Easier Than Scrubbing: The Kitchen Essential For Removing Gunk From A Can Opener

Can openers make meal prep much easier, but it also comes with their challenges; these kitchen tools have a habit of collecting grime in places you cannot easily reach. For instance, leftover liquids and little bits of food can build up around the cutting wheel and other tiny crevices. These are obvious signs your can opener needs a deep clean, but sometimes scrubbing with soap and water just won't get the job done. In this case, there is another kitchen staple you can use to get rid of all the gunk stuck in a can opener: wax paper.

To do this, you'll need to tear up a piece of wax paper about 4 to 6 inches wide, then fold it until you get a thicker strip about a half-inch thick. You'll want the wax paper folded into a thicker piece to keep the sharp cutter from tearing the entire thing apart. Place the folded strip in between the can opener's gears, then crank the circular blade as you would when opening canned goods. Keep repeating this step until you have successfully de-grimed your dirty can opener.

Not only does wax paper clean your can opener without much hassle, but it also acts as a buffer that can keep the tool in tip-top shape. Compared with a paper towel or a microfiber cloth, wax paper is less likely to snag on the moving parts or leave behind tiny fibers that could make the can opener harder to use. Moreover, most wax papers are coated in non-toxic paraffin wax, which reduces friction and can leave a protective layer against surface damage.

If you have just opened a can of juice or sauce, using the wax paper on the can opener immediately after might not be the next best step. You can easily get rid of these liquids by washing your can opener with hot, soapy water and letting it dry completely. Only then, if you find any more residue, should you use wax paper to remove it.

Lastly, it's important to keep in mind that this method is mainly intended for hand-crank can openers, though it can also work with butterfly-style and electric can openers as long as the wax paper can be inserted between the gear and the blade. Moreover, church key and other types of manual can openers without any gears or round blades don't really need wax paper for cleaning. Still, you can use a piece to buff the edges, making it a smart way to repurpose wax paper.