Toothpick Day #5!

Toothpicks also have plenty of uses besides removing detritus from your teeth. From wood filler to helping your gardening, toothpicks are pretty awesome little tools...

Hold a sandwich together

Restaurants do not spear club sandwiches with toothpicks just to provide a way to get bacon out of your teeth. They also serve a structural purpose in keeping sandwiches and burgers from falling apart. Serve neater sandwiches held together with toothpicks.

Make a fruit bouquet

Use toothpicks and wooden skewers to make edible arrangements of fruit or other treats.

Dress a ham

Add flavor and color to a baked ham by pinning pineapples and cherries to it with toothpicks.

Complete a martini

Toothpicks are also great for adding olives to martinis or fruit to tropical cocktails, or even a fancy way to put an orange or lemon slice in a beer.

Make food handles

Make messy appetizers and desserts easier to handle with toothpicks. You can even class them up with tiny flowers or other décor.

Differentiate foods

Use differently colored or labeled toothpicks to mark foods with different ingredients or cooked to different levels. For example, you can mark wheat and gluten-free rolls, or meat and vegetarian dumplings, or rare, medium and well-done burgers.

Design icing

The thin tip of a toothpick makes a nice "pencil" for sketching out designs and words on the cake before permanently applying your decorations in icing.

Rust-free gardening tools

Pack a few sticks of blackboard chalk with your tools, inside of your toolbox. The water-absorbing gypsum soaks up rust-causing moisture that collects inside the container before it can tarnish the metal.

Revive your black clothes

Add 2tbsp unbrewed coffee grounds to your washer during the rinse cycle. When the ground mix with warm water, they release tannic acid (pigmentation), and your garments will darken evenly.

Clean pet-hair quickly

Guests are on their way to your house and your couch has unpleasant fur from your dog. Grab an old fleece jacket and use it to wipe down the sofa. The electro-static charge of the synthetic fabric attracts fur and locks it in its nappy texture.

Trimming green beans

To speed your time in the kitchen trimming beans, instead of using a knife, grab your kitchen scissors, gather several beans in your hand and snip off their ends.

The creamiest cheesecake

To prevent your cheesecake from shrinking and forming lines, run a knife around its edges right after it comes out of the oven. Separating it from the pan prevents the resistance that causes cracks.

Moisturizing your skin

Warm 3 cups of milk in the microwave for about a minute, then add to running bath water. Lie back for 15 minutes before rinsing. The result is a silky skin that lasts.

Storing necklaces

To prevent your necklaces from ending up in a tangled mess at the bottom of your jewelry box, try to use a tie organizer. Each necklace slips effortlessly over the notches, and they are easy to find when you are in a hurry.

Unshrinking a sweater

You pull your favorite sweater out of the dryer and it is a size to small. To restore it, soak it in warm water and 2tbsp baby shampoo for 15 minutes. Remove and roll in a towel to blot moisture. Spread the sweater on a corkboard, pulling it gently to its correct shape, and adhere using pins. Re-stretch and re-pin every few hours until dry.

Relief for aching hands

Hold your right hand in front of you, palm facing in and fingers spread. Use your left thumb and forefinger to press each of the webs between your fingers. Repeat on the opposite hand.

Quick solution for dandruff

Microwave 4tbsp olive oil for 20 seconds. Massage into your scalp, cover with a shower cap, and leave on overnight. Oleic acid in the oil softens seborrheic scales so they can be rinsed away easily.

Serving ice cream in a party

Save yourself time when serving ice cream to your guests, by dishing it out the day before. Scoop and place each ball on a baking sheet, cover it with aluminum foil, and freeze until firm. Come dessert time, just place the frozen scoop in the plate.

Storing pie shells

To prevent puff, fill an oven-safe plastic turkey bag with dried beans, knot closed, and place in the unbaked pie shell. Once the crust is baked, simply remove the bag, let cool and store. It is reusable!

Control body breakouts

Limit your shower to 10 minutes, maximum. Spending too much time in there can drain skin's moisture and waste a lot of water as well. Cleanse acne-prone areas, like the chest and the back, with a wash containing salicylic acid, which dissolves clogs inside pores.

White teeth

Apply a whitener before showering. The heat from the water can help increase the stain-lifting power of the whitening ingredients. Remove after drying off and the recommended time is over.

Improvised air freshener

For natural and continuous air-freshening, soak cotton balls with your favorite fragrant oil and put 1 or 2 in each corner of the room you want to refresh, or even inside of your closet and medicine cabinet.

Streak-free windows

Use vertical strokes on one side of the glass and horizontal strokes on the other. If you see any streaks after cleaning, you will know which side they are on by the direction of the streak.

Clean windows on cloudy days

Bright sunlight makes glass to dry quickly, which causes streaking. Pick a cloudy day to wash your windows, or do it late in the day when direct sunlight no longer hits the glass.

Cleaning dirty faucets

To get cloudy faucets shining again, first wipe with a damp cloth, then swab with vinegar. Soak a cloth or paper towel with vinegar and wrap it around the faucet. After an hour, remove the wrappings and give the fixtures a final rub with a clean cloth.

Vacuum in natural light

Try to vacuum when the natural light in the room is at its best. You will do a better job and will not have to come back for touch-ups.

Dusting the house

Move around the room in a circle, starting with the highest points and working your way down to the floor. This way you will not miss any part of it.

Toothpick Day #4!

Toothpicks also have plenty of uses besides removing detritus from your teeth. From wood filler to helping your gardening, toothpicks are pretty awesome little tools...

Test foods for “doneness”

Stick a toothpick into cakes and brownies while baking. If it comes out clean, the baked goods are done. The toothpick test is also a proven but less publicized method for checking barbecued ribs for "doneness". However, heed a few warnings. The toothpick test is not foolproof. Chocolate chips and other melting ingredients can mess up the test. Also, the toothpick test could crack a cheesecake. Finally, resist the urge to open the oven prematurely or obsessively to stick toothpicks in your cakes. Opening the door releases a lot of heat, and could cause problems.

Make a bookmark

A toothpick can be a handy way to mark your place in a book without folding the page.

Navigate without a compass

If you hold a toothpick next to a manual wristwatch, it should cast a shadow on the watch. Turn the watch so the toothpick casts its shadow over the hour hand. Find the line halfway between the hour hand and 12 (or 1 during daylight savings time). That line should run north-south.

Quit smoking

The act of chewing on a toothpick, particularly a flavored toothpick, can help with nicotine withdrawal.

Light candles

Toothpicks burn slower and longer than matches, so use a match to light a toothpick for lighting candles.

Fix broken glasses

If you lose a screw in your eyeglasses, try aligning the screw holes and inserting a toothpick. Break off the end and tape the toothpick in place. You will at least be able to see until you can get them properly fixed.

Press the reset button

Toothpicks are the perfect size for reaching into the tiny recessed holes that house reset buttons on many gadgets.

Stuck glasses

To separate stuck glasses, place a few ice cubes inside the top glass while soaking the bottom one in a bowl of warm water. The cold causes the inner glass to contract, and the heat makes the outer glass expand.

Universal hairstyle for women

The most universally flattering hairstyle is a side-swept bang with soft layers around the face. It softens the neck and strengthens the cheekbones. The A-symmetrical line of a long bang pushed to the side also slims the face.

Exfoliating your skin

Always look for ingredients like sugar, oatmeal, or small synthetic beads. Or, if your skin is particularly dull, flaky, or red, try a cleanser with salicylic acid, which is less irritating than other chemical exfoliators.

Choosing a foundation makeup

Always take in consideration your skin type. If your skin is oily, opt for a powder foundation. If you have dry skin, try a cream foundation instead. Match your foundation to your collarbone, which is on the same plane as your face and will give you a more accurate shade, instead of matching it to your neck. Your neck is in a permanent shadow, so it tends to be a bit paler than the rest of your face.

Cover up dark under eye circles

A good trick is to brighten the outer corners of the eyes, where we all tend to have a bit of darkness and discoloration. Apply highlighter by sweeping it in a C shape from the corner of your eyelid, to the top of your cheekbone. It really opens up the eyes.

Musty smells in your house

To deodorize musty smells, squeeze a few drops of juice from a fresh lemon into the vacuum cleaner bag or dirt container. The fruit’s citric acid is released into the air while you clean the carpet, neutralizing odors.

Travelling with wrinkle-free clothes

Lay a large plastic dry-cleaning bag on a flat surface and place one neatly folded item inside. Slide it to the top end of the plastic bag, stack a second item on top of the first item, but over the plastic, and then fold the bag over the garment. Insert a third item into the bag and continue folding and layering. This method will prevent fabric from wrinkling during transit.

Food-stained hands

You have colorful stains on your fingers from cooking dinner, and they are not coming off. Just grab a discarded slice of raw potato and rub it on the stains, and then rinse with water. The starch in potatoes will absorb the food pigment from your skin.

Natural-looking hair color

Always match the color to your eyebrows. Your brows are a guideline to what looks natural and what would be a complimentary base color.

Growing your own veggies and fruits

Visit your local farmers in early spring and quiz them about what crops grow well in your climate and the type of soil in your area. Vegetables like lettuce, carrots and cucumbers grow quickly and easily from seeds. But when it comes to other crops, like tomatoes, herbs and strawberries, it is better to purchase small plants to jump-start production.

Tarnish on silver pieces

Dip the cork from a wine bottle in olive oil, then use it to rub tarnish off silver items. The oleic acid in olive oil dissolves the mineral and soap deposits, while the cork’s texture helps remove excess oil and restore natural shine without scratching.

Sticky monitor stains

Moisten a paper towel with some mouthwash and wipe the monitor. DO NOT try this on LCD or laptop screens! Those surfaces should only be cleaned with a dry microfiber cloth.

Deodorant mark remover

If you find a small deodorant mark under the armpit of any clothing, tear off a piece of foam from a dry cleaner’s hanger and rub the spot.

Homemade facial moisturizing

Mix 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 2tbs aloe gel, massage onto skin and follow with a cold water rinse. Yogurt’s lactic acid stimulates elasticity upping collagen production, while the aloe reduces inflammation, and milk proteins lock in moisture.

Look better in any photo

Tilt your head downward slightly so the camera is aimed just above eye level. Rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth and smile. This angle puts the focus on your eyes instead of your chin, and curling your tongue causes your neck to retract.

Toothpick Day #3!

Toothpicks also have plenty of uses besides removing detritus from your teeth. From wood filler to helping your gardening, toothpicks are pretty awesome little tools...

Deter cutworms

Experienced green thumbs recommend pushing three toothpicks into the soil close to the stem of a tomato plant or other seedling. This can keep cutworms from curling around the plant and eating it.

Test soil moisture

Just like in a test for cakes, push a toothpick into the soil around potted plants. If it comes out clean, it needs water. If it comes out wet and covered with soil, does not need water yet.

Repair a garden hose leak

Stick a toothpick into the hole in a leaking garden hose. The water will swell the wood and provide a good temporary plug.

Repair a bent stem

A toothpick can often brace a drooping or bent plant stem. Straighten the stem and attach the toothpick with tape. Water the plant and watch for it to grow back to health. Remove the toothpick splint once it is growing again to avoid choking off the stem.

Plant an avocado

Wash the avocado seed and push three toothpicks into the seed. Then suspend the seed on a glass with water covering the bottom inch of the wide end of the seed. Give it a warm spot out of direct sunlight and keep it watered. After the roots and stem start to grow, plant the bottom half of the seed in rich soil.

Teaching math

Math lesson plans involving toothpicks are available for parents and teachers. Use them to make the subject easier to understand.

Make sculptures and other art pieces

Instead of just accessorizing with toothpicks, you can also make entire craft projects with them: boats, replicate cityscape, bridges, solid boxes etc.

Toothpick Day #2!

Toothpicks also have plenty of uses besides removing detritus from your teeth. From wood filler to helping your gardening, toothpicks are pretty awesome little tools...

Make doll furniture

Toothpicks can serve as doll-size lamp stands, curtain rods, table legs and much more. Just cut to fit and paint to suit.

Finish or fix projects

Toothpicks come in handy before and after the painting stage as well. Dab small amounts of glue onto surfaces for completing or repairing model airplanes or similarly small, detailed projects.

Stir tiny paint cans

Toothpicks also make great miniature stirrers for the paint containers that go with model kits and other small projects.

Add sequins and jewels to your crafts

To neatly attach small sequins, jewels or buttons to a craft project, dab on small amounts of glue with a toothpick.

Wash your hands

After gardening or doing other dirty jobs, it is hard to get all the grime out from under your fingernails, even if you wash your hands thoroughly for 30 seconds with soap and hot water. However, a carefully used toothpick under the nails can quickly take them from dirty to date-worthy.

Clean keyboards

Just like phones, keyboards have lots of tight, small spaces that are difficult to clean with anything larger than a toothpick. Use it to make your work easier.

Clean the phone

You may have dirt and grime in the receiver holes of your phone. The best way to clear them out is with a toothpick.

Toothpick Day #1!

Toothpicks also have plenty of uses besides removing detritus from your teeth. From wood filler to helping your gardening, toothpicks are pretty awesome little tools...

Clean cracks and gaps

Dip a toothpick in rubbing alcohol or other sterile cleaning solution, then use it to scrape out cracks and gaps in furniture and gadgets. It also may be the only way to reach into small spaces and clear out cobwebs and dirt.

Clean brushes

Poke a toothpick through the bristles of a dog brush or other brush to easily pull out the accumulated hair.

Mark the end of a tape roll

Avoid searching for the end of the tape roll. Wrap the tape around a toothpick each time you finish using the tape.

Fill small holes

Toothpicks can hide accidental, exposed nail holes in wood projects. Dab some glue on the toothpick and push it into the hole. Break off the end, then sand flush and add stain or paint if necessary.

Repair ornaments

A toothpick is also handy for getting glue into small spaces and onto small surfaces, such as figurines, statuettes or ornaments.

Touch up furniture and woodwork

A toothpick is the perfect tool for adding paint to small scratches in furniture, woodwork and cabinets. It is smaller, cheaper and neater than a paintbrush, and will only repaint the small crack rather than the surrounding area.

Strong wood filler

If you have stripped screw holes for hinges, drawer hardware or other spots, you can fill the hole with toothpicks. Dab glue on the end of each toothpick, then slide it in, and break off the end. Once the hole is tightly filled with toothpicks, re-drill the stripped hole.