knife hygiene.

[Goliath]

What about using those antibacterial no-water hand gels? that would cut down the weight as I would carry a small bottle of that for my hands anyway.

I think that's a pretty good idea, just to be sure. If you aren't sure if your knife is clean enough, your food will taste a lot worse too (purely psychological).

Those no-water gels mainly consist of a high alcohol dosis. So carrying some strong alcohol might work fine too!

 

[Asa Samuel]

I think that's a pretty good idea, just to be sure. If you aren't sure if your knife is clean enough, your food will taste a lot worse too (purely psychological).

Those no-water gels mainly consist of a high alcohol dosis. So carrying some strong alcohol might work fine too!

I'm partial to whisky, especially on a walkabout but theres no way I'm wasting a good scotch!

I'll use some of that anti-bacterial gel stuff and then a few wipes on my trouser leg or something like that

 

[alpha_centaur]

I think that's a pretty good idea, just to be sure. If you aren't sure if your knife is clean enough, your food will taste a lot worse too (purely psychological).

Those no-water gels mainly consist of a high alcohol dosis. So carrying some strong alcohol might work fine too!

Yeah but with that you apply the alcohol internally and don't worry about the knife as the alcohol in your stomach will purify the food

Seriously though I tend to either wipe my knife on a damp cloth (moistened from my water bottle) or if it looks clean it just gets used as is. I alway's give the knife an appropriate clean before returning it to its sheath, esp if I've been cutting meat, poultry or fish.

 

[helixpteron]

Saliva!

And yes, you worry too much!

 

[John Fenna]

I give mine a rough wipe in the field - on shirt, trousers, moss, whatever and carry on...
The food I prep is cooked after cutting so gets sterilized before I eat it...greens I tear up!
As long as I cook the food then I will be OK...I think! If I am worried that my knife is getting a bit iffy I plunge the blade into boiling water the next time I make a brew....
I have been lax in my food hygine for years and have yet to suffer from it!

 

[rik_uk3]

First it was the thread about a bit of soot on your pots but now its this thread that amazes me, how the flick have we not all dropped dead from knife poisoning in the past? I've been out and about since 1966 and never worried about my knife, just cleaned it when I had the chance, never had food poisoning, not once, now all you see are bottles of hand gel on the go, good grief, don't worry about it.

Big tough bushcrafters, survivalists, don't make me laugh

 

[jimford]

Big tough bushcrafters, survivalists, don't make me laugh

I think most of them put their knives in the dishwasher installed in their Winnebego!
;^)

Jim

 

[John Fenna]

'ang on lads!
The older bushy types were brought up to eat a peck of dirt in their lives - and there-by got used to/imune to certain bugs (or learned not to worry too much if they got a minor go of the trots) - if you live in a hole in the road and eat gravel for breakfast then you either die young or live forever!
Youth of today have been brought up on hermetically sealed houses and anti-bac on everything so have not developped the resistance to bugs that the old school ("broke your arm? - have matron put a bandage on it and get back here fast!" "stoneground flour is meant to have stones in it!") types.
Bugs that thee and me might eat, digest and feel nowt from could render some of the new "hygenic" mob totally immobile (or make them move rather fast - with some Andrex in one hand, a shovel in the other....)
As my Ole Mam used to say...
"Don't mock the afflicted!" - it aint their fault that they have not had our disadvantages!

 

[Wilderbeast]

I tend to use that most technical of items........the trouser leg, or wash it in a stream etc. Honestly stuff like that really doesn't bother me too much, but that's because I tend not to cut into mushrooms to check, I either know if I can eat it, or I don't and leave it out ?? Having said that always clean a knife after prepping fish because otherwise they STINK!!

 

[alpha_centaur]

First it was the thread about a bit of soot on your pots but now its this thread that amazes me, how the flick have we not all dropped dead from knife poisoning in the past? I've been out and about since 1966 and never worried about my knife, just cleaned it when I had the chance, never had food poisoning, not once, now all you see are bottles of hand gel on the go, good grief, don't worry about it.

Big tough bushcrafters, survivalists, don't make me laugh

Hey that's a bit rough, if your newish to this whole thing then this is one of the the issues that you may want addressed. Fine most of us were brought up with the

"if you find half a millipede in your beans, don't worry you've already eaten the other half" or

"If you find a millipede in your beans consider yourself lucky your brother didn't"

But if your either new to the whole bushcraft/survivalist issue then it's a pertinent question.

 

[Aaron]

Hmmmm so youre telling us after prepping a rabbit you put it back in the sheath covered in congealed blood, fat and hair to fester for a fornight before taking it out again on your next trip out to do prep with? Very hygenic. I bet washing your hands after you've been to the loo isnt macho enough for you either.

 

[demographic]

Hmmmm so youre telling us after prepping a rabbit you put it back in the sheath covered in congealed blood, fat and hair to fester for a fornight before taking it out again on your next trip out to do prep with? Very hygenic. I bet washing your hands after you've been to the loo isnt macho enough for you either.

Just wipe it on a bit of grass/your keks/moss/rinse in the nearest beck.

Which evers the handiest when the auroclave plug wont reach the socket

 

[British Red]

... the auroclave .....

Extreme earwax removal?

 

[rik_uk3]

Hmmmm so youre telling us after prepping a rabbit you put it back in the sheath covered in congealed blood, fat and hair to fester for a fornight before taking it out again on your next trip out to do prep with? Very hygenic. I bet washing your hands after you've been to the loo isnt macho enough for you either.

No, that would be stupid, which I'm not. As to hand washing, well I was raised to wash my hands after a trip to the loo and still to today, when camping or at home and as a Nurse I was my hands more than most I suspect during a day. Remember, your hands need to be clean and free of grime in order for alcohol to be effective and you are advised to only use it a few times between a soap and water wash so as to remove gel residue. I prefer to rely on soap and water over alcohol. We have managed to survive for many many years without little bottles of alcohol so why the rush to use it now?

 

[Wilderbeast]

well here's an idea for those that are worried about contaminating food when preping,which is fine . Just crack over some flint and use a blade from that, for meat prepping it should be fine and people used that for centuries!! Plus when you're don just chuck the flint into the undergrowth, problem solved!!

 

[John Fenna]

Extreme earwax removal?

 

[Asa Samuel]

Richard, don't worry I understand what you mean, I don't mind eating bits of dirt and stuff, it's just because I'm new to the whole thing I've not had the experience to know what is safe and what isn't.

Especially because I'm younger and might not have built up the same defence as older people I just thought it would be safer to check.

looks like my trouser leg might get quite dirty on trips out now though

 

[ForgeCorvus]

Slightly off topic
Do any of you remember a tv program late 70s early 80s when they got some people to live in an Iron-age village (full living history style), they did a version of the same thing recently.
In the older program they didn't have any problems with illness (apart from one of the kids got some sort of medical problem that ment his family had to leave, can't remember what though), in the newer one they had no end of hassles with minor illnesses, the trots, bad footwear (I think borderline trenchfoot might of been involved) and no one wanted to help slaughter and butcher the livestock except the two veggies who decided that as they were going to eat meat 'for the duration' they should as least assist in that side of it.

It goes to show that modern life is bad for your health

On the knife front, either keep a food knife or use alcohol on a rag if you're worried about contamination. if you're easy just wash it when its minged and wipe it at other times (if you're a carbon user its probably worth wiping it before putting it away anyhow, keep it damp and dirt off and Mr Rust is less likely to come calling)

 

[the interceptor boy]

in the field , if you are fussy you can always use sphagnum moss. either wipe your blade on it or with it, or boil together in water and then wash your knife, etc, etc.
or take alook at this site, very informative.

http://www.greeniegoods.com.au/p/451434/sphagnum-moss-disinfectant---1-litre.html

 

[traderran]

Just give mine a wipe on my pants leg. Hasn't killed me yet