Bacteria in folders

S

seabornshade

Joined
Dec 18, 2008
Messages
18
In light of the recent E. Coli outbreak in Europe, I'd like to share my thoughts and fears when using knives in the outdoors. I bring a Sak or Leatherman with me when I go hiking, but, I almost never use the knife, just the other tools. Not because the blade is too small, but because. I'm afraid diseases might find a way into the folding knife's handle. I'd rather use a fixed blade like a mora or eskabar for the sort of tasks I would use a folder for.

I'm pretty sure I started doing this when I used my SAK to open up some crabs before a hike then a couple of days later it started smelling like fish. I looked and sure enough, a piece of crab was in the handle along with alot of dust.

So, I'm asking the people here if I'm just being paranoid and just need to wash my folders more often or is it a better idea to continue using a small fixed blade in addition to a multitool.
 
Much ado about nothing.

If you're worried about germs, bacteria, etx., rinse your knife off after each use.

How much bacteria do you think might be growing under the slabs of your fixed blade and leaching out whenever you use it -- especially when the knife is wet?

If you don't want to use water to rinse your folder off, use WD-40 and follow it up with a little Rem Oil when you oil the joints.
 
I've thrown a Spyderco Wegner into the dishwasher a few times after using it @ a BBQ. Or just some hot water & a splash of bleach will get rid of most problems.
 
I dont worry about it myself, but i pay attention to what im cutting, and if crap gets inside my folder. All i do is rinse it under running water, and i havent gotten sick. I have one exception though, i dont use my folders for raw chicken, cause of the risk of Salmonella. In use a fixed blade for that.

I read a story once on the Victorinow website about a doctor stationed way out in the wilderness of some 3rd world country. The amputation-saw in his kit was stolen, so he used his SAK saw for amputating limbs (!) during several procedures. After the first one, he removed the scales, and boiled it between operations. That sterilised it and it served him just fine, although i dont hope he used it for foodstuffs in between procedures :eek:.

The point is, if youre really paranoid, you could throw it in a pot of boiling water, and thatll kill any germs/bacteria that might be residing in your folder.

EDIT:

I found the story on their site: http://victorinox.com/content/true_stories_SAK_surgery/category/1

I started work here two years ago. Part of my work is dedicated to the development of a hospital in a small town called Tororo. It is located close to the Kenyan border, some 300 km from Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

For my work I brought a wide range of surgical instruments with me, one of which was a good surgical saw for amputations. This type of instrument is needed here because many injuries occur here, such as bullet wounds, which result in having to amputate an arm or leg. Shortly after my arrival here the surgical saw was stolen. So my Swiss Army Knife, which I always carry with me, was sterilised in boiling water.

From then on I decided to use the saw on the knife for amputations. It worked very well. It took an entire six months for me to get a new surgical saw. During this time I carried out at least six amputations using the saw on the knife. Although the knife lost its lovely red plastic cover due to being repeatedly boiled in water, the instrument otherwise worked faultlessly. I thought this information might be of use to you, and maybe for your advertising. You can tell people that the knife has a great scope of application because of the steel you use, which must be of excellent quality
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As a dr. I would like to reassure u about the risks of using ur knife in the outdoors...actually, I believe that the risks of any germs or stuff getting on ur blade is exactly the same if u use it in urban environment. The fact that it might smell bad doesn't necessarily have anything to do with aggressive germs unfortunately. The general advice is keeping the knife clean, of course fixed blades are easier to clean, but since u mentioned u carry a SAK, I guess no other knife tolerates rinsing as much as Vic's...u can rinse it every time u want and as long as u dry it afterwards, ur knife will be safe. Boiling it would not guarantee u to have killed all the germs (the only way u can be 100% sure that ur knife is sterile is treating it as surgical instruments) so just don't worry about it too much and just keep it clean.
If u don't want to rinse it too often, a very good alternative for removing any small particles of dirt from ur knife is an air compression system. It will clean ur blade right away with no harm. I clean my blades this way from time to time (sneak them into my hospital for the purpose).
:cool:
 
Thanks for the replies, but for most of the suggestions: WD-40, dishwasher and air compression can only happen after or before the hike. Not during athe hike. Also, I don't want to boil my knife before each meal. Will simply rinsing the knife after use prevent the build up of microbes? Should I mix a little alcohol? I feel these are the only ways to keep a folder clean when in the outdoors. Are there more effective ways? Is it enough?
 
Ok I get ur point. The easiest way is to carry 2 knives when u hike, one for food, and the other one for everything else. This way u can keep ur "food prep knife" clean while u are hiking (rinsing it with clean water or wiping it with a kleenex and keeping it in a clean spot of ur pack/pouch/pocket will be enough), and then u can clean it better when u get home.
:cool:
 
I don't use my Kershaw Zing for general food preps but on occasion I open pork/hamburger/chicken packaging for the grill. I clean it after wards with an alcohol wipe and go about my business. If you think about it wood kitchen knives and wood cutting boards are a petri dish of life.
 
Of course they are...and after all, if u have just eaten a cucumber (to stay with the E.Coli thing around here), why should u worry about any germs that it left on ur blade? Still, if he has this worry, a separate knife for food preps could ease his mind about it.
:cool:
 
I think your best (easiest) solution in the out of doors would be to carry a small bottle of chlorine bleach with you. Just a few of drops in a pot of water, dip (or soak) your knife and it will be as germ free as you can hope for. I personally don't worry about it much. I carry a Mercator daily (and others). When I use it for food , I usually just rinse it before and after and often put it back in my pocket wet ( a quick wipe on my pants). I often use it at the table, especially at restaurants.
 
I use this little (not too little actually) knife for my food prep. Cold Steel K4, VG1 4" blade with tang embedded in kraton. Soapy water and something to dry it off. Never a hint of germs, rust, and nowhere for anything harmful to hide.

It'll take a wicked edge off of any fine abrasive, like a Sharpmaker rod or any x-fine grit material. Comes in secure-x sheath for about $18 to $25 depending on where you shop. :thumbup:

Knife_Cold_Steel_K4_Neck_Knife_Plain_53T4P.jpg
 
seabornshade said:
Thanks for the replies, but for most of the suggestions: WD-40, dishwasher and air compression can only happen after or before the hike. Not during athe hike. Also, I don't want to boil my knife before each meal. Will simply rinsing the knife after use prevent the build up of microbes? Should I mix a little alcohol? I feel these are the only ways to keep a folder clean when in the outdoors. Are there more effective ways? Is it enough?
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What?????? You can't carry a mini-can of WD-40 with you or perhaps an alcohol towlette or something of that ilk????

You're eventually going to over-think this and end up carrying nothing.
 
The dishwasher thing is nice if you use your knife & then go home. I've carried the little individually-wrapped alcohol skin-prep pads/cloths (not the "Wet Ones" or such- the medical ones) on camping trips & given my food prep stuff a wipedown after rinsing in hot water. They're handy for hygiene & also burn nicely.
 
seabornshade said:
Thanks for the replies, but for most of the suggestions: WD-40, dishwasher and air compression can only happen after or before the hike. Not during athe hike. Also, I don't want to boil my knife before each meal. Will simply rinsing the knife after use prevent the build up of microbes? Should I mix a little alcohol? I feel these are the only ways to keep a folder clean when in the outdoors. Are there more effective ways? Is it enough?
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I wanna know what kind of food you are preparing on a hike where you are this paranoid about germs from it, haha.

I mean, if you're already packing a few raw chickens, I don't see how one of those little keyboard air duster cans is going to weigh you down too much...
 
Rugger said:
I've carried the little individually-wrapped alcohol skin-prep pads/cloths (not the "Wet Ones" or such- the medical ones) on camping trips & given my food prep stuff a wipedown after rinsing in hot water. They're handy for hygiene & also burn nicely.
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I always carry alcohol wipes. They clean gunk or germs off blades. I use them on mosquito bites, too.
 
seabornshade said:
So, I'm asking the people here if I'm just being paranoid and just need to wash my folders more often or is it a better idea to continue using a small fixed blade in addition to a multitool.
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Yes, you are just being paranoid.
 
I never use folders for food....

FB for food and folders for other stuff.
 
o.k I know this says folders, but I want to throw this up here, because it is highly relevant. you can clean your knife easily, but it is very difficult to clean the inside of a kydex sheath. this Kydex fst would really help keep it clean, or at least un-germed.
 
goodeyesniper said:
I wanna know what kind of food you are preparing on a hike where you are this paranoid about germs from it, haha.

I mean, if you're already packing a few raw chickens, I don't see how one of those little keyboard air duster cans is going to weigh you down too much...
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If it was just prepping food, I think I'd be ok. But I also use the knife other general utilities that do get it dirty as well. I also drop the knife sometimes. Maybe, a combination of the ideas from the replies here would be best. Some kind of alcohol/sanitizer spray on the blades as well as into the handles. Otherwise, a separate fixed blade is in order
 
My knife starts out trips clean and most food prep while out camping really does involve much knife use except cleaning fish. I just rince in the stream and let it air dry. I agree too with wondering what inside a fixed blade sheath
 
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