Toothpicks are among the most straightforward of everyday items, but even they have functions hiding in plain sight.

Instead of only using toothpicks for their intended purpose, find out how these tiny tools can be useful for cleaning various areas of your home as well.

Ashlie D. Stevens is Salon's senior food editor. She is also an award-winning radio producer, editor and features writer — with a special emphasis on food, culture and subculture.

Thankfully, there is a simple way to keep needles in your Swiss Army knife toothpick slot using just a tweezer. On Amazon, you can get a set of the small Victorinox tweezers for $10.07 and the ...