How do you clean/disinfect your leather sheaths?

Use white vinegar it kills and cleans anything, wet a clean cloth with some and push it into the sheath a few times to clean out the dirt.

Dry the inside of the sheath, maybe hairdryer

Then maybe wet a cloth in mineral oil and push inside sheath a few times, it cannot do harm as you use mineral oil to stop rust on the blade, remove any excess oil with dry cloth.

Just a few ideas.
 
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https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=55041

Wowbagger said:
Wow now that is one serious sheath.
I didn't realize the stuff was so workable.
Thanks for the education :thumbsup:
I think I might try that.
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Thanks for the kind words. I don't know how he figured it out. He did not use the internet at all. The link takes you to a thread about his PVC sheaths I made on another forum, rather than side track this thread.
 
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I have sprayed them with Lysol, inside and out. Let them dry oil the knives and put them in the sheaths. Haven't had any issues, and I store knives in sheaths. I know it's a mortal sin. But they get checked a lot.
 
As somewhat alluded to above, clean the knife between unsheathing and using with a wipe if you're really worried or if using it for meat prep or the like wash the meat after cutting it up.

Dish soap could help clean the sheath, I think, but probably not well. Leather isn't a cleanable surface to a food grade standard just like cardboard isn't. I can really geek out on this if you want more info as food safety is what I do for a living but the easiest thing is taking care of the blade after it's exposed and assume the sheath is simply always dirty.

Charlie Mike isn't entirely wrong in that kydex or plastic is a far easier to clean surface than leather and if food safety is a concern that's the route to go. Myself, I keep a dedicated food knife, more or less, when I'm out in the field and know I'll use it for food. I also don't like folders for food prep but if taken care of properly they work fine, just be mindful of the pivot area that's a bastid to clean.

Quick passed through a fire or coals would also heat sterilize a knife but make sure it doesn't mess up the heat treat. The alcohol burners are decent method since alcohol burns at a really low temp. Wipes are still easier and the mechanical clean is pretty effective for the surfaces touched which is easy with flat metal sides of a knife and assuming the wipe is clean.

About the microbes being good for you, not likely. Not necessarily being bad but not good. Food spoilage would be one big reason to try and keep things clean.

Another consideration, is what you're cutting even cleaner than the knife?

Okay, so I geeked out a little on you but hopefully not too bad.
 
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Yonose said:
Can I post pics right off device with unpaid mmbsp? Maybe it’ll have to wait till I get $30 in PayPal, one of these days!
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I paid like $10 for a basic membership here and it has been so worth it to be free of PhotoFlunket (PhotoBucket).
PS: I only post photos from my desk top; I have not experience posting photos here with a smart phone.
 
Yonose said:
Can I post pics right off device with unpaid mmbsp? Maybe it’ll have to wait till I get $30 in PayPal, one of these days!
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and or you could search on the internet using "Knife Sheath Image" and then when you find an image / photo similar you could post a link to the site that is displaying the photo.
 
Wowbagger said:
I paid like $10 for a basic membership here and it has been so worth it to be free of PhotoFlunket (PhotoBucket).
PS: I only post photos from my desk top; I have not experience posting photos here with a smart phone.
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I used to post pics right from my device’ camera, but since it’s so old my pics are starting to look terrible. But the extra $20 will help me unload some of my extra knives(I hope) so I’m not gonna do basic.
 
PoorUserName said:
Use white vinegar it kills and cleans anything, wet a clean cloth with some and push it into the sheath a few times to clean out the dirt.

Dry the inside of the sheath, maybe hairdryer
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Vinegar is acid . . . may not be too good for the sheath, stiching or the blade ? ? ?
Sun light is going to accelerate the rot.

Leather hates to be force dried with heat and the heat will accelerate the corrosive action of the acid.

I could be totally off base here but . . . may as well put the sheath in a hole in the ground and set fire to it so it doesn't suffer for days from the above treatment.
 
Wowbagger said:
Vinegar is acid . . . may not be too good for the sheath, stiching or the blade ? ? ?
Sun light is going to accelerate the rot.

Leather hates to be force dried with heat and the heat will accelerate the corrosive action of the acid.

I could be totally off base here but . . . may as well put the sheath in a hole in the ground and set fire to it so it doesn't suffer for days from the above treatment.
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Agree with this. Vinegar is good at cleaning mold, but if you’ve got a moldy leather sheath I hope it wasn’t expensive!
 
bikerector said:
Wipes are still easier and the mechanical clean is pretty effective for the surfaces touched which is easy with flat metal sides of a knife and assuming the wipe is clean.
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I have found alcohol (cold; not burning) does not kill everything. I won't go into gory detail . . . I'm just saying.
I have found laundry detergent (since it breaks down the cell walls (??)) to be a better more dependable sanitizer.
Am I right or did I just get into a limited situation that is not generally reliable ?
PS: I'm talking just the blade now; not for the sheath. (don't want to be breaking down the cell walls of the leather (?).
 
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Wowbagger said:
I have found alcohol (cold; not burning) does not kill everything. I won't go into gory detail . . . I'm just saying.
I have found laundry detergent (since it breaks down the cell walls (??)) to be a better more dependable sanitizer.
Am I right or did I just get into a limited situation that is not generally reliable ?
PS: I'm talking just the blade now; not for the sheath. (don't want to be breaking down the cell walls of the leather (?).
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It’s better to use the highest proof ethanol you can find—can always mix it with juice, but no the other way around if you get isopropyl alcohol. It won’t kill some spores, though—nor will it “kill” inorganic contamination—where detergent will, especially if used with hot water.
 
Wowbagger said:
I have found alcohol (cold; not burning) does not kill everything. I won't go into gory detail . . . I'm just saying.
I have found laundry detergent (since it breaks down the cell walls (??)) to be a better more dependable sanitizer.
Am I right or did I just get into a limited situation that is not generally reliable ?
PS: I'm talking just the blade now; not for the sheath. (don't want to be breaking down the cell walls of the leather (?).
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The main reason alcohol wouldn't disinfect is because the blade wasn't cleaned properly. It won't penetrate a heavy soil and laundry detergent is more of the opposite, it removes the solid but doesn't necessarily disinfect (depending on the detergent, bleach will kill pretty much everything for example). Contact time is something to consider also if you're wiping a thin layer on. Isopropyl/rubbing alcohol is still widely used in sanitation of medical and food manufacturing facilities for spot sanitation. Molds tend to be more resistant to alcohols but most bacteriums are taking care of pretty well.

Basic sanitation: wash, rinse, sanitize. Sanitizing works best on an already cleaned surface or one in which the gross soils have been removed from. Alcohol won't do anything if the blade is coated in dirt still so at a minimum wipe it with a wet rag, dry and use alcohol so it's working on a smooth surface. I'm not sure how well this would work on a rough coated surface like those found on OKC or busse knives.

Soaps generally work more around the principle of removing the soils instead of actually killing the microbes, which is still pretty effective even without a sanitize step.
 
Wowbagger said:
Vinegar is acid . . . may not be too good for the sheath, stiching or the blade ? ? ?
Sun light is going to accelerate the rot.

Leather hates to be force dried with heat and the heat will accelerate the corrosive action of the acid.

I could be totally off base here but . . . may as well put the sheath in a hole in the ground and set fire to it so it doesn't suffer for days from the above treatment.
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I did a quick search about using vinegar on leather, and the majority say that it will do no harm as leather is aready acidic at lever ph 4-5 from people using it on sofas to saddles it kills mold and bacteria, and we are talking about using a small amount on a cloth on the inside of an sheath not soaking it.

I recommend you do a internet search on using vinigar on leather for yourself.
 
I would think it would be nearly impossible to keep leather sheaths totally sanitary especially dealing with food. Because of the nature of leather and it's rather dense texture with a somewhat porous surface. To me that type of material it seems would be a magnet for all kinds of bacteria. Also the fact that when it gets wet it's very difficult to dry it quick enough to avoid the growth of bacteria.

The only thing I could think to do would be to clean it the best you can with Lysol or something similar. I would avoid using chlorine bleach which is one of my favorite disinfectants because I do believe it would be destructive to leather. I've also heard that you can sanitize certain materials by putting them in microwave ovens but most leather sheaths I've seen or owned have had some metal hardware in them which would prevent you from doing that.

This truly is a tough question to answer. I'm personally not a huge fan of leather sheaths for many reasons. I far prefer Kydex or any other type of polymer sheath instead because of them being much easier to clean and maintain. But this a truly problem you want to be aware of especially if you are in an emergency or survival type situation. Maybe the only viable, effective solution is just to simply focus on keeping the knife blade itself sanitized before using on food>> and then sanitized after being finished with the job.
 
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Yonose said:
It’s better to use the highest proof ethanol you can find—can always mix it with juice,
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:D

I went searching for info. I can't explain my experience of alc not killing what the detergent does.
I found :
Medical[edit]
Rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting pads typically contain a 60–70% solution of isopropyl alcohol in water. Water is required to open up membrane pores of bacteria, which acts as a gateway inside for isopropyl. A 75% v/v solution in water may be used as a hand sanitizer.[22] Isopropyl alcohol is used as a water-drying aid for the prevention of otitis externa, better known as swimmer’s ear.[23]
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I was, in the past, using 70%.
Yes the surfaces in question (not knives) was without any debris.
Oh well there are some things I just don't understand.
Hell . . . I may try vinegar.
 
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PoorUserName said:
leather, and the majority say that it will do no harm as leather is aready acidic at lever ph 4-5
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That was in the back of my mind (don't store knife in sheath etc.,) I would have never dreamed the acidity of leather was on par with vinegar but then I was picturing saturating the sheath rather than a quick wipe.
Good info !
Thank You !
 
Wowbagger said:
:D

I went searching for info. I can't explain my experience of alc not killing what the detergent does.
I found :

I was, in the past, using 70%.
Oh well there are some things I just don't understand.
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AFIK, one would be best off using something 100% alcohol. The problem is that this is not always possible to locate/ purchase depending on where one lives.

Based on my looking, are various types: alcohol beverages from liquor stores where legal, laboratory alcohol that is food grade and tissue friendly and and some that isn’t.

I’m not saying any would be ideal for a sheath, but the stuff used in labs must work well enough for the purposes of conducting biochemical experiments is my understanding.
Some was given to me to use on porous materials that were understood to later be put in the mouth.
 
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