The Soda Can Tab Has a Hidden Straw Holder

You've probably cracked open thousands of soda cans without giving the tab a second thought. But that little hole in the middle? It's about to change how you drink from a can forever.

Spin the tab around so it sits over the opening, drop your straw through the hole, and watch it stay perfectly in place. No more chasing a bobbing straw around with your mouth like you're trying to catch a fish.

Why Straws Float in the First Place

Carbonated drinks release a constant stream of tiny CO2 bubbles. These bubbles cling to the outside of your straw, creating buoyancy that pushes it upward. The lighter plastic straw becomes like a little life raft, determined to escape your drink.

The tab hole solves this by acting as an anchor point. The straw passes through snugly enough to stay put, but loosely enough that you can still sip comfortably.

Was This Actually Intentional?

Here's where it gets interesting: probably not. The hole in the tab exists primarily for structural reasons—it provides leverage when you pull back to open the can and reduces the amount of aluminum needed.

The straw-holding function appears to be a happy accident, a clever life hack discovered by consumers rather than engineers. Pull-tab cans date back to 1963, and the modern stay-on-tab design emerged in 1975. The straw trick gained popularity decades later through social media.

Still, whether intentional or not, it works brilliantly.

The Right Way to Do It

• Open the can normally
• Rotate the tab 180 degrees so it hovers over the opening
• Thread your straw through the hole
• Enjoy hands-free sipping

Some tabs have larger holes than others, so your mileage may vary depending on the brand and straw thickness. Thin cocktail straws work best; thick smoothie straws won't fit.

More Hidden Can Features

This isn't the only overlooked detail in beverage packaging. The indentation at the bottom of wine bottles (called a punt) helps collect sediment. The bumps on the F and J keys help you type without looking. Design is full of these quiet little helpers.

Sometimes the best features aren't advertised—they're discovered. So next time you're struggling with a floating straw at a barbecue, remember: the solution was built into the can all along. You just had to spin it around.