You sort of never know what you're in for when you buy something. You know what you hope that product will be used for, but there's no way to truly know whether or not it will work. And if you're resourceful....you'll find a different use for it.

Redditor BigFlays wanted an idea of how to tap into these unused resourced, and so asked:

What product has a better use than its intended function?

Here were some of the answers.

Pennies are far more useful for checking your tire treads and making souvenirs at the zoo than being used as currency.

Neoprene. Apparently it was originally used as a lining for industrial waste but obviously now makes a good wetsuit (and has many other industrial uses).

I never once used baby oil on my baby... but I use it to remove eye makeup whenever I wear eye makeup.

Tube guitar amps. They were never intended to produce distortion, but a whole genre of music was born by "misusing" them!

Royal Dansk tins as sewing kits. It seems universal, every person I've spoken to, every ethnicity, age, culture--- they all know about it. Amazing.

Clear nail polish works so well to fix small holes or seal things.

A tennis ball. Entertains animals for days, works as an amazing massage tool in physical therapy, protect your floors from chairs that scratch and more!

Originally, gasoline was a by product of making kerosene. Dunno if it counts but by products don't usually have an intended use.

A whole slew of medications.

My daily medication is an anti-seizure medication. Works like sh-t as an anti-seizure medication, but works fantastically as an anti-psychotic.

Pedialyte for hangovers.

Pipe cleaners, meant for cleaning tobacco pipes. More often used in a million craft projects.

Melamine foam, AKA magic eraser sponges.

Melamine foam was originally used as pipe insulation and soundproofing but was later discovered to clean surfaces like magic!

Aluminum foil. People use it to wrap food while they can use it to make rockets, electromagnets and hats that prevent the government from mind-controlling you.

Hair conditioner works best as shaving foam than some brands of shaving foam.

Viagra WAS intended to help treat high blood pressure.

I'm going to say kerosene as it relates to glass cutting. Kerosene is a freaking energy dense fuel, which is why we use it to put sh-t in space. But damn when you dip your glass cutting tool in it before scoring a pane, freaking magic happens.

Paint can opener. I'm a cable technician, and I find myself outdoors in all manor of conditions. I keep a paint can opener in my vehicle to get mud, dog crap, and rocks out of the treads of my boots. Way better than the stick that breaks. Now, I keep one in my personal vehicle for when we take the dogs out to the park.

I was a medic in the Army.

Tampons were part of my regular trauma kit in the field because they were perfect for quickly plugging gunshot wounds.

I always keep fingernail clippers in my purse because I can use them to cut SO. MANY. THINGS. Little plastic tags on new clothes, zip ties, or even yarn when you want to knit on a plane and they don't let you have scissors!

Probably everclear. It's supposed to be consumed, but is a fantastic cleaner

Toothbrushes for cleaning bikes and cars (not the whole car, just little corners).

Mayonnaise. Its amazing for removing stubborn stcky residues. Use it a lot in my job.

Silly String is used by soldiers to detect tripwires.

Hair dryers if you need your shirt dry in a hurry.

I use the metal dental tool for pill openers. I have a hard time opening up tiny pill packets so I used my metal plaque thingy to open them. I have four or five hidden in random places. I mean what cruel AF person would design migraine meds in that freaking things. I