70 "2023-01-16T03:36:14Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Advertised intended usage is seen at top right. Actual better usage is left as an exercise for the reader. Most convincing so far on _better_ than the intended usage. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/71 "2023-01-16T03:38:38Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Despite the name, many “pipe cleaners” made today are not meant to be used to clean pipes… > The name is just a holdover. Just like duck tape is no longer primarily intended for the restraint of recalcitrant ducks. Although in that case, it does still work perfectly well for the original purpose. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/72 "2023-01-16T04:12:10Z")
I believe the term was “the Cleveland Facelift”. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/73 "2023-01-16T04:36:39Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > French onion soup mix has always been far superior for mixing with sour cream as a chip dip than as a soup mix I removed an extraneous word. Kroger brand works just as well, and the fact that there are store brands of this sort of mix is a clue that it’s really used far more for the variety of other things you might want to put onion flavor and salt in, as I haven’t seen other store brand soup mixes. Well, I guess I might not because I don’t look for them. Anyway, the main use around here is to put them in as seasoning for chuck roasts. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/74 "2023-01-16T17:45:20Z")
Any trombonists here? Pond’s Cold Cream was _far_ superior to any purpose-mixed slide oil. I don’t think any musicians used it on their face. This is dated information though, things could be different today. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/75 "2023-01-16T18:07:59Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Just like duck tape is no longer primarily intended for the restraint of recalcitrant ducks. Although in that case, it does still work perfectly well for the original purpose. As well as it ever did anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/76 "2023-01-17T06:17:16Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > I haven’t seen other store brand soup mixes. My wife buys store brand Au Jus which is soup like. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/77 "2023-01-17T07:13:09Z")
At least when I was in pharmacy school, Preparation H was the most shoplifted drug, not because people were embarrassed about having hemorrhoids, but because cokeheads were using it to soothe their irritated nasal membranes, and were embarrassed about THAT. My ex-boyfriend had experienced rectal varicose veins, and he told me, “Preparation H doesn’t do shit!” (and no pun intended, either!) He said Anusol was The.Best.Thing.Ever. Oh, and my old hospital had a generic knockoff called Formulation R. On a more serious note, there are a number of meds that were marketed for seizures, but are more extensively used for bipolar disorder and various neuropathies. The ones that come to mind first are Depakote, carbamazepine, and gabapentin. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/78 "2023-01-18T05:01:22Z")
IMHO those Livestrong-type rubber wristbands printed with custom text are far more useful as jar lid grips for opening stubborn jars than for advertising inspirational slogans or whatever on your wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/79 "2023-01-18T05:47:29Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > those Livestrong-type rubber wristbands What’s interesting is that although all colors work well as a jar lid grip, only if you use the yellow one is it a _definitively_ better use than its intended function. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215/80 "2023-01-18T11:09:09Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > This is probably in the “alternate use” category rather than “better use”, but those large alligator-type paper clips are ideal for resealing many types of food bags – potato chip bags, frozen french fry bags, soda cracker packages, etc. In fact that’s all I ever use them for. Very handy kitchen gadgets. I use wooden clothespins to seal snack bags. You can buy 50 or 100 pins cheaply. I don’t use them to hang clothes on a clothesline. I use a dryer to dry clothes, as I suspect most people do these days. Even when I did use a clothesline, I didn’t use clothespins, I just draped the clothes over the line—less time-consuming. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-products-have-better-uses-than-their-intended-function/978215.md?page=3)