The cost for cutlery can range from low cost to costing more than your pots and pans. If you plan on replacing your set every few years or so, then how you care for them is not very important. If you are going to invest in a decent set, then you should learn how to clean cutlery properly so it lasts as long as possible. Following these tips will teach you the right way to keep your entire quality cutlery clean without wearing it out.

The first thing to learn in how to clean cutlery properly is to never put your knives, shears or any other utensil from your knife block in the dishwasher. Even if your dishwasher claims to have a “knife basket” to supposedly prevent the blades from banging around, don’t do it. Knives should not get so dirty that they have to put in the dishwasher anyways. The knives can not only bang into each other, but they can bang into other utensils or the plastic basket itself and put nicks and scrapes in everything. If you put your cutlery in the dishwasher, you would end up with chipped up blades and dented forks and spoons. The plastic would also have little dents in them, which is a perfect resting place for germs to settle in.

Another no-no is now to clean cutlery properly is to not just wipe the blades so they appear clean. This is especially important when cutting chicken, eggs and fish because these foods have a higher likelihood carrying E coli or salmonella. Both of these are easily spreadable and can make a lot of people very sick. I repeat…do not just wipe the blades “clean”.

The best tried and true method to learn how to clean cutlery properly is to hand wash them in warm soapy water. Your dish soap will clean any bacteria out of the food. Washing each piece one by one will prevent any nicks in the blade or any other nearby utensil. The only warning to mention is to not drop cutlery in a soapy water filled sink. This is because you may forget what you put in that water and when you go to grab something to clean, you could very well grab a blade and cut yourself.

You have heard two don’ts and one do in how to clean cutlery properly. The one “do” is a little more time consuming but the benefits outweigh the work. So if you don’t want dented cutlery and you want the rest of what you put in the dishwasher to also survive their cleaning, then keep those knives and shears in the sink. It is very important to not drop a knife in soapy water as to not get cut when you are not even cooking. The best method on how to clean cutlery properly is simply washing them in the sink. You are probably washing other things, like pots and pans, so no big deal, right?