Care tips for kitchen knives

When the blade of a kitchen knife tarnishes and loses its shine there are several simple, effective and natural ways to make them look brand new.

White vinegar and potatoes!
White vinegar: very effective for maintaining and cleaning kitchen knife blades!
White vinegar has excellent cleansing properties. What you may not know is that it can be used to clean kitchen knives too. Cleaning with white vinegar that has been heated will increase its efficiency. All you need to do is rub the blade with a rag soaked in white vinegar and dry it with a clean cloth!

Potato
Can you use a potato to clean a kitchen knife? Yes! The starch in the potato increases steel’s resistance to rust and is a great, natural way to clean your knife blades. Simply cut a potato in half and rub it on the blade. Then rinse the knife and dry it.

Turpentine, lemon and cork!
Turpentine
Using a turpentine soaked sponge is another effective way to clean a kitchen knife. It is very good at removing rust and white spots. The chemical properties of white vinegar are similar to those of turpentine; however the latter should not be heated.

Lemon
Lemon is ideal for removing black spots that appear on blades after prolonged use. To clean your kitchen knife with lemon, soak the blade in a mixture of lemon juice and water (1:5 ratio of lemon to water) for a few seconds then rinse it and dry it with a soft rag. If needed, repeat the process.

Cork
Restore shine to your kitchen knife blades by cleaning them with a cork. Wet a cork with water then immerse the cork in ashes from a fireplace. Rub the blade with the cork and wipe it clean.