# Cloth/sponge/brush to wash knives?



## Pirendeus (Jul 9, 2016)

Basic question, but after searching past posts, I couldn't find an answer. What do you use to wash your knife? I've always used a dish cloth, but the edges of the knife always get caught in the cloth and rip it apart; washing the blade edge also requires a lot of diligence. Are there soft-bristled brushes that are better suited to safely and effectively cleaning knives?


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## ThEoRy (Jul 9, 2016)

Hot water and a towel is all I've ever used/needed.


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## MAS4T0 (Jul 9, 2016)

I use a sponge (non-abrasive side) and do strokes from spine to edge.


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## YG420 (Jul 9, 2016)

Blue scotch brite sponge


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## aboynamedsuita (Jul 9, 2016)

YG420 said:


> Blue scotch brite sponge



^this

I usually make do with the sponge side only, scrubby side doesn't scratch if it is needed (as a bonus, I believe Jon uses it in his sharpening videos too)


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## WingKKF (Jul 9, 2016)

Cloth should not get caught on the knife edge especially if you are cleaning it edge trailing. If it does catch, that means you have some burr left over from sharpening. Make your edge burr free and your cleaning cloth will not rip.


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## toddnmd (Jul 9, 2016)

YG420 said:


> Blue scotch brite sponge



+1


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## spoiledbroth (Jul 9, 2016)

Dollarstore microfibre cloths for the win


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## Pirendeus (Jul 19, 2016)

WingKKF said:


> If the cloth does catch, that means you have some burr left over from sharpening. Make your edge burr free and your cleaning cloth will not rip.


I used poor word choice---my cloth catches either on the tip or heel---not the blade edge itself.
Is there a decently soft-yet-stiff bristled brush that would allow for fast, safe cleaning?


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## zetieum (Jul 19, 2016)

I purify my blades with fresh blood from crow and fire. What else?


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## aboynamedsuita (Jul 19, 2016)

Pirendeus said:


> I used poor word choice---my cloth catches either on the tip or heel---not the blade edge itself.
> Is there a decently soft-yet-stiff bristled brush that would allow for fast, safe cleaning?



I've never really had to "scrub" a knife, but the blue scotchbrite pad/sponge combo is what I usually use 99% of the time it's the sponge only


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## foody518 (Jul 19, 2016)

Are you having ingredients caking onto the knife and particularly the edge?


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## Pirendeus (Jul 19, 2016)

foody518 said:


> Are you having ingredients caking onto the knife and particularly the edge?



No...but if I use it to cut meat, I want to ensure its thoroughly washed, and simple trailing strops on a wash cloth don't satisfy my ocd mind.


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## Benuser (Jul 19, 2016)

After proteins I start with cold water and a towel. Otherwise, or next, very hot water.


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## Ruso (Jul 19, 2016)

Soapy non abrasive sponge or just water then dry it with a towel.


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## krx927 (Jul 20, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> I use a sponge (non-abrasive side) and do strokes from spine to edge.



I also do it like this. Although I do the choil to tip stroke with small movement also from spine to edge.



Pirendeus said:


> I used poor word choice---my cloth catches either on the tip or heel---not the blade edge itself.



I use cloth to dry the knife. The cloth is often catching the heel and making holes. All my cloths are full of holes. My wife hates it and now she has a set of her own that I do not use for drying knives


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## joshsy81 (Jul 20, 2016)

Lots and lots and lots of hot water. Crank you water heater up if you want. It's works just fine.


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## Devon_Steven (Jul 20, 2016)

Benuser said:


> After proteins I start with cold water and a towel. Otherwise, or next, very hot water.



What is the technical rationale for the cold water? I vaguely remember reading something about using cold water to wash chopping board post-protein work. 

Something about how the fats react to the hot / cold water?


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## WingKKF (Jul 20, 2016)

I don't use the heel of the knife so I've rounded them off to eliminate that particular issue. Come to think of it, I don't use the tips of my longer knives either, hmmm.


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## Benuser (Jul 20, 2016)

Devon_Steven said:


> What is the technical rationale for the cold water? I vaguely remember reading something about using cold water to wash chopping board post-protein work.
> 
> Something about how the fats react to the hot / cold water?



Fresh meat particles will coagulate under hot water and become far more difficult to get removed.


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## Devon_Steven (Jul 20, 2016)

Benuser said:


> Fresh meat particles will coagulate under hot water and become far more difficult to get removed.



Thank you


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## jwpark (Jul 20, 2016)

YG420 said:


> Blue scotch brite sponge


Me too. 

Avoid the Green and yellow scotch brite sponge, the abrasive side is metal an will scratch your knives.


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## gic (Jul 20, 2016)

I buy a large pack of microfiber towels from costco and use them for just about everything,


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## spoiledbroth (Jul 21, 2016)

Yeah man I like the cheap microfibres they really let you know what's up when you have a burr left on that sucker I have a few I use for cleaning up swarf when sharpening


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## swarfrat (Jul 24, 2016)

One OCD-friendly thing about Scotchbrite sponges and brushes is that you can just toss them in the dishwasher.

I've never had a Teflon-safe Scotchbrite pad scratch a blade. (I use the pink ones.)


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## Pirendeus (Jul 24, 2016)

I appreciate all of the replies. I'm still curious, though...it seems that everyone currently uses sponges or cloth, but wouldn't a brush generally be safer than a cloth/sponge, since fingers aren't so close to the blade?


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## Ruso (Jul 24, 2016)

Besides the awkwardness of the brush, how do you suggest to dry the knife!?


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## malexthekid (Jul 24, 2016)

Pirendeus said:


> I appreciate all of the replies. I'm still curious, though...it seems that everyone currently uses sponges or cloth, but wouldn't a brush generally be safer than a cloth/sponge, since fingers aren't so close to the blade?



I guess.. 

But a clothe is almost as safe. Just use a slight edge trailing motion with minimal pressure.

Personally i find drying to be the more risky part and as was pointes out... a brush can work for cleaning but how do you dry?


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 25, 2016)

"I use a sponge (non-abrasive side) and do strokes from spine to edge."

Didn't you just say you tend to injure yourself while cleaning knives?  

... while I don't share that tendency, I do think really scrubbing (with some force) centimetres away from an edge has a very scary feel to it... one slip and your hand is on the edge and there with some momentum...


....

(...dishwasher proof sponges...) 

still have to ask, are there places in the first world where you cannot get plain pot sponges for 10 cents or less apiece?


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## Mucho Bocho (Jul 25, 2016)

I'm surprised at how many people that use sponges. I don't even like to touch them and if you think your getting all the bacteria and fungus, mold, grease, food flavors out of the sponge by dishwashing it, guess again.

I use a 10" X 10" black polyester dish cloth. It can be washed in the washing machine (bleached), dries quickly, is way more useful than a sponge at wiping and grabbing food particles. I also have two nylon brushes that can be dishwashed for the baked on stuff.

I wash the knives by holding it with the edge pointing away, using a cloth to wipe from the spine side, handle to tip. Watch the chin as it likes to grab the cloth. For consistency, use the same method for drying.


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## MAS4T0 (Jul 25, 2016)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> "I use a sponge (non-abrasive side) and do strokes from spine to edge."
> 
> Didn't you just say you tend to injure yourself while cleaning knives?
> 
> ...



I only go one way, so there's not really any danger, and I stab myself mostly when I'm drying or adjusting the tap, I don't think I've ever done it from scrubbing the blade or come into contact with the edge.

The real reason is that our sinks here are tiny and I have a tendency to stab myself (with the tip) when bringing my hand back from turning the tap on or off.

It probably doesn't help that I have a preference for stiletto and spear tips... :viking:


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## Pirendeus (Jul 30, 2016)

Ruso said:


> Besides the awkwardness of the brush, how do you suggest to dry the knife!?





malexthekid said:


> I guess..
> 
> Personally i find drying to be the more risky part and as was pointes out... a brush can work for cleaning but how do you dry?



I agree that a brush doesn't address drying, but drying seems easier than washing---a quick swipe and wipe with a towel is easy compared to getting off any food residue while washing. E.g. I sliced some sticky cheese today, and the residue didn't rinse off, so I scrubbed lightly with a dish cloth. I'm really considering upgrading to a brush like this pot brush or this mushroom brush or maybe even this harder dish brush. I can't imagine that any of those examples would deface a knife.


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## malexthekid (Jul 30, 2016)

Wipe as you go and there is no food residue to scrub off.. just a quick wipe/rinse with hot soapy water at the end


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## Pirendeus (Jul 30, 2016)

malexthekid said:


> Wipe as you go and there is no food residue to scrub off.. just a quick wipe/rinse with hot soapy water at the end



I feel there's a disconnect in our communication...the reason i started this thread was to look for a way to completely avoid using a dish cloth. ;-P


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## Krassi (Jul 30, 2016)

cleaning it under running water first and then simply old fine cloth ..for repolishing microfiber cloth with jnatmud


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## Benuser (Jul 30, 2016)

Start with cold water


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## TheVincenzo (Jul 30, 2016)

Mucho Bocho said:


> I'm surprised at how many people that use sponges. I don't even like to touch them and if you think your getting all the bacteria and fungus, mold, grease, food flavors out of the sponge by dishwashing it, guess again.



I'm with Mucho on sponges, can't stand them and they are a serious harbor for bacteria. I use either a cloth or a brush. I will always do strokes from spine to edge. I do the same stroke when drying the knife. If I ever need something more scrubby I will use a blue or pink scotchbrite scour pad. The blue ones that don't have a sponge attached to them. I will use a pair of cheap scissors to cut a small piece and toss it when I'm done. Probably overkill, but I just really dislike and don't trust spongy materials for repeated cleaning.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 1, 2016)

As I said, i might be the privileged douche but I wonder how people can treat sponges as anything else than a semi-disposable cleaning supply that you toss and replace after a few days or whenever it gets grungy.


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## daveb (Aug 1, 2016)

I'm just a regular douche. Don't think I own a sponge.


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## Cashn (Aug 1, 2016)

I usually just use my fingers and some soap on the blade with hot water, dry with a towel.Maybe a nylon brush but usually not. Nylon brush for the seasoned or copper pans and a Sysco metal scrubbie for everything else personally. Sponges suck.


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## Benuser (Aug 1, 2016)

Am I the only to first rinse with cold water??


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## ThEoRy (Aug 1, 2016)

Hot water dries faster/easier. So maybe yes.


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## Benuser (Aug 1, 2016)

The idea is rinsing with cold water to avoid proteins to coagulate. After that very hot water is all you need of course.


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## chinacats (Aug 1, 2016)

Mucho Bocho said:


> I'm surprised at how many people that use sponges. I don't even like to touch them and if you think your getting all the bacteria and fungus, mold, grease, food flavors out of the sponge by dishwashing it, guess again.
> 
> I use a 10" X 10" black polyester dish cloth. It can be washed in the washing machine (bleached), dries quickly, is way more useful than a sponge at wiping and grabbing food particles. I also have two nylon brushes that can be dishwashed for the baked on stuff.



Sponges do get nasty, but I like the green scrubbies for finishing san-mai like on Shigs. The black polyester dish cloth sounds interesting for general use, got a link?



Cashn said:


> I usually just use my fingers and some soap on the blade with hot water, dry with a towel.Maybe a nylon brush but usually not. Nylon brush for the seasoned or copper pans and a Sysco metal scrubbie for everything else personally. Sponges suck.



This is what I do...again, sponges suck 

I use worn 0000 steel wool for most of my pots and pans and will use it to remove light rust spots on knives as well...won't even destroy your patina if your careful.


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## ManofTaste (Aug 2, 2016)

I got one of these for my stainless cookware, and it works well. It's thinner than most sponges, so I think it will actually disinfect in the dishwasher. The manufacturer claims it won't even scratch copper, so it should be fine on hard Japanese steel knives. And you can get it in your choice of round, square, or even hammer shaped!

https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=garden&field-keywords=jetzscrubz


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## Benuser (Aug 2, 2016)

A lot of Japanese knives have a very soft cladding...


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## spoiledbroth (Aug 2, 2016)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> As I said, i might be the privileged douche but I wonder how people can treat sponges as anything else than a semi-disposable cleaning supply that you toss and replace after a few days or whenever it gets grungy.



Sponges get grungy because people are uncleanly. If you wring a sponge out every time you use it they last for months before mildew even thinks about setting in.


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## chinacats (Aug 2, 2016)

spoiledbroth said:


> Sponges get grungy because people are uncleanly. If you wring a sponge out every time you use it they last for months before mildew even thinks about setting in.



It's not the mildew, it's the bacteria. If you want to use a sponge for that long, you should occasionally boil it in water....


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## spoiledbroth (Aug 2, 2016)

I have one sitting on my sink right now that's been going for two months and based on the smell/colour (like new) I'd be comfortable to put it in my mouth.

My eggs and veg that have been in my unpowered refrigerator for five hours today are going in the garbage as I'm quite ocd where food safety is concerned, which extends to washing dishes and cleaning/supplies..


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## Benuser (Aug 2, 2016)

We used to accept eggs to remain uncooled for six weeks until a few years ago. Now it's three weeks. But pros are supposed to keep them cooled. Doesn't anyone know how to verify about eggs' freshness anymore?


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 2, 2016)

Benuser said:


> We used to accept eggs to remain uncooled for six weeks until a few years ago. Now it's three weeks. But pros are supposed to keep them cooled. Doesn't anyone know how to verify about eggs' freshness anymore?



Ben put eggs in a water bath. Fresh eggs sink because theirs no moisture loss yet. A month old egg stored in the refrigerator will usually float. But are usually still quite useable.


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## Benuser (Aug 2, 2016)

A slightly more subtle procedure: have salted water.


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## foody518 (Aug 2, 2016)

Gosh, I grew up in an environment of things like eggs and butter must always be refrigerated (not at room temp)


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## ThEoRy (Aug 2, 2016)

You can't spread cold butter bro.


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## Benuser (Aug 2, 2016)

foody518 said:


> Gosh, I grew up in an environment of things like eggs and butter must always be refrigerated (not at room temp)



Where I grew up they were expected not to be cooled, but I am speaking of some time ago...


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## foody518 (Aug 2, 2016)

ThEoRy said:


> You can't spread cold butter bro.



This I understand. But I guess that's why the toast must always be hot??? To be honest I didn't ingest much butter growing up but never saw it out on a countertop like I understand is done in other places/countries.


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## chinacats (Aug 2, 2016)

foody518 said:


> This I understand. But I guess that's why the toast must always be hot??? To be honest I didn't ingest much butter growing up but never saw it out on a countertop like I understand is done in other places/countries.



If by other countries/places you mean NC, yes I keep mine on the counter.


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## foody518 (Aug 2, 2016)

chinacats said:


> If by other countries/places you mean NC, yes I keep mine on the counter.



I guess in Texas some of us are either ignorant (me apparently) or it really is too dang hot XD


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 2, 2016)

foody518 said:


> I guess in Texas some of us are either ignorant (me apparently) or it really is too dang hot XD



I use a "butter bell" here in the Florida panhandle. Water in the bottom keeps air from the butter.


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## spoiledbroth (Aug 3, 2016)

north american eggs differ slightly from european eggs in that: NA eggs are washed and sanitized (some studies show that this actually increases the risk of bacterial intrusion). For some reason which I'm having trouble to remember (but google!) this leads to eggs in NA being refrigerated before they hit the supermarket. An egg held at a certain temperature must then continue to be held at that temperature or lower, indefinitely, lest it begin to sweat. I guess sweaty eggs are dangerous. Anyway, yeah, google it. We're not pussies about eggs here in NA, trust me, if you try your european egg game here you'll end up clutching the toilet bowl 

But these are my home eggs anyway, not the eggs at work. :razz: and lucky me they never shut the power off today (well, unlucky to have such an incredibly stupid apt management company)


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 3, 2016)

I rotate sponges. I rinse out & put out in the sun bacteria no chance. When get too funky use for house cleaning with 409. For me noticed cleaning knives with sponges they have a tendency to get sliced up. I put a little soap, hot water & use my fingers. Have never used to clean knives, but seems like a soft brush with handle should work.


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## malexthekid (Aug 3, 2016)

Benuser said:


> We used to accept eggs to remain uncooled for six weeks until a few years ago. Now it's three weeks. But pros are supposed to keep them cooled. Doesn't anyone know how to verify about eggs' freshness anymore?



You feed them to your annoying customers right?


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## panda (Aug 3, 2016)

i can't believe this thread even exists. but i'll play:
hot water, scrub with paper towel and liquid soap. rinse with cold water. dry with new paper towel. the end.
if you stab/cut yourself while doing this, you should probably just slow down always.

as for people scared of sponges, people have been using them for YEARS without getting sick. just stick it out in the sun for a few hours and it is completely disinfected.


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