How far before its too far

Wiped down good after each use, cleaned good and oiled once a week, usually. Kitchen knives get washed, dried and put away in the knife block after each use.
Mama always said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Dad was insistent about taking care of tools. “Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you.” (He knew what it was like to do without)
 
ShaiHulud said:
Interesting, I think it's well.. interesting what people do and don't do with their stuff. I'm at the point where unless by leaving it on the knife will cause pitting or corrosion, I'm not going to rush to clean it off. But I probably will when it gets agregious, after all i only own fixed blades so i dont have pivot assemblies or mechanisms to worry about getting gunked up -- thats just me though
Click to expand...

I work around stuff that is literally acid. If I break a seal, then it most likely will be of a chemical that will eat into the steel within minutes. Tape gunk is another thing, of course. However, most days I carry an OTF, so tape gunk is a bit no-no if you want your knife to function.

I also keep my EDC pretty much spotless because I am lazy. I do the lion's share of the cooking at home, and it's way easier to slice open a package of ground turkey with my EDC than reach across the counter and get another knife. My EDC is almost assuredly sharper as well and will open the package without tearing things.

I work in two different environments: a office setting with literally 4 sinks and all manner of maintenance oils within 20' of my desk, and the bottom of a muddy hole where there might be a garden hose sometimes. My office EDC varies from my on-site carry for this reason. The OTF makes great and fast work of opening packages. The full size Adamas works all day just fine covered completely in mud and debris until I can scrub it out.
 
Rob47 said:
Wiped down good after each use, cleaned good and oiled once a week, usually. Kitchen knives get washed, dried and put away in the knife block after each use.
Mama always said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Dad was insistent about taking care of tools. “Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you.” (He knew what it was like to do without)
Click to expand...
Ha, not to compare dadisms but, my dad would always say, if it can't be put in the dishwasher, I don't want it. He's the same guy who after finding a crkt m16 with a broken tip at the beach used it until it literally broke then bought another, and that was it, that and his leatherman micro.
his name was also Rob
 
I tend to clean them after every use, but the work station budget folders and fixed blades are used by other people too, so results may vary. Some of them I'm just glad I can keep them from being left out in the rain (this is why it's a great idea to have budget knives handy for other people to use, instead of watching your best knife being used to dig in the garden). I'm especially vigilant after using a knife to hack weeks and brush that have some toxic juices flowing through them that can damage a blade.
 
With my Resilience, I beheaded a mosquito I had stunned, and made sure to give the blade a very cursory wipe on my dirty work shirt before I stuck it back in my pocket. Here let me slice your apple.
 
I have knives I leave on the kitchen counter (no, not kitchen knives, I have those too) which are used primarily for cutting packing tape on boxes and later on cutting down those boxes for the recycle bin.

They eventually get gummed up from the tape stickum and dulled from the cardboard. When I notice it is affecting my use, I will clean off the tape residue and sharpen them up. I keep about 4 or 5 for the purpose, and will sort of rotate through them if I am being lazy about the cleaning polishing. Eventually if they are all gunked up I will clean up and sharpen the bunch.
 
David Mary said:
With my Resilience, I beheaded a mosquito I had stunned, and made sure to give the blade a very cursory wipe on my dirty work shirt before I stuck it back in my pocket. Here let me slice your apple.
Click to expand...
You just know that some influencer on YouTube is now talking about how they can do this for their next video...
 
ShaiHulud said:
First off, I hate making new threads but no one is asking, and I've been fiercely curious about this for some time.
The question is thus--- How far would you let your knives "go" before cleaning it off?
Some I imagine want it cleaner than an NSF stainless steel counter, others are ok with their knife looking like a used Native indian trade knife
Click to expand...
I would clean mine before and after using it for food. Otherwise, nope.
 
Bob W said:
I would clean mine before and after using it for food. Otherwise, nope.
Click to expand...
I'm similar in that cleaning depends on whether the knife would be used with food or not. If it will never be used on food, I'm not as thorough at cleaning off residue and stuff. If it might be used on food in future, I'll give it a wash/scrub after other uses.
 
I generally wipe on my pants after each use, and clean further only when the knife needs it.

Whether wiping on my pants counts as cleaning or not depends of course on how long I've been wearing them 😝
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top