How to Make Cinnamon Toothpicks

Setting Up the Cinnamon Soak

Fill a glass or mason jar with 2 ounces cinnamon bark oil. The oil needs to cover the bottom of the jar, and the jar should be one that you can seal with an airtight lid. Make sure the jar is glass, not plastic. This will affect the soak. The jar should probably be 12 to 16 ounces in capacity. Cinnamon oil is usually available in a drugstore. You may need to ask for counter service to retrieve it.

Place all of the toothpicks you intend to soak into the jar. You want to do as many at the same time as you can, so 100 or more per setting is recommended. Toothpicks come in many bundle-sizes, so you should be fine doing up to 500 in a setting if you are so inclined. If you are concerned about a mess, make sure the jar and area around is on a non-absorbing towel or surface you can clean later. The non-absorbing part is crucial for a later step.

Seal the jar. It is important that this be an airtight cover once the toothpicks are placed in the jar coated inside with the cinnamon oil. The lid will keep the oil fresh and allow it to travel up the wood of the toothpicks to complete the soak.

Let the soak remain undisturbed overnight. The longer the toothpicks soak, the spicier or "hotter" they will become. The longer the soak goes on, the more cinnamon flavor the toothpicks will absorb. Avoid soaking the toothpicks for a full day or they may become hot enough to burn the mouth of someone trying to enjoy them.

Prepare a non-absorbing area to dry the toothpicks. Do this before the soak is complete. Make sure this area is not exposed to direct sunlight. If there are towels or rags laid out for the toothpicks to rest upon, make sure they will not inadvertently absorb the cinnamon oil from the toothpicks. So, avoid napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, and the like. Try plastic wrap, cookie sheets, or similar instead.

Handling the Toothpicks After the Soak

Remove the toothpicks to the prepared surface. Make sure nothing on the surface will absorb the oil soaked into the toothpicks. Lay the toothpicks out flat and spread out on the surface. They will dry more quickly and evenly this way. Make sure you have re-sealed the jar with the cinnamon oil after the toothpicks are removed. This will preserve the oil.

Test the sticks' dryness after a few hours. They will be ready to use once they are dry. If they are still damp after a lengthy wait, you may attempt to dry them manually. If drying is taking too long, you may want to risk using napkins to dab the toothpicks dry with gentle pat-downs. Don't risk breaking the toothpicks or rubbing off the oils prematurely. Also consider moving the toothpicks to another location in case the environment itself is perhaps too humid for drying.

Store the toothpicks for later use. There are a number of containers you could use, but you may want something fairly portable. If your toothpicks originally came in a seal-able plastic container, consider using that again to transport them with you. A small plastic jar or box is usually best and easily found at most stores.

Save the cinnamon oil for later use. Cinnamon has many uses as a spice and health remedy, plus you may want to make more soaks for toothpicks. Keep the oil in the airtight-sealed jar and place the jar in a cool, dark place. Make sure wherever you place the jar is away from heat sources and direct sunlight. Spice shelf life can vary quite a bit, from months to years, so check with your seller. Cinnamon oil has numerous other uses including killing bacteria (particularly in food), it's a preservative, it controls the spread of mosquitoes, it can be used as a massage oil, it can assist with digestive problems, and its often used with warm compresses.