cleaning knife block

C

cgwbear

Joined
Dec 22, 2002
Messages
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hi folks, don't know a better place than here so: how do you go about cleaning a very funky knife block? i'm talking about one i got at a yard sale. it is a beauty, but the folks having the sale were tweakers i'm pretty sure. all the signs. i want to use this thing, but how do you get it clean w/out damaging it. bleach is out. i was thing about soaking it in salt water, spraying it off w/ a nozzle, and then running rubbing alchohol down the knife slots. then putting it in a nice dry place and letting it dry naturally. any ideas i have on the right track. also, i have about 8-10 more i would clean and give to friends, or find uses for if i found something that worked. thanks in advance......................b
 
Bear,try white vinegar with a synthetic scotchbrite pad...
I am assuming the blocks are made of wood ? The vinegar will lighten them & help disinfect them
-Vince
 
You could try boiling them in water for about an hour, just make sure they are completely below the surface.
 
Apparently I don't get out enough. Qu'est-ce que c'est "tweakers"?

If you are worried about bacterial or blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis, I would use a bleach solution. 5% IIRC is sufficient to kll all such pathogens. Too hard to get the wood up to the disinfecting temp of 160F.

Here is a link that might help
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-and-Disinfect-Wooden-Cooking-Utensils
 
hi, a san diego guy, too. well you must live on the west side of town where the more gentile live. "tweaker" is short for crank or meth addict. not hard to spot when you get close to and w/ one. a great tweaker movie: "salton sea" val kilmer plays the lead and vincent d'inofrio has a great smaller part. thanks for all the ideas so far folks. my biggest concern now is how and when to get the crud out of the knife slots. a tweaker would spread peanut butter or clean his toenails and drop the knife back in the slot, or just leave it where he finished.............pretty strange..................b
 
It is very hard to get into those slots and the kind of greasy gunk on a dirty block is hard to remove. You might take the block to a do-it-yourself carwash that uses high pressure detergent guns and have at it. Subsequently I would soak it for about 5 minutes in a cold bleach solution to disinfect and rinse it under a water tap. I would subsequently treat it with mineral oil.
 
You might try a bottle brush to clean the slots where the knives fit.
I would also suggest the bleach solution to sanitize the block.

Bruceter
 
thanks folks, every suggestion has been better than i had. i have one of those michelin car blasters, so i'm on my way................thanks again................b
 
cgwbear said:
hi, a san diego guy, too. well you must live on the west side of town where the more gentile live.
Click to expand...

Actually I live just on the East side of the I5 near IB. I really should get out more.

The high pressure hose followed by bleach sounds like the ticket.
 
I'd be interested in learning what worked for you. I also had an afterthought of a tool that might be useful. You might try using a hacksaw blade as a scraper for the inside of the slots.
 
hi again folks, thanks for all the ideas. i went thru the warehouse that is my garage and found i have 9 knife blocks. 2 really great ones. i'll try the ideas out and let you all know how it goes. it really makes me wonder: people have these laminated teak, mahogny, maple, etc. blocks of wood, and sell them to me at yardsales for 25 or 50 cents. ????? good luck to all of you...................b
 
Dude, you're not going to want to boil or even soak the blocks. That would most likely soften or even release the glues that they were laminated with. Get an oxygen cleanser and pour down the slots. the bubbling action should loosen/dislodge any scrud then rinse out.

Blowing every thing out with high pressure air down the slots afterward ain't a bad idea either. Be sure to wear goggles to make sure that said material doesn't go flying into an eye.

Give us an update!

Jim L.
 
Mix up a solution of oxi-clean or similar. It should loosen up anything in those slots. It may lighten the wood ( shouldn't damage it though) so test in an inconspicuous spot first
 
cgwbear said:
hi, a san diego guy, too. well you must live on the west side of town where the more gentile live. "tweaker" is short for crank or meth addict. not hard to spot when you get close to and w/ one. a great tweaker movie: "salton sea" val kilmer plays the lead and vincent d'inofrio has a great smaller part. thanks for all the ideas so far folks. my biggest concern now is how and when to get the crud out of the knife slots. a tweaker would spread peanut butter or clean his toenails and drop the knife back in the slot, or just leave it where he finished.............pretty strange..................b
Click to expand...
well.., 'tweak' [also] means 'improve' as in 'tweak the performance of a computer.
 
Might want to try some pipe cleaners soaked in some of the above mentioned products also for down in the slots. Craft section of Wallyworld should have some.
 
ROM831 has a good idea. I would suggest that you go to a craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels and get the extra-long "pipe-cleaners" that are used in things like floral displays. You want something that is a foot long or so if you can find it.
 
cgwbear said:
my biggest concern now is how and when to get the crud out of the knife slots. a tweaker would spread peanut butter or clean his toenails and drop the knife back in the slot, or just leave it where he finished.............pretty strange..................b
Click to expand...

If that is the case I would ditch that thing. I wouldn't put a knife in that block. Even if you could get it cleaned out the mental image would haunt me everytime I pulled a blade out to use.
 
chascorbet said:
well.., 'tweak' [also] means 'improve' as in 'tweak the performance of a computer.
Click to expand...

One of the great side effects of meth. The urge to take everything apart to try and improve it, only to realize - 4 hours later - that you have no clue what the hell you did to take it apart and can't put it back together.
 
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