Everyday items you’ve been using wrong this whole time

Instead of furiously shaking the bottle until waaaay too much ketchup pours out, a Heinz spokesperson told Today a better trick: Hit the bottle where the neck starts to narrow. It will come out quicker and smoother.

If you’ve never used that little loop in the back of your dress shirts, you might be getting unnecessary wrinkles. The loop was added in the 1960s so men could hang them in gym lockers without getting creases in their shirts while they were working out.

If you watch monkeys in the wild, they peel bananas by the “bottom” instead of by the stem. Before you use that as proof that humans are smarter, try peeling it from the bottom yourself. Easier, right? No more mushy tops.

Discover 20 clever uses for bananas you probably never knew.

The most natural way to file nails is to rub the emery board back and forth over the nail. But that sawing motion actually weakens nails. Glide it in just one direction instead, going from the outside to the middle on each side before smoothing out the tip.

Check out these secrets and myths of hair and nails. 

Cleaning ears is one of the most popular uses for cotton swabs, but it’s actually not very healthy. Sticking something small – ie a cotton bud – in your ear can just push the wax in farther.

Props for applying foundation with a beauty blender instead of your fingers, but you still might not be getting the most out of your makeup tools. They’re spongy for a reason – you should wet your sponge first to keep the makeup from soaking in and to help it blend smoothly. Use tiny dabs to apply rather than stroking it across your face.

Make sure you’re avoiding these 15 makeup mistakes that age your face. 

Stand mixers are built at the right height, but during delivery or after normal use, their beaters might end up out of place. There should be a space the thickness of two sheets of paper between the beater and the bottom of the bowl. If yours is misaligned, lift the head and turn the screw on the neck to the left to raise the beater, or to the right to lower it.

Fans are self-explanatory enough in the summer, when pushing cool air down can help you save on AC costs. But ceiling fans can also keep your home cozy in the winter. Just use the pulley or a switch on the side of your unit to reverse the fan’s direction to clockwise. Now your fan will push the air up and spread the warm air around the room, making the space feel warmer.

Having a notification pop up every time you get a new message seems like a good way to keep on top of any surprises. But most emails don’t require an immediate response, and a University of British Columbia study found that people who could only check their email three times a day were less stressed than those who could read their messages anytime. Turn notifications off or limit them to important contacts like your boss to enjoy uninterrupted concentration.

Still not getting enough done? Here are 1o ways to make your computer run faster. 

You probably had a vague idea that produce should go in your fridge’s bottom drawers, but a few tiny tweaks can help them do their job of keeping your fruits and veggies fresh. Most fridges let you adjust the humidity for a reason. In general, the fruits and vegetables that rot quickest will fare better with low humidity, which lets out the gases they give off as they ripen. Use high humidity for foods that are more likely to wilt, like herbs and leafy greens.

Watch out for these 19 produce mistakes you didn’t know you were making.