How to Clean Paste From a Knife Blade

Knives often take on many jobs outside of cutting and slicing. Many people use them to spread and scrape adhesive pastes, which can become stuck to the blade. Over time, the paste will harden and render the blade useless unless it is removed. Depending on the nature of the paste, you have a couple of solutions to clean your blade. Regular, proper knife care is essential to keeping the blade sharp and clean of oxidation.

Mild dish detergent
Cotton cloths
Non-abrasive sponge
Acetone or nail polish remover
Knife oil

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the knife in a solution of hot water and a mild dish detergent. If the amount of caked-on paste is significant, soak the blade in the solution.
- 2
  Scrub the blade with a cotton cloth or non-abrasive sponge. Keep scrubbing until the paste is completely gone. If the paste is starch-based, this will be enough to clean the blade. If the paste is silicone or some other heavy-duty adhesive, scrub until you have removed the bulk of the paste.
- 3
  Soak the blade in acetone. Alternatively, one of the main ingredients in fingernail polish remover is acetone, so you can soak the blade in fingernail polish remover if you have some readily available. The acetone will break down the adhesive.
- 4
  Scrub the blade with a cotton cloth or a sponge until the adhesive is removed. Wash the blade in hot, soapy water. Dry the blade completely with a cotton cloth.
- 5
  Polish the blade with knife oil. This can be purchased at most hardware stores, big box department stores and sporting goods stores where hunting equipment is sold. To polish the blade, apply a small amount of oil to a clean cloth and buff the blade to a shine. This will also help prevent oxidation.

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