How to Clean a Swiss Army Knife | Ultimate Step By Step Cleaning Guide

A Swiss army knife is one of the useful outdoor and indoor tools for every type of situation. From cutting vegetables to survival, Swiss knives like other Japanese knives, can serve you perfectly. These knives are made from durable materials and can last for a long time. However, if not maintained properly, they become absolutely useless. A Swiss army knife can last for generations with proper care, but finding professional knife maintenance is hard and expensive. The good news is you can easily clean your Swiss army knife at home. Here is a complete process for how to clean a Swiss army knife at home.

How to Clean a Swiss Army Knife At Home

Step 1: Cleaning Swiss Army Knife with Warm Water

Cleaning a Swiss army knife with warm water is one of the easiest and most effective ways. You must be wondering why only warm water? The answer is warm water has the ability to eliminate rust and other particles from a knife to clean it perfectly.

Take warm water in a large bowl. The water should be warm enough so that you can easily keep your fingers in it. Never use boiling water as the metal may expand in too hot water. Also, boiling water can damage the scales of your Swiss army knife.

Now open all the tools in the knife and submerge it in warm water. Keep it in water for about half an hour. Take the knife out of the water and keep the tools open. Clean the inside layers of the frame and the scales of each side. You need the following material for the procedure.

• Cotton buds
• Small paintbrush
• Old toothbrush

Warm water can loosen most of the dirt inside the layers. It will be easy to clean out the left behind particles. Keep dipping your knife in the warm water while cleaning it till the layers and scales are entirely clean.

After cleaning the inside layers and scales, close the tools in the Swiss army knife. Open and close the main blade multiple times underwater. It will help to remove the dirt inside the joints. Continue the process until the blade moves without any friction. Follow this process for all the tools in the knife.

Now take out all the tools inside the scale, just like the toothpick and the tweezers, and clean them. When you are done with cleaning, put them back in. Remember, the swiss army knives are not dishwasher safe, you can find the dishwasher safe knives here.

Step 2: Dry the Swiss Army Knife 

When you are done with cleaning, it’s time to dry the knife. The most effective way to dry it is to keep all the tools in the open position and let them dry out on their own. Shake your knife well to get rid of the excess water. You can use a clean cloth to wipe each of the tools. Make sure not to cut your fingers while cleaning it.

When you have removed the excess water, let the knife dry in the sun. Open all the tools and keep them in the sun for one hour. It will help to dry out the inside of the knife.

If you want to dry the knife quickly, you can use cotton buds to remove the water inside the frame and from hard-to-reach areas. If the Swiss army knife is equipped with electronics, then it may also get wet as it is not completely waterproof. Don’t forget to dry the housing thoroughly before you put the batter inside it.

You can also use a hair drier to remove excess water, but keep the temperature low as too hot air can damage the knife.

Step 3: Oiling the Swiss Army Knife

After drying the knife, it’s time to oil the knife to enhance its appearance and performance. Once you lubricate your Swiss Army knife joints, it will function like a brand new one. You can easily find knife lube oil on Amazon. Make sure to choose the one that is food safe so you can store it in the kitchen.

You can also use WD-40 to lube the knife, but it is not a kitchen-safe lubricant. One of the prime benefits of using WD-40 is that it helps to remove rust and hard to remove oily and sticky stuff from the knife.

If you are looking for a cheap alternative, then coconut oil can be an ideal choice. It has the ability to lubricate the knife. One additional benefit of using coconut oil is that it prevents rust.

Put any lubricating agent in the hinges and joints of the knife. Now open and close the knife several times to let the lube work its way in. Make sure that the oil gets properly into every corner and joint. Keep doing until the hinge works smoothly.

It will take some time as most Swiss knives have a lot of tools. Once you are done with oiling, take a clean cloth and wipe the excess oil.

Step 4: Sharpening the Blades of Swiss Knife

When you are finished with the cleaning, it is essential to sharpen the blades of your knife. This is important if you use the knife a lot. The best thing is that you don’t need a special technique to sharpen the blade of a Swiss knife. You can use traditional techniques such as sharpening stone or a modern custom build knife sharpener. If you are using a whetstone for sharpening, make sure to keep it at an angle of 15 degrees to 20 degrees.

Final Words

Although it depends on how frequently you use a Swiss army knife but it is recommended to clean it once or twice a year. For those who use it daily or in situations where it catches dirt, it is recommended to clean the knife every week or at least every month. You don’t need expertise or professional service to clean your Swiss Army knife. Make sure to protect your hands when cleaning and sharpening the knife blades. Don’t use rubbing alcohol for cleaning Swiss knives. Also, Swiss knife is not dishwasher safe, so don’t put the knife in the dishwasher for cleaning.