How to Keep Your Sharpening Stone Clean & in Great Shape

Sharpening stones are such handy tools and can help you keep your knives, scissors and tools working their best. Each time you use the stone, though, debris can build up on the surface.

If it is not properly cleaned after each use it can stop working as well and won't sharpen your knives and tools adequately. If you haven't cleaned your stone in awhile you may notice streaks on the surface. These streaks are actually leftover bits of metal and debris from your knives that can clog the surface of the stone and greatly diminish its sharpening ability.

Removing this debris after each use rather than allowing it to build up will help you to get sharper knives and tools and will help to extend the life of your stone. Here are some tips on keeping your sharpening stone clean and working great.

How you clean your sharpening stone depends on the type of lubricant you use while sharpening. The two main lubricants used are honing oil and water based honing products.

If you use honing oil to sharpen your knifes and tools you can also use it to clean your stone. Rinsing the stone with water won't work if you have used an oil based product because the water won't penetrate the oil to lift the metal particles and debris from the stone.

Instead, put more honing oil on your stone when you are done sharpening and gently rub it into the surface of the stone.

As you do this you will see the debris and small pieces of metal lift up from the stone. Keep rubbing gently until all the pores and holes in the stone are free of debris and the surface is clean. You can then wipe away the excess oil and the metal flakes with a dry cloth or a paper towel.

If you have used a water based honing product the cleaning process should be done using water. Using warm water with a touch of dish soap and a toothbrush or scrubbing pad, clean the surface of the stone with gentle, circular motions. Again, you should see small metal flakes lifting from the surface into the water. Once the stone is clean you can rinse it under warm water and allow it to dry.

Taking these simple steps to care for your sharpening stone will help keeping it working great and give you nice sharp knives and tools each time you use it.