How to make your kitchen knives last a lifetime: a practical guide to storage, cleaning and at-home care

A good kitchen knife should last for decades. In fact, many of the knives we sell and sharpen at Community Cutlery will outlive their owners if they're looked after properly.

The good news is that keeping a knife in great condition doesn't require hours of maintenance or specialist knowledge. Most knife damage happens during everyday use: being knocked around in drawers, run through dishwashers, used on the wrong chopping boards or sharpened with the wrong tools.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the simple habits that will help keep your knives sharper for longer, reduce unnecessary wear and ensure they stay in excellent condition for years to come.

What's the best way to store kitchen knives?

How you store your knife matters more than you might think. A knife can suffer unnecessary wear and damage even when it's not being used.

We’ve talked about this before but traditional knife blocks aren't always our favourite option. Every time a knife is inserted or removed, the blade rubs against the wood inside the slot, creating wear that simply isn't necessary. Some people choose to store knives upside down in these blocks to minimise contact with the cutting edge, but this isn't always practical either, particularly if you've built your own collection rather than buying a matching knife set.

Loose storage in drawers is another common culprit! Not only does it create a safety risk when you're reaching for utensils but knives knocking against other items will gradually blunt the edge over time.

If you do store knives in a drawer, try using a dedicated knife insert or blade guard to keep them protected.

For us, the gold standard knife storage solution is a magnetic knife rack or magnetic knife block. It keeps the blade protected, avoids unnecessary contact with other surfaces and allows your knives to be stored safely and beautifully. If you've got the wall space, it's hard to beat!

Quick storage tips:

• Avoid loose knives in drawers

• Use drawer inserts or blade guards if storing in a drawer

• Be cautious with traditional knife blocks

• Choose a magnetic knife rack or block where possible

Should you put kitchen knives in the dishwasher?

In a word, no.

As handy as they are, dishwashers are one of the quickest ways to shorten the life of a good knife!

There are several reasons for this - the blade can knock against other items during the wash cycle, damaging the edge; the detergent and abrasive particles circulating around the machine can contribute to wear, and prolonged exposure to heat and moisture can also affect the knife over time, particularly its ability to hold a keen edge.

There's also the simple safety issue of reaching into a dishwasher and accidentally grabbing a sharp blade. Unloading a dishwasher is grim enough as it is, you don’t need injuries as well!

Our knife-cleaning advice is pretty straightforward:

Wash your knife by hand, dry it thoroughly and put it away immediately!

Oh and don't leave it soaking in the sink and don't leave it sitting on the side after use.

The best way to clean a kitchen knife:

1. Wash by hand using warm water and mild detergent

2. Dry thoroughly with a clean towel

3. Store safely straight away (ideally on a magnetic knife block)

What's the best chopping board for kitchen knives?

The chopping board you use has a bigger impact on the lifespan of your knives than you may think.

First up, avoid glass and marble boards. If preserving your knife edge is the priority, glass and marble chopping boards are among the worst surfaces you can choose.

These materials are harder than the steel in your knife and, because they don't give at all when the blade makes contact, the cutting edge takes the full force of every chop. The result is accelerated wear and much more frequent sharpening.

What about plastic chopping boards?

Plastic boards are often promoted as a hygienic option but they come with drawbacks of their own.

Over time, plastic boards develop grooves that can trap food particles and bacteria. They also shed tiny plastic particles through everyday use which is something many people prefer to avoid.

Why we recommend wooden chopping boards

Wooden boards strike the best balance between knife care, hygiene and aesthetics.

The wood fibres provide a little natural give beneath the blade, reducing wear on the edge. Plus, many hardwoods, like oak, also contain natural tannins that help inhibit bacteria growth over time.

If you're choosing a wooden board, there are two main options:

Edge grain boards – where the grain runs across the surface. These are generally more affordable and still very knife-friendly.

End grain boards – often called butcher's blocks. Here, the grain runs vertically, allowing the knife edge to pass between the wood fibres rather than cutting across them. This makes them incredibly gentle on knives and often gives them that beautiful heirloom-quality appearance.

Best chopping boards for knives:

1. End grain wooden boards

2. Edge grain wooden boards

3. Quality wooden boards of any kind

Avoid!

• Glass boards

• Marble boards

• Stone surfaces

• Plastic boards

• Bamboo boards

How to maintain a sharp knife between sharpening sessions

One of the simplest ways to extend the life of your knife is to use a strop regularly.

When a knife is new or freshly sharpened, the two sides of the bevel meet to form a precise cutting edge. Through normal use, that edge doesn't instantly become blunt; it often begins by folding or rolling slightly to one side.

A strop helps realign that edge before significant wear occurs.

We recommend stropping little and often, ideally after each use. This helps maintain sharpness, reduces the frequency of sharpening and ultimately extends the life of the knife.

What we don't recommend!

We’re not fans of pull-through sharpeners and traditional honing steels for routine maintenance.

That’s because these tools remove metal from the blade every time they're used and over time, excessive metal removal can alter the profile of the knife and ultimately, shorten its lifespan.

A strop, by contrast, maintains the edge without removing material.

What's the best way to sharpen a kitchen knife?

If you're serious about looking after your knives, learn to sharpen on a whetstone or find somebody who can.

Whetstone sharpening is the most sympathetic method because it allows you to remove only the metal that's genuinely necessary. Done properly, it preserves the shape, geometry and lifespan of the knife far better than most mechanical alternatives.

We spend a surprising amount of time repairing knives that have been damaged by cheap pull-through sharpeners and other at-home sharpening gadgets. They often seem convenient but the truth is, they remove too much material and can cause lasting damage to the blade profile.

Every knife and sharpening product purchased from Community Cutlery includes access to our sharpening guides. Plus! My book, Do Maintain: How to Sharpen Knives, Scissors and Garden Tools, offers a nice analogue version for anyone who wants to learn the skill properly.

Common knife mistakes to avoid!

Key point to remember - a kitchen knife is a cutting tool, not a multi-purpose tool!

Here are a few things we'd strongly advise against:

• Scraping food from the chopping board with the cutting edge

• Opening tins, jars or packaging with your knife

• Using your knife as a screwdriver, pry bar or general household tool

• Chopping through bones with a standard chef's knife (you need a cleaver for that!)

• Twisting the blade while it's embedded in food

This is especially important with Japanese knives and other finely ground blades. These knives are designed for precision cutting, not brute force. Misusing them can lead to chips and edge damage that are entirely avoidable.

Knife care in a nutshell 

Looking after a knife isn't complicated. Store it safely, wash it by hand, use a wooden chopping board, maintain the edge with a strop and sharpen it properly when the time comes.

Follow those simple habits and your knife will stay sharper for longer, perform better in the kitchen and provide decades of reliable service.

A quality knife is one of the few kitchen tools that can genuinely last a lifetime. Treat it well and it probably will!