I believe every kitchen needs a good sharpening rod, particularly a ceramic one. With one of these around, sharpening knives will never be easier. Ceramic is a very hard material, and it can sharpen all your knives with ease.
Because they’re so hard, ceramic sharpening rods can last for a long, long time. But this does not mean that you don’t need to take care of them. It’s very important to clean your ceramic sharpening rod every once in a while.
When I first got my Ceramic Sharpening Rod, I didn’t bother to clean it at all. I quickly realized that this was a big mistake, and you will too if you follow me. Without any cleaning, my sharpening rod was full of steel residue. This not only dirtied my sharpening rod, but it also made it very inefficient. That’s when I knew that I had to do something about it. So I kept thinking How Can I clean my ceramic sharpening rod?
The good news is that cleaning your ceramic sharpening rod is not a hard task at all. All you will need is some instructions and a few items. With these, you can be sure your ceramic sharpening rod will be spotless all the time. So what are these? Let’s find out!
What You Need To Clean Your Sharpening Rod?
To clean your ceramic sharpening rod, you need something that will remove the residue stuck on it. When you sharpen, steel bits get stuck on the tiny holes in the ceramic, and they are very hard to get rid of. This is why you need to loosen them first.
What I like to use is honing oil. If you have a lot of knives, having honing oil around always comes in handy. You can use honing oil in a lot of ways, including the oiling of your oil stones. Honing oil can also penetrate small holes and loosen any debris. This is why it is perfect for cleaning your ceramic sharpening rod.
Looking for a good honing oil? Check this out
Honing oil is easily my number one pick. But if you don’t have any, you don’t need to worry, there are several other options. One of them is dishwashing soap. We all have dishwashing soap around, so this is very convenient. However, dishwashing soap is not as effective or safe to use as honing oil.
What you will also need is something to scrub off the pieces of steel. Ideally, this should be something with some grit on it. You want some grit in there to scrub off the stuck pieces, but not too much that it will scratch the rod.
What I use is an abrasive eraser Such as this one Here. This is the best thing to use as it will make your job a lot easier. If not, you can also use regular erasers. It won’t be as easy, but it still works. You can also use a sponge. The scouring side of your sponge is great for cleaning your ceramic sharpening rod.
Now that you have everything that you need, you’re now ready to clean your ceramic sharpening rod. How do you do this? Let’s take a look.
How to Clean And Maintains Your Ceramic Sharpening Rod
Once you find a lot of debris stuck on your ceramic sharpening rod, it is time to clean it. Cleaning this is very easy. All there is to it is two simple steps: loosen and scrub.
Step 1: Loosen
The first thing you want to do is to loosen up the debris stuck on your ceramic sharpening rod. If you don’t do this, it will be very difficult to get rid of them. These steel bits are stuffed into tiny holes, that’s why it’s so hard.
This is why honing oil is your best option. Pour some honing oil on your ceramic sharpening rod and rub it in. The oil will penetrate these tiny holes and loosen the debris. Let the oil rest for a while, and it will bring out all these tiny steel bits.
You can also use dishwashing soap and water, but this has some risks. Dishwashing soap also loosens the debris in the holes. And washing with water flushes the debris away. The risk here though is that water causes rust. That’s why if not all the steel debris are removed, it may get rusted instead. And if it rusts, this will destroy your sharpening rod.
Step 2: Scrub
Oiling and wiping your ceramic sharpening rod should bring out all the debris, but not all of it. This is why you need to proceed to the second step: scrubbing!
This step is simple, all you need to do is take your abrasive eraser and start scrubbing. This will not only get rid of the loosened bits, but it will also remove the debris that the oil couldn’t get rid of. Give your rod a good scrubbing until it is completely clean.
If you’re using a sponge, it may be a little more difficult to do this. Give it a thorough rubbing though and it should get rid of all the debris. It takes more work though, that’s why I prefer using abrasive erasers.
You also need to be careful that you don’t scratch your sharpening rod. Rub it just enough to remove the debris. If you rub it too hard, you could end up damaging your sharpening rod instead.
Conclusion
So you see, cleaning your sharpening rod is very easy. This simple task is one that goes a long way. You can prolong the lifespan of your ceramic sharpening rod a lot by doing this.
That’s why if you’ve never cleaned your ceramic sharpening rod yet, don’t be afraid to do so! I’m always nervous when I try something new. But I can assure you, this is not something to be afraid of in any way.
So get your honing oil and abrasive eraser and start cleaning Your Ceramic Rod!
