28 Everyday Things You’re Probably Doing Wrong

Humans may be smart, but that doesn’t mean we know how to do everything. Like, how to peel a banana or even breathe properly. 

Below, we dive into all the everyday things you’re probably doing wrong, as adapted from the above episode of The List Show on YouTube.

1. Breathing
2. Pouring From a Carton
3. Pulling Out Aluminum Foil
4. Peeling a Banana
5. Preparing Potatoes
6. Loading Your Dishwasher
7. Cleaning Your Blender
8. Cracking an Egg
9. Storing Your Eggs
10. Storing Your Peanut Butter
11. Using a Can Opener
12. Holding a Wine Glass
13. Recycling
14. Using a Toilet Seat Cover
15. Drying Your Hands
16. Brushing Your Teeth
17. Showering
18. Brushing Your Hair
19. Using Bobby Pins
20. Applying Sunscreen
21. Washing Your Jeans
22. Tying Your Shoes
23. Using Nail Polish
24. Using Your Ceiling Fan
25. Using a Dustpan
26. Bandaging Your Fingers
27. Using Sticky Notes
28. Applying Antiperspirant

Breathing

You’re probably breathing wrong. First of all, half of you reading this are breathing through your mouths right now. What you want to do is breathe through your nose because it’s so good at filtering and warming breaths, making it easier for your body to absorb oxygen. Breathing through your mouth means you're taking in whatever’s in the air unfiltered, from pollutants to viruses to mold. 

You’re also probably breathing too quickly, at a pace of one breath per every three seconds. To lessen anxiety, increase focus, and feel better, you want to slow that down to six seconds in and six seconds out. 

Pouring From a Carton

Open a carton of OJ or milk and just pour with the spout side closest to your bowl or cup? Wrong! If you want minimal splash, you should flip that carton the other way, leaving the spout on the farthest side from your vessel. 

Pulling Out Aluminum Foil

If you’ve ever tried to pull out a little aluminum foil, but then pulled out too much, and couldn’t get that excess back in the box without ruining your day…you’re doing aluminum foil wrong. There are tabs at either end of the box, which you just need to push in. That will lock your foil in place, making it easier to control your unrolling. 

Peeling a Banana

Here’s a classic life hack you see around the internet: peel a banana upside down, from the bottom, not the stem, because it’s cleaner and easier. As they say, “Monkeys know this, but people don’t!” Interestingly, this is kind of a myth. It might be easier, but monkeys in the wild don’t come across bananas much, so they shouldn’t be our inspiration for banana-eating.

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Preparing Potatoes

If every Thanksgiving, Uncle Fred is complaining about how your mashed potatoes aren’t fluffy enough, there’s a trick for this. Boil your potatoes before you peel them. This helps them hold in more water and allows for them to absorb dairy better. 

Loading Your Dishwasher

You’re probably loading the dishwasher wrong. Look at where your dishwasher’s spraying arms are, and make sure you don’t block those with any large dishes. You should also angle all dishes downward and with their dirty side facing the middle of the dishwasher. 

Cleaning Your Blender

And on the cleaning front, we all know cleaning a blender is a total pain. But you can actually put some water and dish soap in your blender, then blend it on high for a few seconds. Results may vary depending on the condition your blender started in, so some pre-scrubbing may be necessary. 

Cracking an Egg

If you’re less confident in the kitchen, you may be extra nervous about getting eggshells everywhere, so you’re cracking your eggs lightly against the side of a bowl or pan. Don’t! Instead, confidently tap it on a cutting board or your countertop. Using a flat surface makes shell pieces less likely. 

Storing Your Eggs

Speaking of eggs, you shouldn’t store those in the door of your refrigerator. For safety, they should be stored in the coldest part of a fridge set to 45° F or below. The door is generally the warmest part, so that’s the worst place to put them. 

Storing Your Peanut Butter

Flip your natural peanut butter upside down. Storing it right-side-up is why all that oil is collecting at the top, making it painfully annoying to stir every time you want some ants on a log. Natural peanut butter separates, and the oil wants to be at the top. So, if you flip the jar, it’s more difficult for that oil to travel through the big chunk of solid peanut butter. 

Using a Can Opener

Opening cans with the can opener sideways? Wrong! Hold it so the can opener is flat on the top of the can. This should prevent the lid from falling into the opening, so you won’t have to fish it out and get grossed out or, even worse, cut.

Holding a Wine Glass

Another thing you may be holding wrong: your wine glass. If you have a stemmed glass, hold it by the stem. That will keep your wine from getting warmer than it’s meant to, and it will prevent unsightly fingerprints. 

Recycling

Recycling is harder than it looks, and if you haven’t done your research, you’re probably doing it wrong. Every municipality has different rules for what can be recycled and if you’re breaking those rules, you may be contaminating entire batches of recycling. For one rule of thumb to start with: definitely avoid recycling things with food mess, like plastic plates, takeout containers, and pizza boxes. 

Using a Toilet Seat Cover

The flap goes in the front of the bowl. They were specifically patented as having a “front-facing flap.” 

Drying Your Hands

Don’t grab multiple paper towels to dry your hands. First, shake your hands a few times (or, exactly 12 times, if you want to go by the trusted viral Ted Talk about this very topic). Then, once you get your paper towel, fold it lengthwise and it will more effectively dry your hands. 

Brushing Your Teeth

If you’re rinsing out your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, you are doing it wrong. That could make your toothpaste less effective because you’re diluting its fluoride. Most people also use way too much toothpaste, by the way. All you need is a pea-sized amount. 

Showering

If you’re one of the two-thirds of Americans who are showering every day, you probably don’t need to. There’s no good evidence that a daily shower helps your physical health, and there is evidence that it can lead to drier and more irritated skin. Beyond that, when you do a daily scrub of the bacteria and microorganisms that live on your body, you may be reducing the effectiveness of your immune system. 

Brushing Your Hair

There’s a right and wrong way to brush your hair. If you start at the roots and roughly tug down … ouch. You shouldn’t. That can break your hair. There are also different brushes you should use, and different methods of brushing, based on your hair type. 

Using Bobby Pins

For our long-haired friends: bobby pins are designed to go wavy side down. Those ridges are there to hold onto your hair and keep the pin more secure for longer. 

Applying Sunscreen

Many of us have integrated sunscreen into our skincare routines, which deserves a pat on the back. But are we doing it right? Not unless we’re applying roughly two tablespoons every two hours or so and reapplying more often when doing things like swimming or sweating.

Washing Your Jeans

You don’t need to wash your jeans after every wear. In fact, Levi’s recommends washing them after 10 wears as a rule of thumb. Though, of course, if they’re noticeably dirty, you should do something about that, whether spot clean or an official wash. 

Tying Your Shoes

There’s a better way to tie your shoes. Do the initial knot the same, then make your loop. Now, you would typically take one shoelace and, pulling it first in the direction of your body, wrap it around that loop you made. What you should do is flip the direction of that wrap, so you’re first tugging the lace away from your body. Pull it through as usual and now you have a stronger knot that’s less likely to come untied.

Using Nail Polish

Do not shake your nail polish before putting it on! That causes air bubbles in the polish. If you need to mix it up before applying, you should be rolling it in your hands. 

Using Your Ceiling Fan

If you have a ceiling fan that you’re leaving off all winter, you’re missing out. You can turn it on low and set it to clockwise, which will help circulate warm air around the room. You probably know that hot air rises, so this makes sense when you think about it. You’re keeping that warm air for your room rather than letting it drift away. Some estimates say this will save you 15 percent on your monthly utility bill. 

Using a Dustpan

If, when using a dustpan, you spend so long trying to sweep those last bits of dirt into the pan, that means you’re doing it wrong and wasting your time. What you need to do is grab a wet paper towel, then sweep what’s remaining onto the towel. The wetness will hold that hard-to-get residual dirt; you can then just fold over the towel and toss it out. 

Bandaging Your Fingers

 If you get a cut in the middle of your finger and are just wrapping a bandaid around the area, that’s not exactly wrong, but it could be more effective. If you cut slits on either end of the bandaid, then wrap those around your finger outside of your knuckle area, the bandaid will be more secure and last longer. 

Using Sticky Notes

You know when you put a Post-it note on your desk, and that little top corner stays flipped up a bit? It can kind of drive you nuts. Well, the problem is that you’re removing your sticky note from the pad by pulling it from the bottom. If you slide your finger along the underside of the sticky note and remove it by pulling from the top straight across, it will stay flatter on surfaces. 

Applying Antiperspirant

If you’re not applying your antiperspirant before bed, you’re making a mistake. You sweat less at night, so wearing it then will allow the antiperspirant to plug up your sweat glands and lessen perspiration more effectively. Even if you shower in the morning, this is the way to go.