Knife Care 101: How to Clean, Store, Hone, and Sharpen Your Knives

Good knife care is a simple routine. Hand-wash and dry your knives right after use, store them so the edge touches nothing, cut on wood or plastic boards instead of glass or stone, hone weekly or a few times a week, and sharpen when honing stops bringing the edge back, usually two to three times a year.

This guide starts Tumbler Daily's knife care series: what to do daily, weekly and a few times a year to keep any kitchen knife cutting well. Where a tool helps, we'll point to the Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener and its accessories. If you already own one, our step-by-step guide to using a rolling knife sharpener covers the sharpening itself in detail.

What does a complete knife care routine look like?

A complete knife care routine has four rhythms. Every day, wash, dry and store the knife properly and cut on a forgiving board. Every week, hone or strop the edge. Every few months, or whenever honing stops working, sharpen. Once or twice a year, inspect each knife for chips, loose handles and storage wear.

How often	Task	Why it matters	Tool
Every use	Hand-wash, towel-dry, put away	Prevents corrosion, spotting and edge contact with other metal	Warm water, mild soap, soft sponge, towel
Every use	Cut on wood or plastic; push food aside with the spine	Hard surfaces and edge-scraping dull the blade fastest	Wood or plastic cutting board
Weekly, or a few times a week with daily cooking	Hone or strop	Straightens and refines the edge so it cuts cleanly between sharpenings	Honing rod, honing disc or leather strop
When honing stops working (often 2-3 times a year)	Sharpen	Grinds a fresh edge once the old one is worn past what honing can fix	Rolling sharpener, whetstone or professional service
Every few months	Clean the block, strip or stand; check the sharpness with a paper test	Keeps storage dry and clean, and catches a dulling edge early	Damp cloth, a sheet of printer paper
Once or twice a year	Inspect for chips, a bent tip or a loose handle	Tells you whether a knife needs repair, professional help or replacing	Good light and your eyes

How should you clean kitchen knives?

Wash kitchen knives by hand with warm water and a little dish soap right after use, wiping from the spine toward the edge, then dry them immediately with a towel. Don't leave knives soaking in the sink, and keep good knives out of the dishwasher, where they get knocked around and exposed to harsh detergents.

Knife makers are consistent on the basics. Shun's care guidance says to "wash your knife immediately after use and dry it very thoroughly with an absorbent cloth or towel", and it explains the dishwasher problem plainly: knives "tend to get knocked around during the cycle," and corrosive agents such as citrus extracts can cause pitting. Consumer Reports notes that even Zwilling, which calls its special-formula steel knives dishwasher-safe, warns that "washing knives in a dishwasher can therefore shorten their lifespan and cutting edge retention." Its conclusion: "our advice is to play it safe with all kitchen knives and wash them by hand."

One exception: Victorinox says its household knives with synthetic handles are dishwasher-safe, though it still recommends washing all large knives by hand. For chef's knives, wood-handled knives and harder Japanese steel, hand-washing is the safe default.

Dry right away. Victorinox warns, "Don't let your knives air-dry, as this can result in limescale spots on the blade."

After sharpening, wipe the blade too. Sharpening leaves fine dark dust on the blade. Tumbler's own instructions say, "After sharpening, clean the knife with a cleaning cloth. You will notice the dark abrasive dust that the diamond disc created." A soft microfiber cloth such as the Tumbler Cleaning Cloth handles that job without scratching the blade, then wash the knife as usual before you cook.

How should you store knives to protect the edge?

Store knives so the edge never touches another hard object. A knife block, a magnetic wall strip, an in-drawer knife holder, a sheath or the original box all work. The one thing to avoid is a loose drawer, where blades knock against each other and other utensils, which dulls and chips edges and makes reaching in risky.

NC State Extension's guidance puts the rule in one line: "Your knife blade should never come into contact with anything else during storage." Shun lists the acceptable options ("a block, a knife case, an in-drawer knife holder, a sheath, a magnetic bar, or in the original box") and explains the risk of the alternative: "If your knives are just thrown in a drawer, they can get dulled or chipped, as well as being a potential hazard when you reach into the drawer." Victorinox is even shorter: "Never store your knives loosely in a drawer."

A block is the easy default; just put knives in clean and fully dry. A magnetic strip saves counter space: put knives on and take them off spine-first so the edge doesn't scrape the strip. The Daily Meal notes its main downside is storing wet or dirty knives and suggests a wood-faced strip to avoid scratches. An in-drawer holder or sheath suits anyone who wants knives out of sight.

Store your sharpener the same way you store your knives: somewhere visible and protected. The Tumbler Protective Stand is "crafted from solid wood with a magnetic holder for the angle block," so the roller and its angle block sit together on the counter instead of rattling around in a drawer, and the sharpener stays in sight between uses.

Which cutting boards are best for your knife's edge?

Wood and plastic cutting boards are best for your knife's edge because they give slightly under the blade. Glass, stone, marble, granite, ceramic and metal surfaces are hard and unforgiving, so every cut wears the edge down faster. Never cut directly on a plate or countertop.

Victorinox advises that "you should avoid hard surfaces made of natural or artificial stone, which dull the blade," and recommends a wooden or plastic board instead. Knife maker Messermeister is blunter about glass: "Glass dulls blades extremely quickly," and it's slippery when wet. It calls wood the gold standard and warns that very dense composite boards can dull knives quickly too.

If you own thin, hard Japanese knives, set a stricter bar. Shun's care guidance asks owners to avoid "metal, tile, ceramic plates, marble, granite, plastic, or acrylic," and gives a simple test for any board: "If your knife can leave a slight cut line in the board, that's a good sign it's soft enough." Keep glass and stone for serving, not cutting.

What's the difference between honing and sharpening?

Sharpening grinds away steel to create a new edge. Honing doesn't create an edge; it straightens and refines the one you already have so it cuts cleanly again. You hone often and sharpen rarely, and honing only works while there's still a decent edge left to maintain.

How honing works is still debated. Wikipedia's entry on the honing steel describes a long-running question of steeling, meaning re-aligning the edge, versus honing, meaning removing minor deformation with abrasives, and notes that ceramic abrasives became popular for daily maintenance in the 1980s. Either way, the limit is clear: "A traditional smooth honing steel is of no use if the edge is blunt, because it removes no material."

Our older post on the difference between honing and sharpening your kitchen knives goes deeper, and a full refresh of it is coming in November.

How often should you hone and sharpen?

For most home cooks, hone weekly, or a few times a week if you cook every day, and sharpen two to three times a year. Shun suggests honing about once a week. Zwilling's knife expert recommends honing a few times a week for daily use and sharpening two to three times a year. Heavier use means more honing first. A pitmaster slicing brisket most weekends is in that group, and our pitmaster gift guide picks sharpeners with a honing disc for upkeep between cooks.

Zwilling's Bernard Janssen told Simply Recipes that home cooks only need to sharpen "two to three times a year," and added, "If a knife is used on a daily basis, I recommend honing a few times a week." Shun's guidance lands in the same place: "Depending on use, you may wish to hone your knives only once a week or so."

Shun adds a warning about tools: "Please do not use a diamond steel for regular honing. Diamond steels are for sharpening and will remove metal from your knife before it is necessary."

On a Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener, both jobs live on the same tool. The diamond disc sharpens, and the EdgeBoost honing disc on the other end of the roller (steel on the Tumbler Original, ceramic on the Tumbler Pro) handles maintenance. About 6 honing passes per side is plenty. A full sharpening of a dull or neglected knife takes about 2-12 minutes, depending on how dull it is and when it was last sharpened. Once you sharpen regularly, a touch-up takes about 60 seconds.

The standard magnetic angle block has a 15° side and a 20° side. Matching the angle your knife already has keeps sharpening quick; our guide to choosing the right sharpening angle for your kitchen knife explains how to tell which one you need. For a closer look at frequency by knife type and cooking habit, see our upcoming guide to sharpening frequency.

What does stropping do?

Stropping polishes and refines a freshly sharpened or honed edge by drawing it, edge trailing, across leather. It removes the last traces of the burr and leaves a smoother, keener edge. It's the gentlest maintenance step, so you can do it often, and it fits between honing and full sharpening.

The Tumbler Companion Strop is designed to "polish and finish your blade after sharpening, helping it glide more smoothly and stay sharper for longer." The key technique point, from Tumbler's strop instructions: "Do not move the knife against but with the edge, otherwise you may cut into the leather and damage the strop or the edge of your knife." Keep only the edge on the leather and alternate sides.

A full step-by-step stropping guide is coming in November.

How do you know it's time to sharpen?

It's time to sharpen when the knife snags or skids instead of biting, and a round of honing doesn't fix it. The easiest check is a paper test: a sharp knife slices printer paper cleanly from heel to tip. If the paper tears or the blade skates off a tomato skin, hone first, then sharpen if it still fails.

America's Test Kitchen's paper test is simple: hold a sheet of printer paper by the top edge and draw the blade down through it, heel to tip. "The knife should glide through the paper and require only minimal pushing." ATK's advice for a knife that snags is the same order we recommend: realign it with a honing steel and retest, and sharpen only if it still fails.

Other signs:

• The tomato test. A sharp edge breaks the skin as soon as you start the slice. A dull one slides across and squashes it.
• You're pushing harder. Viking Culinary's Jason Vaske put it simply in the Simply Recipes piece: "When the user notices a decline in the ability to slice through food effortlessly, it's likely time to sharpen the knife."

More tests are coming in our guide to telling whether a knife is dull.

Are dull knives more dangerous?

Chefs and test kitchens widely hold that a dull knife is more dangerous because it takes more force and is more likely to slip off the food. The reasoning is sound, but the injury research we found doesn't measure it. The best US data on knife injuries tracks how and where people get cut, not how sharp the knife was.

America's Test Kitchen's Hannah Crowley makes the case for sharpness: "A sharp knife is so much safer than a dull knife. You can use less force and because it bites in right wherever you put it, rather than sliding off, so there's less of a chance for accidents." NC State Extension agrees, saying a dull knife "requires more force to cut making it more likely to slip off in the wrong direction and cut the user."

A peer-reviewed study in The Journal of Emergency Medicine estimated 8,250,914 knife-related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 1990 to 2008, an average of 434,259 a year. Fingers and thumbs were injured most often (66%), and cooking and kitchen knives were involved in 36% of the cases where the knife type was recorded. That study doesn't look at whether the knives were dull, so it can't tell us dull knives cause more injuries, and we won't claim it does.

The practical takeaway still holds: a sharp knife that cuts with light pressure is easier to control. We'll dig into the research in our evidence review on dull knives.

What does a complete home knife-care kit look like?

A complete home knife-care kit has five parts: a sharpener for new edges, a stand or holder to store it, a strop or honing tool for weekly maintenance, one good chef's knife, and a wood or plastic cutting board. With those five, you can handle every task in the routine table at home.

Start with the sharpener, because it keeps everything else useful. A rolling sharpener with a fixed magnetic angle takes the guesswork out of holding an angle by hand; our guide to choosing a rolling knife sharpener covers what to look for. Then add a stand to keep it in sight, a strop for the weekly polish, one quality chef's knife (the Tumbler Signature Chef's Knife 8" is made from German steel) and a wood or plastic board.

The Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener Starter Set (Original) covers the first three in one box: the rolling sharpener with its magnetic knife holder, a display stand and a leather strop. If you already own a sharpener, the individual pieces are in the accessories collection. Our upcoming starter knife kit guide walks through each piece in more detail. Buying the kit as a present? Our guide to gifting a sharpening system to a home cook who has everything shows which set suits which cook.

What knife care mistakes shorten a knife's life?

The mistakes that shorten a knife's life most are the dishwasher, cutting on glass or stone, scraping food off the board with the edge, loose-drawer storage, putting knives away wet, and grinding the edge with a harsh pull-through sharpener. Each one either dulls the edge faster or removes steel you can't get back.

1. The dishwasher, glass boards, loose drawers and wet storage. All four are covered above, and all four are easy to fix.
2. Scraping with the edge. Sweeping chopped food off the board with the blade drags the edge sideways. The Takeout calls it "like sharpening it, but in reverse." Flip the knife and use the spine.
3. Using a thin kitchen knife on bones or frozen food. Shun asks owners not to use its knives "on bones, joints, or frozen foods." Use a cleaver for those.
4. Over-aggressive sharpening. The goal is to remove only the steel you need to. Professional sharpener Stefan Lemley says cheap pull-through sharpeners, which drag the edge through hard carbide or ceramic notches, produce "extremely undesirable edge geometry and excessive material removal." A diamond abrasive at a fixed angle, followed by honing, removes steel more evenly. More in our upcoming guide to pull-through sharpeners.
5. Honing a knife that needs sharpening. No amount of honing brings back an edge that's worn away. If honing doesn't fix it, sharpen. A chipped edge is a bigger job: it needs a coarser abrasive or a professional.

When isn't a Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener the right tool?

A Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener is built for smooth-edged knives held on its magnetic angle block. It isn't the right tool for serrated or bread knives, ceramic knives or scissors, and single-bevel knives need a different approach. For those, use a tool made for the job or a professional service.

• Serrated and bread knives. Tumbler's FAQ is direct: "The Tumbler roller grinder is not suitable for serrations," and trying can damage the diamond disc.
• Ceramic knives. "Ceramic is not magnetic and as a result, knives with ceramic blades cannot be fixed to the magnetic holder."
• Scissors. A Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener can't sharpen scissors. Use a scissor sharpener or a professional service.
• Single-bevel knives (some traditional Japanese styles) need a different approach from standard double-bevel knives. Check the FAQ or contact Tumbler support before sharpening one.

FAQ

Can you put good knives in the dishwasher?

It's best not to. Shun and Consumer Reports both say to wash good knives by hand: knives get knocked around during the cycle, and Shun warns that corrosive agents in some detergents can cause pitting. Some makers, such as Victorinox, say certain synthetic-handled knives are dishwasher-safe, but even they recommend washing large knives by hand.

How often should I sharpen my kitchen knives?

For most home cooks, two to three times a year, according to Zwilling's knife expert, with regular honing in between. Sharpen sooner if honing no longer brings the edge back or the knife fails a paper test.

Is a magnetic knife strip bad for knives?

No, as long as you use it well. Shun lists a magnetic bar as a good storage option. Put knives on and take them off spine-first so the edge doesn't drag across the strip, only hang clean and dry knives, and consider a wood-faced strip to avoid scratches.

What's the best cutting board for knife edges?

Wood is the gentlest everyday choice, and plastic is a practical alternative. Avoid glass, stone, marble, ceramic and metal, which dull edges quickly. Shun's test is useful: if the knife leaves a slight cut line in the board, the board is soft enough.

Should I hone before or after cooking?

Either works. Victorinox suggests honing "ideally before or after each cooking session." Honing just before prep means the edge is at its best for the job.

How long should a good kitchen knife last?

With good care, a very long time. The Kitchn notes that "a good-quality chef's knife that's well-maintained has the potential to last nearly a lifetime." Replace a knife if it has large chips, a broken tip, loose rivets or a handle that's coming apart.

Guides in this series

• Honing vs sharpening: what each actually does to your knife (refresh coming in November)
• Slicing brisket: why edge sharpness matters and how to keep it
• The home cook's starter knife kit: sharpener, stand, knife, board
• DIY knife sharpening vs professional services: a year of cost, compared
• Are dull knives more dangerous? What the evidence really says
• New Year kitchen reset: sharpen every knife you own in one afternoon
• Camp kitchen knife care: sharpening on the road

Sources

• Rochelle Bilow, Simply Recipes via AOL, How often to sharpen knives, according to an expert (Apr 26, 2026)
• Shun, FAQ and knife care
• Wikipedia, Honing steel
• Gary A. Smith, The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Knife-Related Injuries Treated in United States Emergency Departments, 1990-2008 (2013)
• Hannah Crowley, America's Test Kitchen, Which Knife Sharpener Is Right for You? (Jun 8, 2022)
• America's Test Kitchen, Testing Knife Sharpness
• Christa Snyder, NC State Extension, Caring for Kitchen Knives (updated Aug 8, 2024)
• Victorinox, Knife Care Tips
• Victorinox, How to Sharpen and Hone Your Knife
• Daniel DiClerico, Consumer Reports, How to Care for Kitchen Knives (Aug 5, 2016)
• Messermeister, Cutting Surfaces for Knives: The Best and Worst Options
• The Daily Meal, The Downside of a Magnetic Knife Strip Is Easy to Avoid (Jul 17, 2024)
• Sam Worley, The Takeout, The Major Knife Mistake to Avoid When Using a Cutting Board (Nov 26, 2024)
• Kelli Foster, The Kitchn, 5 Signs It's Time to Replace Your Chef's Knife (updated May 1, 2019)
• Stefan Lemley, Don't Use Pull-Through Knife "Sharpeners"! (Jan 20, 2025)
• Tumbler, Instructions, Frequently Asked Questions and Strop Instructions

By Team Tumbler