Tried handwashing my knives instead of the dishwasher for a month - not going back

I always threw my chef's knife in the dishwasher because I was lazy after a 10-hour shift. Last month, a buddy who sharpens knives for a living told me I was ruining the edge. I switched to handwashing with a soft sponge and drying it right away. After 30 days, I haven't had to sharpen it once, and it cuts through tomatoes like butter. The dishwasher was making the blade dull way faster than I realized. Plus, no more rust spots near the handle that I used to get all the time. Has anyone else noticed a big difference after making this switch?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.mary2mo ago

Tbh that's the exact same thing that happened to me. I used to toss my Wusthof in the dishwasher because it felt convenient after a long night in the kitchen. After a month of handwashing and drying it immediately, the edge held up way longer and I stopped getting those little white spots on the blade. Now I just keep a dish towel next to the sink and dry it off before it even touches the drying rack. It's a tiny habit but it saves me from having to break out the whetstone every couple weeks.

dakota_murphy901mo agoTop Commenter

The part about the detergent is something people don’t talk about enough. I read a test once (probably on some knife nerd blog) where they ran a cheap knife through 50 dishwasher cycles with regular detergent tabs, and the blade literally lost a measurable amount of weight from the abrasive crap in the soap. Even the high-end “gentle” dishwasher tabs have that stuff in there (it’s basically pumice). I switched to handwashing three years ago after I noticed my Shun looked like it had micro scratches all over the sides, not just the edge. The instant drying trick with a towel is clutch too because leaving it wet in the rack lets water spots form that are actually tiny mineral deposits (hard water buildup). I honestly think the dishwasher argument only makes sense if your knives are already beat to hell, otherwise you’re just paying for new steel every year.

king.aaron2mo ago

I read somewhere that dishwashers use way higher heat than what you'd get from handwashing, and that alone messes with the metal's hardness. @foster.mary you're right about the white spots too, I had the same issue until I read that the detergent's basically sandblasting the blade. Now I just hand wash and dry mine on a towel, haven't touched the whetstone in months.