How To Clean A Swiss Army Knife: A Step By Step Guide
Reading Time: 8 minutes The Swiss Army Knife is one of the best camping tools can use, and it is one of the most widely used tools.
We have made this guide to learn the best way to clean Swiss Army Knife step by step and effortlessly.
Continue reading to the end!
What Not To Do
Deficient maintenance of a knife may lead to its damage and thus become unusable, and we will mention some things that you must avoid at all costs when you clean the knife:
WD-40
The term WD denotes water displacement. This method is used to remove and dissolve rust, but this method is not considered good in a Swiss army knife. The WD-40 method is designed for heavy chains, car components, and others because these metals are thick and difficult to penetrate.
Dishwasher
Never put a Swiss Army Knife in the dishwasher at all costs, as this is considered wrong. The detergents used in the dishwasher will stop the knife from working.
Bleach
This material is a very harsh bleaching material, as it causes many scratches on the blade and hinges, and this will make the knife more susceptible to jamming.
Sandpaper
It is very wrong to use sandpaper to clean the knife as you can only use it if there are large pieces of dirt on the knife. It may be able to remove this dirt, but it is preferable not to use sandpaper because it will leave scratches on the knife. So, you will not be able to get rid of these scratches.
Rust Remover
Rust remover is not a good option to use in small tools such as Swiss army knives, so you should not use it.
As we said earlier, WD-40 is not good for your knife. If you use any type of rust remover, it will have the same effect to a large extent, and therefore using it will do more harm to your knife than good.
Read More: The Perfect Guide To Camping For Beginners
Tools Needed To Clean A Swiss Army Knife
We have mentioned the things that may damage your knife. Now, we will mention the tools and items you will need while cleaning your knife in the right way. These tools are:
- Use dish soap.
- Use a brush that you can use an old toothbrush, it will do the job.
- Use some lubricating oil and mineral oil works best.
- Q-tips
- Use a piece of cloth that is free of lint.
- Use newspapers or rags.
How To Clean A Swiss Army Knife
Now that we know the most effective tools needed to clean the Swiss Army Knife. Let’s now learn the correct way to clean the Swiss Army Knife step by step and with ease:
Step 1: Removing the Measuring Tools and Electronics from the Knife
Before you begin cleaning the Swiss Army Knife you must remove all of the knife’s scales, including the tweezers, needles and toothpick.
There are some modern Swiss Army Knifes that contain some electronic components such as a flashlight or some USB components, you must remove them before starting the cleaning process in order not to damage them. If your knife contains batteries, remove the battery from the knife.
Swiss Army Knife electronic components are usually not waterproof. If water reaches these parts, it will damage them entirely.
Step 2: Fill the sink halfway with warm, soapy water
After you have removed your measuring tools and electronic tools from your knife, fill your sink with warm, soapy water to begin the knife cleaning process.
Fill the sink with water to the point where you can completely submerge your knife under the water, use regular dish soap, and do not use other chemicals such as bleach and strong detergents that can damage the knife and damage it significantly.
Step 3: Brushing Wipe Off Dirt and Sticky Materials
Before immersing the Swiss Army knife in hot soapy water, you must remove dirt, dust and sticky materials stuck on the knife, and you must also clean the joints and joints of the knife well by using the brush, and if you have a knife with a back layer of tools, you must also clean it well.
Step 4: Open the front tools and clean the inside of the knife
Now open the front layer of the tools for the Swiss Army knife in order to clean it, and these tools are located next to the main blade of the knife, if your knife contains many front tools, you must first clean both the can opener and bottle opener, and then clean the knife In the end in order to reduce the possibility of injuring yourself through the blades of the knife.
After you have opened all the tools, soak the knife in warm soapy water, in order to remove the dirt from the inside of the knife by using the brush, and you must make sure that you remove the largest amount of dirt and oils stuck on the knife, especially from the hinges of the tool.
The dish soap helps to remove old oils stuck on the hinges of the tool. And if these hinges are stuck badly, you must open and close them while immersing in water several times in order to clean them well from the suspended oils.
After you have cleaned the hinges and the inside of the knife, immerse the knife in water several times while closing the tools with complete caution.
Step 5: Clean the scale holes and the back tools
After you have cleaned the front tools of your Swiss Army knife, you need to clean both the scale holes and the tools in the back of the knife.
In order to clean these back tools, you must clean their hinges from the accumulated dirt and oil by opening and closing the tools, and when you are finished, close the tools permanently.
If your knife contains both measuring tools, needles, and tweezers, use a pipe cleaner to clean it well of dirt stuck in its holes, all you have to do is put a wet pipe cleaner in all the knife holes and rub it well.
Step 6: Rinse the Knife
After you have completed the previous steps and cleaned the inside of the Swiss Army knife well, now you have to rinse the knife well, and you can do this by using the tap or through a water bottle, and while rinsing the knife and its hinges, open and close the knife for several times in order to remove the soap that may have It is located inside the knife.
Step 7: Dry Your Swiss Army Knife
You will not be able to completely remove the water from the knife, but you have to remove the water as much as possible from the knife after washing the knife, you have to dry the knife from the water using a piece of cloth by drying every tool and every part that you can reach on the inside of the knife.
After removing as much water as possible on the knife, you should place the knife in front of a fan or put it in the sun in order to dry the rest of the water, especially between the layers of the knife.
Step 8: Oil Your Knife
After you dry the Swiss Army Knife, you will need to lubricate the knife after you finish washing the knife, as there is a possibility that the previous oil that was present on the knife has been washed and cleaned, and the oil works to preserve the hinges of the knife and prevent rust from forming on it.
In order to lubricate the knife, all you have to do is use food-safe lubricants, and for this, we advise you to use mineral oil, as it is a safe option with food. When lubricating, put a large amount of oil on the hinges and use cotton buds to help lubricate the inner parts of the knife and access Better for hinges.
After applying the oil, open and close the tools several times in order to distribute the oil evenly on all the interior parts of the knife and the areas you cannot reach.
Step 9: Clean Excess Oil
As we dried the knife before, we will now clean the knife of excess oil after the knife lubrication process, by wiping the excess oil with a piece of cloth, preferably the cloth made of microfibers.
When lubricating the Swiss Army Knife and leaving the oil on it without cleaning, this attracts dust and dirt and works to accumulate it inside the knife, which leads to clogging of the knife and difficulty opening the tools, so make sure to wipe the knife from the oil well and leave a little of it in order to protect the knife.
FAQ
How Often Should You Clean Your Swiss Army Knife?
The number of times you must clean the knife varies according to the number of times you use this knife. For example, when you use the knife daily, you must clean the knife monthly, but if you use it from time to time, you must clean it once every six months.
What liquids can I use to safely clean a knife other than water?
If your knife is very hardened, you can use a solvent to clean it beside the water, and you can use each of these popular solvents such as using isopropyl alcohol, acetone or ethanol by soaking the knife in these solvents several times.
Conclusion
In order to maintain your Swiss Army Knife, you must take good care of it and clean it periodically, and we have provided you with the right way to clean the knife step by step, but in order to avoid damaging the knife, you must avoid the things we mentioned earlier, and then Clean your knife safely and enjoy the process of cleaning and caring for it.
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