#457 That little hole at the top of your sink that prevents it from overflowing

Neil Pasricha

Let’s face it.

We’re all idiots who love cranking taps and have no idea when reckless shaving and face-washing shenanigans might flood our bathroom floors.

Thanks for watching our backs, little hole.

AWESOME!

There will be a special announcement on 1000 Awesome Things this Friday.

— Email message —

“I’m in Ireland this summer, the first time I’ve spent significant time away from home and my family.  My best friend Shannon and I both read 1000 Awesome Things and so before I left, she made me this journal to keep track of the awesome things that happen to me here.  Traveling can be hard, but this has made me focus on the beautiful moments of the Emerald Isle, whether it be a delicious meal or a breathtaking sky… ” – Erin from Dublin (originally from Seattle, WA)

Photo from: here

45 thoughts to “#457 That little hole at the top of your sink that prevents it from overflowing”

  1. That was thoughtful of sink-makers to consider user flaws when planning the design of sinks. Thank you, overflow hole, for many a saved floor.

    Erin and Shannon, that’s a neat idea! Love your book design :)

  2. Is that what that little hole is for?! Not sure it works on my sink…

    Also, gotta agree with Lindsay. It’s time to lose the emails.

    1. I LOVE the emails! Please keep them. I like hearing how other people are applying AWESOMEness to their lives through both the book and the blog. Thanks!

  4. odd fact, of the 3 places I’ve lived in Australia neither the bath or the sinks have these. Odd as we have no water.

    1. yeah down here in aus, a lot of the sinks didn’t have these holes…

      but i have noticed recently they have started to pop up quite a lot!…
      i think they’re getting more & more popular :)

      such an awesome thing ;)

      && im excited to see what this special announcement shall be!..
      &&& im super glad that you chose my birthday to annouce it ;)
      it will make it that even more awesomer!!! :)

  7. When I was little I use to intentionally put water in that hole just to see if it would leak into the bottom of the cabinet underneath. I was always baffled.

    1. ohhhhhh so it doesn’t leak into the cupboard? Thanks for telling me! Haha I’ve never ‘not had the guts’ to do it but I just haven’t wanted to… So is there like a pipe?

  8. ha ha Bekah! When I was little I was always paranoid that I would cause a cupboard below flood if I wasn’t careful. I never had the guts to do it on purpose! Now I realize all my fear was unfounded.

  9. OH MY GOD, I’ve wondered for all my life what that little hole is for! This is so awesome.

    1. i love how these things trigger memories!

      when i was little, i would always try to overflow the sink – to see if i could get more water going into it than those little holes would drain out of it :) i always wimped out as soon as it got right above the holes though. more afraid of my parents wrath than interested in my home-made science experiment!

      Happy traveling, Erin!

      1. Wotcher!

        When I was little I would always wash my plastic toys in the sink…. those holes saved from many floods! :))

        Cheers,
        Sarah

  10. Just realized this morning that the comments section of this blog is an awesome thing! I rarely read the comments on internet sites anymore as they so often contain comments which are very negative and sometimes terribly hurtful to others. This is the one place I can read comments and know I’ll smile as much as I did while reading the blog. Kudos to all who comment!

    P.S. that hole in the tub has saved me several times!

  11. When I visited some family in Florida, I found that their faucet water sprayed out at an angle directly into that little hole. I barely had room to run my hands under the water! It was the strangest thing.

    As for the emails, I don’t mind them one bit, but if they do bother people so much, a great option would be to put them on the sidebar. :)

    -B

  12. New prediction for Friday’s announcement….

    Neil will tell us he is actually Keyser Soze. Why else would #433 be “singing in a barber shop quartet in Skokie, Illinois.”

    Read between the lines, people.

  14. When I was little I thought those holes were a secret place where all the bugs hid. I was never sure why people would build sinks with an extra compartment in the sink for silverfish and centipedes, but that’s what I assumed. Every sso often I would take a cup of water and try to drown the suckers. Of course, with the awkward placement of the holes, it was always a little difficult to get water pouring down there smoothly.

  16. So those holes have a purpose?

    AWESOME!

    *wants to know what the announcement will be*

  18. Cool, that’s one I would have overlooked, but it is definitely awesome to keep the water in the sink instead of on the floor. Awesome.

  19. I literally JUST noticed these holes in my bathroom sink last night. And I thought it was such a good idea. I love those little things that help you but go unnoticed. Cheers to them!

  22. I used to fill a little Dixie cup with water and pour it into the holes like I was feeding them.

  23. i was washing my hands once. and 2 cockroach antennas were sticking out of that hole. IT WAS F***ING DISGUSTING

  24. I never saw those holes until I went over seas.. It’s an awesome idea in the sink but I hate them in the bath!!!

    I mean come on! what if i want my bath higher then that point? then what am I ment to do???

    I spent ages plugging one up with a soap bar that i mashed into a pulp for that reason… didn’t really work tho, so then i spend the rest of my bath NOT relaxing because I am focused on plugging the damn hole with my toes!!!

  26. I like to post this comment .It helps a lot.The one thing I do know for sure, if that day comes, is that when it’s wedding cake cutting time, I will NOT make the same mistake I witness at every wedding. I will not be serving Champagne with dessert, but rather the slightly sweet and fizzy dessert wine.

    Thanks and Regards

  31. Pingback: 1000 Awesome Things.......... | infoplanetarium.com

  35. Are the holes supposed to be under the faucet, or toward the inside closer to where one stands?

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