We Tried Using This Blade Brush From Amazon And Found Results That Gleamed
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There are many reasons to hand wash items instead of simply throwing them in the dishwasher. From the stress-relieving and meditative properties of the task to studies that suggest reduced allergy development in children (per American Academy of Pediatrics), lots of people have kicked their dishwashers to the curb. Yet, if you are still wary of the germs that hand-washed plates and pans might harbor, you should, at the very least, consider hand-washing your knives. Knives are not cheap and are susceptible to corrosion and dulling when they're run through your dishwasher. They aren't good for the machine either, as sharp knives can damage the protective plastic coating. This is why we tried the Joseph Joseph BladeBrush from Amazon.
The small gadget claims to clean sharp blades safely while effectively cleaning both sides of your knife at the same time. It features a textured surface for you to grip while you clean and rows of opposed bristles that scrub your knives while you work the blade in between them. This blade brush has great reviews and over 14,000 ratings on Amazon, but we wanted to be certain it was worth the price — so we put it to the test.
Preparing our utensils for the test
To set up for our test of the BladeBrush, we gathered a butter knife, a larger knife, a paring knife, a spoon, and a fork. We spread condiments on each of them, including ketchup, sour cream, butter, and cream cheese. Then, we let them sit for several hours to dry and cake on — because who washes their dishes immediately after using them? Not us! We also used a bottle of Original Dawn Dish Soap we had on hand.
The BladeBrush was less than $10 on Amazon and showed up on our doorstep in just two days. Using our small stainless steel sink in the kitchen of our apartment, we filled it up with a couple of inches of warm water and added a small amount of dish soap to create some suds. Next, we plopped all of the test knives, the spoon, and the fork in the water and let them sit for less than a minute to loosen up the grime a little.
Testing out our new gadget
Now we were ready to finally try the BladeBrush. Carefully pulling each utensil out of the soapy water, it was time to get to work scrubbing. Some came clean quicker than others, but, all of them took longer to get everything off than we had expected. With vigorous scrubbing, the fork and the spoon started sparkling first, and, surprisingly, the butter knife dirtied with cream cheese required the most effort. Likely soaking each of the utensils in warm water for a longer period before scrubbing would've made the task easier.
Other pitfalls, however, besides a lot of scrubbing, is that the bristles may be too far apart. They just grazed the surface of the knives instead of scraping off the food debris from both sides. Yet, the bristles are also too close together to store it on anything that isn't cutlery-thin. We did find that it stored fine on our wire dish rack and it stands up on its own on the counter. But you probably wouldn't be able to pinch it over any existing hardware on your sink.
What we really thought of this blade brush
Despite some drawbacks, we think the Joseph Joseph BladeBrush held up on many of its promises. The design is better than other similar products, and we liked that it's comfortable to hold and comes in a gorgeous bright green color that doesn't get lost in the soapy sink water. We tried cleaning a large chef's knife, a paring knife, and a butter knife which all came clean in the end. Even better, the cleaning gadget is large enough to fit all of these blades inside it without having to flip the knife.
Additionally, it makes cleaning your sharp knives safer. The sturdy plastic design quelled the fears of accidentally cutting your hands the way you might if you're using a traditional sponge or washcloth. This BladeBrush is certainly a tool that will be sitting next to our sink every time we're hand washing the dishes. We'd personally recommend it to anyone who struggles to get their knives and other utensils clean in the dishwasher or otherwise.