Clean Your Gross Can Opener With Q-Tips

I consider myself a clean person, but I had a real “damn bitch, you live like this?” moment when I was forced to inspect the state of my can opener. I had been browsing the web, looking for inspiration, when I came upon an article from The Kitchn that boasted a “1-minute trick” for cleaning your gross, shameful can opener.

There’s no moment like the present to try a new trick, so I went to my kitchen and pulled out my red Martha Stewart-brand can opener and discovered that it was, in fact, quite disgusting and shameful.

Obviously, something had to be done, so I decided to do the thing The Kitchn told me to. The Kitchn suggests running a folded sheet of wax paper through the can opener, which is supposed to deep clean the innards of the opener, while lubing it up at the same time:

Running the thick paper through the gears helps gently dislodge any deep, hidden grime — and the wax lubricates your tool for smoother operation at the same time.

Given the sorry state of my can opener, I decided it was only fair that I give my can opener a good scrubbing before trying the wax paper. So I cleaned it with a bristle brush (and hot soap and water), dried it off, then ran the folded piece of waxed paper through the can opener.

The paper removed some gunk, but a visual inspection revealed that it was not enough gunk.

Maybe the wax paper trick is enough for can openers with lesser amounts of gunk and grime, but true negligence may require reinforcements. True negligence calls for Q-tips.

As you can see, the Q-tips were quite effective. I dipped them in a little isopropyl alcohol, then got ‘em in there real good, in between the gears and wheels, dislodging the stuck-on grime, restoring it to its former gleaming glory.

So while I wasn’t blown away by the wax paper trick, I do appreciate that it forced me to face the gross, some might say reprehensible, state of my can opening device, and it renewed my appreciation for Q-tips, a truly useful cleaning tool.