Even the biggest discoveries can happen by accident. So it’s only natural that many of the world’s famous products were created for one purpose but people found them useful for a completely different task.

In an attempt to learn about as many of these cases as they could, Redditor u/ljchazal posted a question on the platform, asking other users, “What products serve a better purpose than what they were designed for?” And everyone immediately started submitting their answers.

As of this article, there are 14K comments under the post, many of which provide surprising insights into such things as talcum powder or botox. Bored Panda went through them all and handpicked a selection we believe is worthy of your time. Enjoy.

• Read More: People Share Product Purposes That Aren’t What They Were Designed For And Here’s 30 Of The Best Ones

#1

The royal dansk danish cookie container, used by many for storing sewing/ knitting supplies

Image credits: JanDiPyo

#2

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.

Image credits: Low_notes_z06

#3

Sugar free gummy bears would be better marketed as gummy laxatives

Image credits: Reasonable_Roger

#4

Shaving cream, the super foamy cheap kind, cleans glass shower doors better than any cleaner!

Image credits: WateringBird

#5

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.

Image credits: Steiger92

#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.

Image credits: maps_mandalas

#7

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.

Image credits: ImJustSo

#8

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?

Image credits: toodlesandpoodles

#9

Ketchup cleans up brass and gold better than most toxic chemicals sold as cleaners.

Image credits: deleted

#10

I used to clean cars at a rental company. We obviously didn’t have enough time to deeply clean every car, and sometimes people would bring their dogs. We had a rubber brush for removing dog hair, but it hardly worked. Wearing a rubber glove and rubbing the hair off the seats and carpet worked wonders.

#11

Binder clips.

I use them for everything except holding documents- closing chip bags, holding parking stubs or packets of headache powder on my visor in my truck, keeping cables bundled, keeping the trash bag from slipping down into the trashcan, holding up my mini Spider-Man bobblehead so it looks like he’s clinging upside-down on the bottom of a shelf, keeping rubberbands contained so they can’t take over my junk drawer…

#12

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

Image credits: Maria-Stryker

#13

Thalidomide.

Originally developed as treatment for morning sickness, Thalidomide infamously caused serious birth defects in thousands of children. However, a cancer research lab in the 90s found out that Thalidomide cut off blood vessels shortly after the same lab discovered that solid tumors need new blood vessels to grow. Thalidomide has turned out to be a good potential treatment for multiple myeloma.

#14

If you’re in an Asian household, dishwashers serve as excellent drying racks, as do empty ovens.

Image credits: overdramaticteen

#15

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

Image credits: PM_ME_YOUR_DOGSNCATS

#16

Q-tips are meant for cleaning my ears and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise

#17

A disposable razor will get all the loose bobbles from your clothes.

Image credits: deleted

#18

Hairspray takes toddler ink pen doodles off my couch. While it makes my hair look just awful sometimes.

Image credits: speckledapron

#19

Play doh was wallpaper cleaner before it was a kid toy

Image credits: YellohDJDan

#20

Pipe cleaners. As a teacher and a pipe smoker, I can safely say I use them for arts and crafts about 1000x more often than I use them to clean out my pipe.

#21

Melon baller. It’s for making balls from melons but works perfectly to take the core out of apples and pears.

Image credits: deleted

#22

Ive used the same carabiner as a keyring for over a decade.
Its never had to support anywhere near the kilo Newtons its listed to be able to support.
Slipping keys on and off it is kilo tonnes easier and secure than normal key rings though.

#23

Vacuum sealers.

My FoodSaver never sees anything edible. Instead, I use it to protect infrequently used items from dust & moisture, and to make archived papers (taxes, passport, etc.) easier to store. It’s also very useful to repackage bulky or specialized cleaning products & supplies & emergency items.

Food, that just gets eaten, usually.

#24

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.

Image credits: daktarasblogis

#25

My dad bought a fruit scale specifically for the purpose of weighing meatballs. His reasoning was that, if all the meatballs he prepared are the same weight, he’d only have to poke one to know whether or not they were all cooked because the heat absorption would be more or less identical.

#26

Scarf hanger = camisole holder.

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Image credits: princessmouseskin

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