Published on August 1, 2025 by Filip
Last updated on August 1, 2025
A good knife doesn’t have to cost a fortune. However, if you treat it like a cheap, disposable knife, then it will soon become ineffective.
Most $20 knives don’t fail because they’re low quality, but because they haven’t had proper care applied to them.
The truth is, even budget kitchen knives can last years with just a few simple habits. Here’s how to keep your affordable chef’s knife sharp and ready – without babying it.
1. Wash it By Hand Every Time
Yeah, it may say “dishwasher safe” on the box, but that doesn’t mean you should do it. Dishwashers kill the edge of the knife. Their high heat, harsh detergents, and jostling during the wash will dull your blade, and they can even loosen the handle instead.
Here’s what to do instead.
- Rinse it right after using it
- Use a soft sponge with a dish soap
- Dry it immediately (see next tip)
No soaking and no scrubbing with steel wool, and definitely no “I’ll get to it later”.
2. Dry it Immediately After Washing
Even stainless steel can show rust over time, especially the softer, budget friendly kind that is used in knives around the $30 mark. If you let a knife marinate while it’s wet on the rack, it’s a surefire way of inviting corrosion and water stains.
The right move is to dry it completely with a clean towel. What you shouldn’t do is leave it to air dry and let it drip.
If you use your budget knife daily, this habit alone will double your blade’s lifespan.
3. Sharpen It – Don’t Just Hone it
A honing rod does not sharpen your knife. That’s a myth.
What a honing rod does is it realigns the blade’s edge, which is definitely useful. But, it doesn’t restore a dull blade. For that, you need an actual sharpener.
Use a pull-through sharpener like the KitchenIQ Edge Grip every few weeks. It takes 30 seconds and brings most blades back to life quickly.
4. Use The Right Cutting Board
You should not be cutting on glass, marble, metal, or directly on your countertop. These surfaces are fatal to blade edges, even on high-end knives.
Stick to these instead:
- Wooden cutting boards
- BPA-free plastic boards (soft and affordable)
If anything clinks when you slice, that’s a bad signal for your knife’s health.
5. Use it For The Right Job
Cheap knives hold up great for cooking, but they are far from indestructible. Their edge is designed to slice, not pry or hack.
Don’t use your chef’s knife to:
- Open cans
- Split frozen foods
- Break down bones in your meat
- Dig into packaging
- Do anything outside of actual cooking
I know that meal prepping can be a challenge but taking shortcuts is a surefire way to reduce your knife’s lifespan.
6. Store It Like You Want to Keep It
Throwing your knife in the drawer with some bottle openers and kitchen shears is a guaranteed way to chip it, damaging it instantly.
Smarter storage:
- Magnetic strip on the wall
- Knife block or an in-drawer organizer
- Blade guard ($5 on Amazon)
- Or just roll it in a clean kitchen towel
The idea is to stop it from clanking around – no matter the solution you employ.
7. Bonus: Clean Your Sharpener As well
Every once in a while, metal filings build up in your sharpener’s slots. If you’re sharpening and it’s not working as well as it used to, this is probably the reason.
You can use a toothbrush or a toothpick to clean out gunk from your sharpener. Then you should wipe it down with a damp cloth, and it will be ready for action again.
In Summary…
Caring for a cheap kitchen knife is about not sabotaging your own tool rather than being obsessive about it. If you wash and dry it by hand, store it safely, use a real sharpener, and cut on a surface that isn’t made of stone, then your $20-30 knife will feel like a $50-100 one. It’s a perfect addition to a healthy kitchen. What’s more, it will last like it too. Knife care isn’t complicated, but it warrants consistency.
Filip Jovchevski is a digital content strategist and the creator of TinyKitchenGuy.com, a site dedicated to helping people cook smarter in home kitchens. With over a decade of experience in content and SEO, Filip knows how to cut through the noise and deliver practical, no-nonsense advice backed by real testing and hands-on use.