Like many of us, you have probably carried the same pocket knife for a very long time. Leaving the house without it feels as unnatural as leaving the house without pants! It’s always there, in your pocket, when you need it most. But, like anything you use regularly, it starts to experience wear and tear.
One of the most common issues is when your knife begins to rust. This can, quite literally, be the beginning of the end for your knife. No one wants that, it’s like losing an old friend. So you are going to want to do whatever you can to ensure that knife stays as reliable as ever. But how do you remove rust? For the uneducated, the process can be difficult, and in some ways even damage the knife further. No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive knife care kits (although they do help). No, you can care for you knife like a pro using items you probably have in your kitchen right now.
That’s right, right now, in your kitchen, there are some fantastic items that are perfect for removing rust naturally, with little to no fuss.
Have a bottle of lemon juice? Then you have a perfect way to remove the rust from a fixed blade knife. All you need to do is fill a tall glass with the lemon juice and let your knife soak in it. For newer or smaller rust spots 5-10 minutes should do the trick. Simply let it soak, then pull it out and wipe away the rust. The acidic quality of the lemon juice eats away at the rust rather quickly. However, if you remove your knife and still see spots, you may want to let it soak for a bit longer. Older rust spots can take longer to remove. This method is really only ideal for fixed blades. The juice may become sticky, gumming up the important parts of spring assisted knives, or flippers. So avoid using this method on those knives.
Another option is using Baking Soda. Most of us have a box lying around somewhere in the back of the fridge, and now it’s time we put it to use. Baking soda can give your knife that “Fresh out of the box” shine we all love so much. You are going to need to make a bit of a paste. Just mix water and a couple tablespoons of the baking soda until you have a paste-like substance. Then, just spread this concoction over your blade and wipe away with a soft cloth or even a sponge. When you are done your knife should be looking as good as new. You want to do your best to avoid getting any of the mixture in any of the joints of your knife. This can also gum it up. So just take your time. This isn’t a race. You want your knife to look as good as possible.
Maybe you want to avoid putting chemicals on your knife, and I don’t blame you. This last method is probably the easiest, and my personal favorite! Have an extra potato lying around? Well, let’s put it to good use. For this method, all you need to do is plunge your knife into the potato and leave it there. Get your blade as far into to the potato as possible, and let the potato do the rest. While this is the easiest method, it does tend to take a little bit longer than the other methods. You will need to leave your knife in the potato for a few hours (2-3). Potatoes contain oxalic acid, which is perfect for dissolving rust, it just takes its sweet time. When you finally pull the knife out, just rub it with some oil. This will wipe away any extra juice and further protect and clean your knife.
What other knife hacks do you use to clean your knife? Have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.
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