People Turned to Social Media to Find the Purpose of Absolutely Random Items

Say whatever you will about the internet, but it comes in handy from time to time. Whenever there’s something we don’t know (and let’s face it, there’s a lot we don’t know), we turn to the internet for help or advice. Time and again, the internet has helped people answer burning questions and settle debates. The r/WhatIsThisThing forum on Reddit has helped people figure out the meaning and purpose behind random items they’ve found on the street or lying around the house. Of course, you can’t always trust everything you read on the internet, but it can also be a great source of information. The trustworthy people on Reddit came to the rescue when people were at loss as to what they were looking at. There’s a lot we can learn from one another, and the Reddit forums are a great place to share all the random knowledge we have – just ask the people who shared the photos below!

Stainless-Steel Soap

We would’ve never guessed what this thing was if it wasn’t for the trustworthy Reddit community. To us, it just seems like a useless ball of metal. A paperweight, perhaps? But the couple who found this item in their kitchen drawer were looking for answers. They didn’t remember buying this, but they knew it must have some kind of purpose.

And they were right! As it turns out, this is a bar of stainless-steel soap. We didn’t even know such a thing existed until this very moment, and now we’re anxious to get one. Stainless steel soap is used to remove the smell of garlic and onion (and other smelly things you peel or touch in the kitchen) from your hands. How brilliant is that?

Imagine buying a new house only to find a random, seemingly useless item attached to your kitchen cabinet. Sure, some people scan the house before buying, and others replace and remodel the kitchen and other areas of the house, leaving no trace of how it used to look. However, this couple found an odd item, and instead of removing it, they’ve decided to inquire about its purpose.

People on Reddit informed them the piece of jagged plastic with metal teeth that was attached to the bottom of their kitchen cabinet is in fact a jar opener. Yep, it’s that simple. A jar opener from the seventies. That’s pretty cool. Naturally, since it hasn’t been used or sharpened in some time, the metal teeth are dull.

It’s not uncommon for people to inquire online for the identification of certain bugs and pests. People online seem to have all the answer; some are experts and others are simply people with a lot of knowledge and good will to help. Either way, whenever you see an unidentified bug in your house, it could be useful to turn to the internet for help.

In this case, this person wasn’t sure what were those tiny specks hanging by light threads from his cabinets. We’d be pretty freaked out if we saw something like this in our house. The kind people on Reddit informed this person they were dealing with lacewing eggs. Lacewings are small, net-winged insects that may look scary, but are pretty harmless.

A “chest of drawers with no drawer sides and a hole at the front of the drawer” is certainly confusing. I mean, how can you store anything in this drawer cabinet? It would fall right out. That seems pretty useless. However, as people on Reddit revealed, this cabinet actually has a specific purpose, and there’s a reason why it’s designed this way.

It’s an artist’s cabinet! Also known as a flat file, this drawer cabinet is used to store large papers such as paintings and other pieces of artwork. There are no sides to the drawers so that you can slide your artwork inside or place it in the cabinet safely and take it out smoothly, without having to bend it and potentially ruin its shape.

Someone cam across a very random structure at the park. It is complied of three metal rings that have hooks attached to them, so as this person points out, “they seem to have a purpose beyond public art.” You’re absolutely right, my friend. As the people on reddit pointe out, these structures at the public park are not there for aesthetic reasons.

These structures are in fact hammock stands. The hooks on each side of the rings is where you set up your hammock. It’s not uncommon to bring a hammock to a picnic and attach it between two trees. These structures are meant for this exact purpose – chilling in the park in style.

If you’re a fan of games, board games and vintage games, you may be familiar with the next object. This one isn’t quite as mysterious as some of the other objects on the list. Nonetheless, these two friends stumbled upon this object, and they were clueless as to what it was.

Even if you’re not familiar with the purpose of this object, you can probably guess it’s a game of some kind. It’s called peg solitaire, also known as marble solitaire. It’s a board game for one person, where the player has to move the pegs (or marbles) around the board, moving each marble over the next, until you’re left with only one peg. It’s a lot harder than it sounds!

The last thing you want to find inside a bag of chips is a blue plastic disc. Well, actually the last thing you want to find in a bag of chips is probably an insect, or a nail, but plastic chips aren’t great either. Essentially, the only thing you want to find in a bag of chips is, well, crispy, delicious chips. This person was in for a surprise when they opened a bag of sour cream crisps.

One Reddit user informed this person they had found a testing chip. What’s that, you may ask? As it turns out, manufacturers use “testing chips” to test their metal-detecting machines. Since the bag contains the testing chip, it means it wasn’t supposed to leave the manufacturing house! Apparently, there was some sort of slip up in this line of manufacturing.

This person required the help of all the scientific experts on Reddit to figure out the purpose of this next item, that has apparently been lying around in his lab for years. Can you imagine having something lying around your house, your office, or your lab for years and having absolutely no idea what that thing is? Now, thanks to Reddit, they finally have an answer.

While it looks like some kind of a lightbulb or a salt shaker, this person was informed it was an old fire grenade. The purpose of this fire grenade isn’t to light up a fire, but to put one out. In the event of a fire, you’re supposed to throw one of these things into the flames. However, this object seems pretty old, and it has been lying around the lab for years, so I wouldn’t count on it to do the job.

This person found a “weird cup thing” as they were going through their family’s fine China cupboards. I bet that if you’re creative enough, you can think of multiple uses for this. The first thing that comes to mind is some sort of a cup – but why is it shaped that way? Luckily, the people on Reddit had all the answers.

This is in fact a vintage teacup. It seems like drinking from this would be rather uncomfortable, but it serves an intended purpose. Apparently, you’re supposed to rest the teabag on the perforated lid, and it keeps dripping into the cup as you enjoy your hot beverage. That way, you can make the most out of every teabag.

After an hour of Google searching that yielded no results, this person turned to Reddit to find out the meaning or purpose behind these mysterious bear pins. It’s not uncommon to find in many households paraphernalia and other items that have been passed down for generations, and this seems to be one of these cases.

As one helpful Reddit user explained, these were pins from the WWII era. Following Germany’s attack on Russia in 1941, a Russian Relief organization was set up in New York (this is what the RWR stands for). The goal of The American Committee for Russian War Relief was to aid Russia during this time.

Someone found this “hardish foam” and while they didn’t know what its exact purpose was, they knew it was somehow baby related. There are a lot of baby products out there, which may seem confusing to new parents. How do you know what’s actually necessary and what’s nothing more than a gimmick?

In order to find out whether or not they really needed this mysterious yellow foam, these parents turned to Reddit. They were informed that this hard foam serves as a door stopper – you wrap it against the edge of the door to stop the door from shutting abruptly and possibly shutting on your kid’s fingers.

To be honest, canned coffee (and other canned drinks, for that matter – but coffee in particular) never seemed very appealing to us. If you ask us, coffee is something that should be consumed when it’s fresh. We wonder if this person gave up canned coffee after finding this strange thing floating inside a can of Monster Coffee.

He took a photo of the “squishy thing” and shared it with the Reddit community to get some answers. One person suggested that “the milk solids from the condensed skim milk fell out of solution and combined within a matrix of sodium alginate to form a gum”. Yum. We’re pretty sure this person was just as grossed out even after he got his answer.

This person found a miniature mask in New Zealand and wanted to inquire about its origins. On the one hand, it looks like a purely ornamental object; on the other hand, the wide open mouth suggests it might have some sort of purpose. Not sure what to make of this, they’ve decided to consult with the experts on Reddit.

Someone on the thread revealed this was a miniature version of a Balinese ‘yawning’ dance mask, which plays an important role in Balinese culture and traditional ceremonies. While this mask holds great importance in the Balinese culture, it doesn’t actually have any intended purpose.

Our next object seems pretty morbid upon first glance. However, if this was a coffin, why would anyone need an explanation? And how would you explain the iron rings on top? It doesn’t add up. So, to figure out what this “concrete slab or box” found in his friend’s farm was, this person took to Reddit.

Someone kindly explained this was a “septic tank” – an underground chamber that is used to store wastewater. It has a pipe on each end through which the wastewater flows. It is buried 3-6 feet underground, and it needs to be cleaned every once in a while. Mystery solved!

Or in other words, a “healer thingy.” At least, that’s what one Reddit user called this object. Someone found this mysterious wooden object on a beach in Lima, Peru. We would’ve probably taken it home with us as well! It seems pretty cool. Of course. they wanted to learn what they were actually looking at.

Known as a Ceremonial Chonta, this wooden stick is carved from the wood of the chonta palm tree. It is used in traditional Peruvian ceremonies and is believed to have healing effects against diseases. Even if the person who found it won’t use it for its intended purpose, it would still look cool as a decorating piece, don’t you think?

Now, this is a tough one. Even the trustworthy Reddit community couldn’t agree on what this structure is. A person uploaded this photos, saying his friend found this scaffold-like structure on a trip to Czechia, Europe; “there was a paintball/airsoft field and a hotel nearby” and they were both confused about the purpose of this somewhat ominous-looking structure.

One Reddit user suggested this was an example of a baubotanik – a structure built completely out of plants. Other people seemed to think this was some kind of a 3D maze used to provide a challenge for outdoor activities, such as paintball. That would also explain the vicinity of the paintball field