How do you clean / disinfect your knives?

Clean? Disinfect?
I mostly give it a swipe on my pants leg. If it's really dirty, I'll give each side of the blade two or three passes.
Or slice an apple. That seems to clean it up pretty good.
I have been known to use a wet paper towel on occasion.
 
If very dirty, I wash my knives with dish soap and hot water. I then spray them with a 2% bleach solution, let them sit for a minute and wash them again in soap and water and dry them out well.

Joe
 
hot soapy water will get rid of anything, unless it's truly hazardous waste. And even then most of the time it will still get rid of it. What do your kitchen knives that come into contact with raw chicken get? That's right, soap and hot water.

The only reason I'd use some sort of disinfectant was if I didn't have access to hot water. It's just overkill.
 
I'll clean with hot water and sometimes something like Simple Green and a tooth brush if necessary. For bacteria concerns, I will use alcohol after a good cleaning in hot soapy water. For a really nasty "something", I resist using bleach due to its caustic effects, but might use it and rinse well. For many chemicals, scrub with soapy water for visible dirt, then an acid wash and a rinse with fresh water.
 
Bleach both chlorine and H2O2 are strong oxidizers so if you use them make sure you rinse thoroughly !! Boiling with water + detergent should do well for most things.
 
I like Icepick15's response... what's wrong with a pants leg? Now - why a more stringent cleanining regimine than a kitchen paring knife? I carry alcohol wipes when I hike/camp - and I have used them when switching from whittling wood to cutting food.

Stainz
 
I clean them with hot water and soap, a quick wipe with 70% ethanol and a light coating of thymol if there is something nasty on it.
 
I'm confused why anyone would clean with soap and water and then use alcohol. Do you do this for all your forks and spoons?

I just use soap and water if I'm at home. I do use alcohol wipes (the tiny ones for preparing skin for needles) or hand sanitizing wipes when I'm out (camping, for instance).
 
Hot water and soap most of the time. I also like to use general household cleaner sprays as well, as they are a bit handier and more mobile than the kitchen sink.

Goo gone works wonders for that god awful tape gunk that is a perennial problem!
 
I throw mines in an autoclave if i need to sterilize them.


Terry Monk said:
I did a search and didn't see a thread like this. Apologies if it's already been asked, if so can someone help direct me?

Anyway, I use all my knives in various situations at work and they get into some nasty stuff. Typically about once a week I'll clean them by boiling water in a pan and boiling them for 5-10 mins. Then I touch up the edge and re-oil the hinge and locking mechanism.

How do you clean and disinfect your knives? Plain ol' soap and water? Disinfectant wipes? Bleach?
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s.c. said:
I'm confused why anyone would clean with soap and water and then use alcohol. Do you do this for all your forks and spoons?

I just use soap and water if I'm at home. I do use alcohol wipes (the tiny ones for preparing skin for needles) or hand sanitizing wipes when I'm out (camping, for instance).
Click to expand...

exactly. the hot water and soap did all the work, the alcohol does nothing and is just being anal.

unless you have seriously sticky stuff you need to get rid of, like mentioned before Goo Gone works wonders, and it's basically just alcohol.
 
Hi Terry -

I dip mine in water and drink a lot of Jack Daniels.

Works for me.

best regards

mqqn
 
Thanks for the responses! I was curious what people used for sanitizing their knives. I often buy high end knives (like Wm Henry) that have been used and there is no telling what the previous owner has stuck the blade into or what sort of strange disease the past owner might have. I use them for EDC so used ones are fine and I certainly don't mind the discounted prices. If bought new I usually put them in my lock box.
 
I do not recommend chlorine bleach on knife steels.
It does corrode stainless steel even at 1% if left soaked, especially with blood.

Edit: Zombie resurrection! I used to use chlorhexidine gluconate 5% solution to disinfect surgical instruments for animal surgery.
 
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