Should You Put Your Knives in the Dishwasher?
Short answer: no. Never put good knives in the dishwasher. It is one of the fastest ways to ruin an edge, a handle, and sometimes the whole knife. Here is why, and what to do instead.
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Why the dishwasher wrecks knives
- Dull and chipped edges: knives knock against racks, other utensils, and the tub, rolling and chipping the fine edge.
- Corrosion and rust: harsh detergents and long, hot, wet cycles pit and stain even stainless steel, and quickly rust carbon-steel blades.
- Ruined handles: heat and moisture crack and loosen wood and pakkawood handles, and can degrade the glue holding them on.
- It is dangerous: reaching into a rack of blades pointed every direction is a real way to get cut.
What to do instead (takes 15 seconds)
Wipe or hand wash the blade with warm soapy water right after use, rinse, and dry it immediately with a towel. Never let knives soak in a sink. Store them on a magnetic strip, in a block, or with blade guards, not loose in a drawer.
Keep the edge alive
Combine good washing habits with regular honing occasional sharpening and a knife-friendly wood cutting board and an affordable knife will outperform a neglected expensive one for years.
FAQ
Are any knives dishwasher-safe?
Some cheap stainless knives tolerate it better than others, but even then the edge dulls faster and handles suffer. The safe answer for any knife you care about is hand wash only.
What if my knife already went through the dishwasher?
Dry it right away, check for rust spots (a little Bar Keepers Friend removes them), then hone and, if needed, sharpen it. Going forward, hand wash only.
The short answer
Should you put your knives in the dishwasher? For any knife you care about, the answer is no. While it is tempting to toss them in with everything else, the dishwasher is hard on knives in several ways, dulling the edge, damaging the handle, and even posing a safety risk. Hand washing takes only a few seconds and dramatically extends the life and performance of a good knife. The convenience of the dishwasher is not worth the cost to a blade you rely on and may have spent real money to buy.
Why the dishwasher dulls knives
Several things in a dishwasher conspire to dull a blade. Knives jostle against racks, other utensils, and dishes during the cycle, and every contact with hard surfaces nicks and rolls the fine edge. The harsh, abrasive detergents used in dishwashers are formulated to scour, and over time they can pit and corrode the steel. The combination of movement and chemistry takes a knife that was sharp and leaves it noticeably duller, undoing the careful honing and sharpening that keep an edge performing.
Damage to handles and steel
Beyond the edge, the dishwasher damages the rest of the knife. The high heat and prolonged moisture of a wash and dry cycle can crack, warp, or loosen handles, especially wooden ones, which dry out and split. Even stainless steel is not fully immune to spotting and corrosion under repeated exposure to hot water and aggressive detergent, and knives with any carbon steel can rust. A knife is a precision tool, and the dishwasher’s environment is simply too harsh for it over the long run.
The safety risk
There is also a real safety issue. Loose knives in a dishwasher rack are a hazard when loading and especially unloading, since reaching into a basket of cutlery can mean grabbing a blade by accident. Sharp knives pointing up in a utensil basket are particularly dangerous. Hand washing keeps blades under control and visible, avoiding the risk of a nasty cut while emptying the machine. For both the knife’s sake and your own, the sink is the safer place.
How to hand wash a knife
Hand washing a knife is quick and simple. Wash the blade with warm soapy water and a sponge or cloth, always wiping with the spine leading and the edge trailing so you never run your hand into the edge, then rinse and dry it immediately with a towel. Do not leave knives to soak in a full sink, both because it dulls and corrodes them and because a hidden blade in soapy water is a cut waiting to happen. The whole process takes only moments and protects the knife.
Drying and storing properly
Drying a knife right after washing is as important as the wash itself, since leaving it wet invites spotting and rust, particularly on carbon steel. Once dry, store the knife protected rather than loose in a drawer where it can knock against other tools and dull, and where you might cut yourself reaching in. A magnetic strip, a knife block, an in-drawer tray, or blade guards all keep the edge safe. Proper drying and storage complete the simple routine that keeps a knife sharp and sound.
What about inexpensive knives?
Some people reason that a cheap knife is not worth hand washing, and it is true that the stakes are lower. But even inexpensive knives dull faster and corrode in the dishwasher, and the safety risk of loose blades applies regardless of price. Given that hand washing takes only seconds, the small effort is worth it even for budget knives, keeping them usable longer. If a knife truly does not matter to you, the dishwasher will not ruin your day, but the habit of hand washing serves every knife you own.
A simple habit that pays off
Keeping knives out of the dishwasher is one of the easiest and highest-value habits in knife care. It preserves the edge, protects the handle and steel, and avoids a genuine safety hazard, all for the few seconds it takes to wash and dry a blade by hand. Combined with regular honing and occasional sharpening, hand washing keeps a knife performing like new for years. For any blade you value, make the sink, not the dishwasher, its home.