You've Been Pouring Milk Wrong This Whole Time, According To Science

Grabbing a carton of milk from the fridge and pouring it into a glass isn't exactly an arduous task, but cleaning up after a spillage disaster definitely is. According to survey data from YouGovAmerica, 10% of Americans believe sweeping or mopping floors to be the worst possible household chore, while a further 1% think that wiping surfaces — dusting — is the most annoying task at home.

A key objective of a successful life should therefore be to avoid spilling milk at all costs. But, let's face it, we've all been in the deeply frustrating situation of innocently pouring a carton of milk when, during a tornado of vindictive excitement, the liquid decides to suddenly surge out, covering everything you own in a white glaze of festering smells.

Fortunately, salvation from such terrible accidents is upon us — proving that the problem of milk spillages is actually easily prevented. Like seemingly everything in modern life, the solution to avoiding milk spills comes from a really simple TikTok trick that demonstrates how handling milk cartons correctly can prevent a whole host of pouring chaos.

There aren't any magic spells involved in this TikTok hack — it's just a straightforward way to stop milk uncontrollably splashing around when it's poured out of a carton. It's fairly common practice to pour milk by holding the carton with the hole at the bottom, or closest to the glass or bowl. However, simply turning the carton over to pour with the hole pointing upwards, or on top, is revealed to reduce annoying overspills.

Nerdist details the science behind the theory. Pouring by holding a carton upside down allows air to easily flow into the carton to fill the space left by the liquid, maintaining the same pressure inside the carton as outside. Pouring the traditional way leaves the hole blocked by flowing liquid, preventing air from getting into the container, and resulting in sudden bursts of liquid as air battles to get inside.

The important thing is that the method works exactly the same for juice (great news for America's juice drinkers), and anything else you may want to pour out of a carton — so don't think that the hack exclusively benefits milk drinkers.