8 Reasons Why Your Knife Get’s Dull So Fast? Common Mistakes

Knives are used in almost all kitchens for cutting vegetables and meat. It’s one of the most important pieces of the tool in the kitchen and every knife requires maintenance. 

It does not matter which type of knife you are using, almost all types of knives get dull over time. 

There are many reasons why a knife gets dull, such as improper storage, washing the knife in the dishwasher, or cutting with an unsuitable technique.

Knives are mostly used for cutting softer objects and cutting through items that are softer than the cutting blade.

The geometry of the blade is more complex, and if you cut objects that are hard you will definitely ruin the blade and there is a high chance of the blade getting dull or getting chipped off. 

All types of knives require sharpening at least once a month, and for which you can use any type of knife sharpener. 

A dull can be really dangerous and you might slip and cut your fingers, and this had happen many times to me. 

This can be prevented, as I’m going to share 8 reasons why your knife gets dull so fast. So make sure that you read the entire post.

Let’s start!

8 Reasons Why Your Knife Get’s Dull So Fast

Most Accidents happen just because of using a dull knife. An injury caused by a dull knife is even more dangerous and this has happened several times to me and that is why I’m writing this blog post. 

However, you don’t have to worry and this can be prevented by keeping a few of the things in mind which I’m going to discuss in detail in this article. 

1. Washing The Knife In Dishwasher

I have seen most peoples wash their kitchen knives inside the dishwasher. As the dishwasher is a modern way of cleaning all types of dishes and cutleries. 

There is plenty of reasons why a dishwasher is not considered to be safe for a knife. Most importantly the environment inside the dishwasher is very harsh and the knives often hit other cutleries inside the dishwasher. 

Also when you place the knife inside the dishwasher, the dishwasher uses jet spray, hot water, and abrasive detergent, and combining all this results in dulling the edge of the knife blade. 

It doesn’t only dull the knife but also the blade suffers from corrosion and over time the edge of the blade gets chipped off. 

There is no doubt that the dishwasher is made for cleaning the cutleries and plates, but there is a strong recommendation for not placing kitchen knives inside the dishwasher. 

Detailed Post: Why do dishwashers ruin knives?

2. Storing the knife in a drawer

This is one of the most common mistakes that most peoples make. There are many different ways of storing kitchen knives, but most of them keep the knife inside a drawer. 

When you are storing the knife inside the drawer, I’m sure there would be other cutleries and tools inside the drawer and there is a high chance of the blade will hit the other cutleries. 

It’s essential that you follow the guideline to ensure that your blade remains sharp and it cuts well for the years to come. 

If you are storing a knife inside a drawer you can always use a kitchen knife organizer or you can always use a knife edge guard to protect the blade. 

If you are having plenty of kitchen knives it’s never recommended to directly store or keep kitchen knives inside the drawer directly. Instead, you can use under-cabinet knife storage for storing your knives.  

3. Cutting The Wrong Object

Chef knives are always made for cutting soft vegetables and slicing thinner pieces of meat and not bones. 

I have seen most people use their chef’s knife for cutting hard objects such as meat and bones, instead of using a cleaver. 

A chef knife is not made for cutting hard objects and it definitely damages the edge of the blade. 

The bone is denser than meat, and usually, kitchen knives are made from low-carbon steel. For cutting meat you will require a high-carbon knife such as a cleaver. 

In addition, when you will try cutting bones using the chef’s knife it can easily slip off the tiny bones and cause injury. 

So, next time onward make sure that you do not cut hard objects such as bones or wood using a chef’s knife. 

4. Using The Wrong Cutting Board 

There are many different types of cutting boards used nowadays such as wooded, plastic, glass, and bamboo cutting boards.

Glass, bamboo, and plastic cutting board damages the knives the most. The bamboo cutting board is found in most kitchens and a chef’s knife easily get’s dull each and every time you slice vegetables. 

According to the study, bamboo has a lot of silica, and this damages the edge of the blade over time. The hard material damages the edge when it comes in contact with a softer metal. 

If you don’t want to dull the edge of the blade it’s always a wise decision to stick with the wooded cutting boards and keep your knives in a good condition.  

5. Using a Metal Scrubber 

It’s surprising that a metal scrubber also ruins the edge of the blade. But this is true, metal and other rough materials used for cleaning the blade could ruin the edge of the blade. 

Instead of using a metal scrubber, you can always use a soft cloth and warm water for washing your kitchen knives. 

6. Sharpening Using The Wrong Tool

There are many different types of knife sharpeners available and the most common ones are whetstone and electric knife sharpeners. 

However, when you are sharpening your knife blade on the wrong surface such as a plane rock, and with the wrong angle ruins the blade.

There is always a certain technique for sharpening a knife and a proper angle for sharpening a knife blade and if you are not following the process you are going wrong. 

7. Over-Sharpening The Knife 

There always comes a point at which a blade can’t be sharpened anymore, and when you try to pound it on the Wheatstone, your blade will lose extra metal. 

When the edge of the blade gets thinner it shortens the knife’s life span. Therefore, it’s never recommended to over-sharpen any type of knife.

8. Using The Knife For Other Purposes 

In most houses people use a knife for cutting boxes, unscrewing hardware, and even cutting wood and other things. 

All these activities can very easily damage the edge of the blade. A kitchen knife is mostly made for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables not for performing other tasks. 

Therefore, it’s never recommended to perform such activities using a kitchen knife. Also, there is a high chance of hurting yourself when you are using the wrong tool. 

What Dulls a Knife The Fastest

Well, there are a lot of factors that ruin the edge of the blade and I have explained all of the above. 

However, the common reason for dulling most kitchen knives is because of washing the knife in a dishwasher and storing their knives in a drawer. 

This two are the most common mistakes does in almost every household. The blade get’s even duller when you try sharpening it at the wrong angle. 

So, make sure that you keep all these things in mind if you want to let your knife last long. 

How To Sharpen a Knife Blade?

There are many different types of knife sharpeners that can be used for sharpening a kitchen knife. The most common way is by using a whetstone. 

1. Pick An Angle To Sharpen: Soak the whetstone for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then choose an angle of about 15 to 20 degrees.
2. Drag Each Side: Once you hold the blade at the right angle gently drag each side of the knife against the whetstone a few times. Most whetstones have a coarse grind and a finer grind. You can start with the coarse grit.
3. Repeat The Process: Now repeat the process on both sides of the blade.
4. Clean The Blade: Once you complete sharpening, make sure that you clean the blade with soap and water before you start using it.

Wrap-Up On Why Do Knives Go Blunt

If You want your knife to last longer then you need to make sure that you follow all of the above-mentioned points.

Kitchen knives are made from carbon steel mixed with chromium and the blades are not very hard enough.

The best quality chef knives have Rockwell Hardness of HRC rating of about 60 and above. This means that the steel is not very strong and it won’t retain the edge for a longer time when it comes in contact with objects harder or similar to the knife.

The more the blade rub against other tools the more the blade will go blunt and you have to sharpen the blades every month.

The best alternative choice is to use a self-sharpening kitchen knife or a ceramic-coated knife.

I hope the information provided above was helpful and please let us know how the information was helpful to you.

Your feedback is always appreciated!!

FAQ: How To Keep My Knife From Getting Dull

It’s very common that people’s knife gets dull very easily and that is why most people ask a lot of questions. Therefore, I have answered some of the most commonly asked questions below.

You can read this section to clear your doubts.