Say Goodbye To Rusty Can Openers Forever With This Prevention Tip

No matter how tidy you are, it seems there are always some kitchen items you forget to clean. Take your can opener. You may use it quite frequently, but its job so brief — open a can and back into the drawer it goes. It's easy to overlook how much it needs to be washed.

When not properly cared for, can openers are prime real estate for rust. Iron and oxygen join forces and create iron oxide, aka rust, when they're around water. Can openers may not be thoroughly dried or get a moist sauna hang in the dishwasher, and they also get splashed with food bits and juices as they do their can-opening thing. All of that moisture invites rust, and if you factor in tiny food particles, too, it could be a less-than-appetizing blend of rust and bacteria. That's not something you want to keep passing on to every other can you open. So, how can you efficiently prevent rust in the first place?

It takes a quick but thorough clean every time you use the device. Yes, this takes a couple of minutes, but yes, it's so worth it — and it's not a laborious process that will derail your meal prep. Simply rinse it with hot water, scrub it with a brush and dish soap, rinse again, and dry completely with a cloth. Don't air-dry it, don't put it in the dishwasher, and you'll find your rust crisis averted.

Regular rust-prevention maintenance is a life-saver in the long run. It's a foolproof way to know your can opener is bacteria-free, and that it stays looking as nice as possible. You won't have the jump scare of one day realizing how rusted your can opener is and need to spend on another one. 

If you do have one that's already begun to rust, don't worry — all is not lost. There are clever ways to clean your can opener even if it's something you've neglected for a little while. The most tried and true approach is to soak the opener in vinegar. You can use a mason jar or similarly sized container for this, and let the can opener sit in the vinegar for anywhere from five to 15 minutes; the rustier it is, the longer it should soak. Then scrub it with more vinegar on a dish brush or old toothbrush you use for cleaning. Rinse, and, again, dry thoroughly. 

For added maintenance, run your can opener along a folded sheet of wax paper. This knocks the rust and food gunk out of the crevices, and the wax even lubricates the gears. A neglected can opener may seem like one of the toughest kitchen items to clean, but it doesn't have to be with just a little elbow grease and a few simple prevention measures.