Tweezers are an overlooked tool for everything from fixing smart phones to touching up paint and planting the garden.
1
/
9
Grasp Hard-to-Reach Items
If you have debris lodged in a tight location, such as a French fry stuck between the car seat and the console, or some fuzz lurking behind your HVAC vents, tweezers just might be the answer. “Just make sure you always have a firm grip, especially when using tweezers in places like ductwork, where they could get trapped,” says HVAC expert Eli Zimmer. Also, don’t forget to unplug or power off electrical appliances and systems before tweezering.
2
/
9
Cook Like a Pro
Tweezers are among the best tools for removing pin bones from fish fillets, says chef Mark McShane. Their narrow tips are also great for delicately placing garnishes on dishes, such as microgreens and edible flowers. “When I’m sautéing small garlic slices, capers and shrimp, tweezers help me flip or move them individually without splashing hot oil,” he says. “You can even brown small pieces without using a bulky spatula.”
3
/
9
Repair Tech Devices
Fine-tipped tweezers are perfect for cleaning the pocket lint from your cell phone ports. They’re also a help during the dainty task of stabilizing small screws in tight spaces. “Tweezers help prevent losing those small parts down into a computer case,” says home buyer Darcy Turner. “The key to keeping parts stable is applying steady pressure.” Pro tip: Use ceramic-tipped tweezers to avoid accidentally shorting electrical connections.
4
/
9
Sow Seeds
A great tweezer hack is using them to place small seeds into the soil with precision. “This allows for less crowding of seedlings so each has the best possible opportunity to grow well,” says Keith Sant. “It also ensures your garden has a polished look from the beginning.” Pro tip: To get light seeds to adhere to the ends of the tweezers, dampen the ends.
5
/
9
Spruce Up the Bathroom
Tweezers are masters of the bathroom, good for everything from lifting hair clogs out of drains to plucking stray silicone strings from the tub. “These are small, fussy fixes where fingers are too big, and bulky tools can chip tile or scuff a tub,” says bathroom restorer Robert D Puleo. Pro-tip: for pop-up drains, use long or bent tweezers and a flashlight, so you can guide the tips onto the hair, rather than blindly scraping.
6
/
9
Touch Up the Paint
If you’ve got tiny paint nibs, dried drips or stray masking threads, tweezers are a good bet for cleaning them up, without damaging the surrounding paint. This is especially true for coated metal surfaces, like fences and gates, says fencing expert Matthew Prato. “Another good use for tweezers is pulling out embedded plant fibers, splinters or wind-blown seed husks from wood inlays and timber cladding details,” he says.
7
/
9
Renovate Small Details
After scraping away old caulk, you can use construction tweezers to remove those last stubborn bits. Remodeler Manny Kavouklis also uses them for shaving wood trim to prevent splinters, recovering screws or hardware dropped in tight spaces and laying out small mosaic tiles, where the adhesive might otherwise smear. “I have a toolbox that has precision tweezers in it, because after 20 years of renovations, I need them for stuff larger tools won’t work for,” he says.
8
/
9
Get Artsy with Flowers
Tweezers are perfect for creating collages with dried flowers. “You can easily move the thin, dry petals without them getting crushed by your fingers,” says homebuyer Mary Sullivan. To achieve the cleanest edges, position yourself to where you can see where the flower meets the paper, then gently lay the flower onto the glue. Work slowly and gently to get the cleanest edges. “ You get the best out of nature when you use a gentle touch,” she says.
9
/
9
Aquascape the Aquarium
Get fishy with this tweezer hack: use an extra-long pair of tweezers to plant aquatic plants without disturbing the water’s surface. “Hold the plant by its roots and gently press it into the gravel,” says Turner. “This prevents it from being pulled out of the substrate, which can lead to reduced plant health in your underwater garden. A veteran aquarist told me that patience makes the most attractive aquariums.”
About the Experts
- Eli Zimmer is CEO of Luxaire HVAC Services in Long Island, New York.
- Mark McShane is a chef and food safety expert at Food Hygiene Certificate.
- Darcy Turner is acquisition manager at Investor Home Buyers in Dallas, Texas.
- Keith Sant is a realtor and founder and CEO of Kind House Buyers in Washington State.
- Robert D Puleo is owner of Denver Bathtub & Tile Reglazing.
- Mary Sullivan is founder of Company That Buys Houses in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Matthew Prato is president of Tri State Gate luxury gate and fencing design, fabrication and installation
- Manny Kavouklis is president of CMK Construction Inc., a Tampa Bay-based home remodeling company.
