 should really throw away your knife block. Yeah, there are perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and microorganisms, with all the moisture and debris getting stuck in the knife slots. And the knife block can even form a biofilm that makes it resistant to cleaning. So what are you supposed to do with your knives? You could get a fancy magnetic knife strip, or just try putting them in a drawer. But if you really can't part with it, blast the slots with compressed air, scrub them out with hot soapy water, submerge the sucker in a bleach solution, rinse it thoroughly, and air-dry it upside down.