How to Store Knives Without a Block: Safe, Space-Saving Ideas

A full knife block holds a dozen or more blades. Most cooks use three. Store knives without a knife block and you win back a whole corner of counter in a small kitchen.

Those three knives also stay sharper somewhere else. Below is where to put them, which products to buy, how to protect the edges and how to keep the setup safe around children.

Short answer: Put a magnetic knife strip on the wall if you have 12 inches of bare backsplash near your prep space. It costs no counter or drawer room and keeps edges off hard surfaces. No free wall? Give the knives one drawer with an in-drawer tray, or sleeve each blade in an edge guard. With small children at home, choose the drawer and add a magnetic child lock. Loose knives in a drawer are the one setup to rule out.

How Do You Store Knives Without a Knife Block?

There are four good ways to store knives without a block. Each one suits a different kitchen, so start by looking at what you have more of: wall, drawer or cabinet door.

Method	Space it uses	Edge protection	Child safety	Renter-friendly
Magnetic wall strip	A strip of backsplash wall	Very good with a wood strip	Fair (in reach of a climbing child)	Needs screws, or adhesive for light knives
In-drawer knife tray	One drawer	Very good	Good with a drawer lock	Yes, no tools
Edge guards in a drawer	Part of any drawer	Good	Good with a drawer lock	Yes, no tools
Strip inside a cabinet door	Back of a door	Very good	Good with a cabinet lock	Yes with adhesive

Our rule of thumb is simple. If you have 12 inches of bare wall near your prep space, use a magnetic strip. If you do not, give your knives one drawer. If you have young children, choose the drawer and lock it.

In every method, each knife gets its own spot where the edge touches nothing hard.

Why a Knife Block Is a Poor Fit for a Small Kitchen

A knife block solves one problem and creates three more.

First, it takes counter space. A standard block covers roughly the same area as a small cutting board, and it sits there all day. In a kitchen with only a few feet of counter, that is space you need for chopping. Our guide on how to make more counter space in a small kitchen explains why every square inch matters.

Second, the slots are hard to clean. Crumbs, dust and moisture collect at the bottom, and you cannot wipe them out. If a knife goes in slightly damp, the slot stays damp.

Third, most block sets come with more knives than you will use. A 15-piece block fills your counter with steak knives, shears and a honing steel. Most solo cooks are better off with three good knives. If you do want a set, our guide to budget knife sets shows which ones are worth it.

Moving the knives off the counter is one of the quickest wins in any small kitchen. It pairs well with the rest of our countertop organization ideas for a small kitchen.

How to Store Knives on a Magnetic Strip

A magnetic knife strip is a bar with strong magnets inside that you mount on the wall. The knives cling to it by the blade. It is the most space-saving way to store knives, because it uses wall that is usually empty anyway.

Pick the Right Strip

Choose the length first, then the face.

Strip length	Knives it holds comfortably	Where it fits
About 12 inches	4 to 5	A narrow gap beside a window or cabinet, or inside a door
16 to 18 inches	8 to 10	Most backsplashes
24 inches	10 or more	A long stretch of open wall

Leave about a finger width between knives. Crowding is the mistake people regret, because blades knock together when you pull one off.

For most kitchens, the Schmidt Brothers Acacia 24-Inch Magnetic Wall Bar is the strip we recommend first. Its acacia face is gentle on edges, and 24 inches gives a full set room to breathe. If your free wall is shorter, the Schmidt Brothers Black 18-Inch Magnetic Wall Bar fits most backsplashes and looks sharp with black cabinet pulls.

For a narrow slice of wall, the Zulay 11.75-Inch Walnut Wood Magnetic Knife Holder is under 12 inches long. It mounts with screws, or with the included tape and Velcro if you rent.

Stainless steel strips grip harder and cost less. The budget Ouddy 16-Inch Stainless Steel Magnetic Knife Holder comes with screws and wall anchors. The Modern Innovations 16-Inch Stainless Steel Magnetic Knife Bar hides its screws behind a back panel, so the bar lifts off for cleaning. If you own a heavy cleaver or a 10-inch chef’s knife, get the HMmagnets Premium 17-Inch Stainless Steel Knife Holder. It is made of 304 stainless, which resists rust near the sink.

We compare all six side by side in our guide to the best magnetic knife strip.

Put Knives On and Take Them Off the Right Way

How you handle the knife matters more than which strip you buy.

1. Hold the knife by the handle, edge facing away from you.
2. Touch the spine to the strip first. The spine is the thick, blunt top of the blade.
3. Roll the blade down flat until the whole side rests on the strip.
4. To remove it, tilt the edge away from the strip by turning the handle, then lift. Do not drag the blade straight down or sideways.

This keeps the cutting edge from ever scraping the strip. Hang knives with the handles down and the tips up, so you grab a handle, never a blade.

Where to Mount a Magnetic Knife Strip

Placement decides whether a strip is handy or dangerous.

The Best Spots

• On the backsplash beside your main prep counter. You reach for a knife and start cutting without taking a step.
• Just under the upper cabinets. Upper cabinets sit about 18 inches above the counter. A strip mounted a few inches below them keeps the handles in easy reach.
• On the end wall of a galley. Our galley kitchen ideas show how to use that often-wasted end wall.
• On the side of an upper cabinet that faces the counter, if it is a solid panel.

Spots to Skip

• Above the stove. You would reach over hot burners and steam, and grease would coat the blades. Keep the strip at least an arm’s length to one side of the cooktop.
• Directly over the sink. Splashes cause rust spots, and you lean over a wet basin to grab a knife.
• Behind a door that swings open. A door handle can knock a knife off.
• Anywhere you walk past with your shoulder close to the wall, like a narrow aisle in a tiny galley.

Good light helps you see the edge as you reach for it. If your backsplash is dim, our small kitchen lighting ideas cover plug-in under-cabinet lights that need no electrician.

How to Mount It Securely

A strip full of knives is heavy, and a falling strip is a real hazard. Mount it properly.

1. Find a stud. Studs are usually 16 inches apart, center to center. Use a stud finder, or knock and listen for a solid sound.
2. Mark the height and hold the strip level. Use a small level or a level app on your phone.
3. Drive at least one screw into the stud. If the second hole lands between studs, use the wall anchor that came with the strip.
4. On tile, drill through the grout line with a masonry bit. Grout is easy to patch and the tile will not crack.
5. Test it. Hang your heaviest knife and give the strip a firm tug before you load the rest.

Adhesive strips work for light paring and utility knives on a smooth surface. Keep heavy chef’s knives and cleavers on a screwed-in strip. If you want more wall storage ideas around your strip, see our vertical storage ideas for small kitchens.

Are Magnetic Knife Strips Bad for Knives?

No, not when you use them correctly. Magnetic strips are one of the gentlest ways to store knives, because nothing rubs the edge while the knife sits there. Compare that with a block, where the edge drags along the slot every time you pull the knife out.

Damage happens in three ways, and all three are easy to avoid:

• Dragging the edge across the strip. Always roll the knife on spine first and tilt it off.
• Letting a knife snap onto bare steel. A strong magnet can pull a blade in hard enough to chip a thin edge. Wood-faced strips cushion the contact, which is why we lean toward them for good knives.
• Hanging knives too close together. Blades clink against each other. Keep a finger width between them.

One more thing. Ceramic knives are not magnetic, so they will not stay on a magnetic strip. Store them in a drawer tray or an edge guard. They chip easily, so keep them away from other tools. Our guide on how to sharpen ceramic knives covers their care.

How to Store Knives in a Drawer

A drawer is the best choice when you have no free wall, when you rent and cannot drill, or when you have small children. The rule is simple: every knife gets a slot or a guard. Never toss knives in loose.

In-Drawer Knife Trays

An in-drawer knife tray, sometimes called an in-drawer knife block, is a block that lies flat in a drawer. Each knife slides into its own slot on its side, with the edge held clear of the tray.

For a full set, the Noble Home & Chef In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Block holds 16 knives plus a sharpening steel. It suits a wide drawer that can give up most of its space to knives.

Most small kitchens have narrow drawers. For those, the Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Compact Knife Organizer holds up to 9 knives in bamboo slots and leaves room beside it for other tools. The budget OXO Good Grips Compact Knife Drawer Organizer is narrow enough to share a drawer with spatulas and tongs.

If you own good German knives and want a tray that matches, the WÜSTHOF 7-Slot In-Drawer Knife Storage is a solid wood tray built for them. Spend the extra on it if the knives themselves cost real money. Our Wüsthof knives review covers which of their knives are worth that spend.

Pick and Measure the Drawer

1. Choose a drawer near your prep counter, not the one beside the stove.
2. Measure the inside width, depth and height of the drawer box, not the drawer front.
3. Measure your longest knife from tip to the end of the handle. The tray, and the drawer, must be longer than that.
4. Check the height. The handles must clear the cabinet frame above when the drawer closes.
5. Put the knife tray at the front of the drawer if it shares space. You should not have to reach over blades to get a spoon.

Our full guide on how to organize kitchen drawers in a small kitchen shows how to fit the rest of the drawer around a knife tray.

Is It Safe to Store Knives in a Drawer?

Yes, as long as each blade is covered or held in a slot. Here is what goes wrong with loose knives:

• You cut your hand reaching in. Knives shift every time the drawer opens and closes, so a blade ends up where you do not expect it.
• The edges chip and dull. Steel knocking against steel rolls and nicks the thin edge.
• Other tools get damaged. Knives scratch nonstick spatulas and slice silicone.

A drawer becomes safe with three habits. Use a tray or edge guards. Give knives their own drawer or their own clearly marked zone. And put each knife away dry, as soon as it is clean.

Knife Guards and Edge Guards

A knife guard, also called an edge guard or blade cover, is a plastic sleeve that slides over the blade. It turns any drawer into safe knife storage, and it costs very little.

Guards are the right fix when:

• Your drawers are too small for a knife tray.
• You have one or two good knives and do not want a whole system.
• You carry knives to a friend’s house, a picnic or a camping trip.
• You store a rarely used knife, like a long slicer, at the back of a cabinet.

For one or two chef’s knives, the Chef Sac Knife Edge Guards, 2-Pack fit blades up to 8.5 inches and have a felt lining so the blade does not scratch. To cover a whole set at once, the WELLSTAR Knife Edge Guards Set, 8 Piece comes in mixed sizes, from paring knife to chef’s knife. The Ergo Chef Universal Knife Edge Guard Set is a five-piece option if you only keep a few knives.

How to Use Edge Guards Well

• Match the guard to the blade. A guard that is too long lets the knife slide around inside. One that is too short leaves the tip bare.
• Dry the knife completely first. A damp blade trapped in a guard can rust or spot.
• Slide the guard on from the spine side, not by pushing the edge into the opening.
• Wash the guards now and then. Rinse them in warm soapy water and let them dry open.

If you own Misen knives, Misen knife storage is designed alongside their knives, so the pieces match the set you already have.

How to Store Knives Away From Kids

Children change the plan. A magnetic strip at counter height looks out of reach, but a toddler who can push a chair to the counter can reach it. Our advice for any home with children under about 5 is to keep knives in one locked drawer.

Here is how we would set it up:

1. Pick one drawer for all knives. Choose one up high if you can, not a low drawer a crawling baby can open.
2. Fit an in-drawer tray or put guards on every knife. A child who gets past the lock still meets no bare edge.
3. Add a magnetic child lock. The Safety 1st Adhesive Magnetic Lock System, 8 Locks and 2 Keys sticks inside the drawer with adhesive, so it is invisible from outside and needs no drilling. You open it by holding the magnetic key to the drawer front. With eight locks, you can also cover the cabinet with cleaning products.
4. Keep the key up high, on the side of the fridge or on top of an upper cabinet.
5. Make putting knives away a habit. Most accidents happen with a knife left on the counter or in the sink, not one in storage.

Kid-Safe Habits Beyond Storage

• Never leave a knife near the edge of the counter. Push it to the back while you work.
• Do not leave knives soaking in a sink full of water. Nobody can see them, and a child (or an adult) can reach in and get cut.
• Put the knife away before you turn to the stove.
• Keep the dish rack’s knife slot empty when children are around, or skip it and dry knives by hand.

As children grow older, teach them where knives live and how to carry one, point down, at their side.

What Is the Most Space-Saving Way to Store Knives?

The most space-saving way to store knives is a magnetic strip on wall you are not using. It takes zero counter and zero drawer space. If your walls are full, these spots work in even the tightest kitchen:

• Inside a cabinet door. A short strip like the Zulay mounts on the back of an upper cabinet door. Check that the knives clear the shelves when the door closes, and use only light knives if you mount it with adhesive.
• On the side of an upper cabinet at the end of a run.
• On the side of a tall pantry cabinet that faces the counter.
• Under a floating shelf, on the wall just below it.
• In a slim knife tray that shares a drawer. The OXO compact tray takes up only part of the drawer, so the rest still holds tools.

Do not mount a strip on the side of the fridge with screws, and do not put knives where a door or appliance swings into them. Our small kitchen storage ideas and our guide to organizing a small kitchen without cabinets cover more ways to put dead space to work.

Pick the Method for Your Kitchen

Your situation	What we recommend
Studio or one-wall kitchen with bare backsplash	A 16- to 18-inch magnetic strip beside the prep counter
Galley kitchen with a narrow aisle	A strip on the end wall, or a compact drawer tray
Rental, no drilling allowed	Drawer tray or edge guards; adhesive strip for light knives only
Toddler in the home	Locked drawer with a tray or guards
Three knives or fewer	Edge guards in your utensil drawer
Large knife collection	24-inch strip, or a full in-drawer block in a wide drawer

If you live in a studio, our studio apartment kitchen ideas show how to fit storage into a kitchen you can see from the sofa. For a single run of counter, see our one-wall kitchen ideas.

Which Knives Do You Actually Need to Store?

Before you buy any storage, count your knives. Most small kitchens need far fewer than they hold.

Three knives cover almost all home cooking:

• An 8-inch chef’s knife for chopping, slicing and dicing.
• A 3- to 4-inch paring knife for peeling, trimming and small jobs.
• An 8- to 10-inch serrated bread knife for bread, tomatoes and cakes.

A fourth knife, like a utility knife or a cleaver, is a nice extra if you cook a lot. Everything else can go, or move to a high cabinet in edge guards.

Fewer knives mean a shorter strip, a smaller tray and a calmer drawer. If you are building a kit from scratch, a single good Misen paring knife and a chef’s knife beat a big block set. Our guide to forged vs stamped knives explains what you get for the extra money. For the rest of a lean kitchen, see how to stock a small kitchen for solo cooking and the small kitchen gadgets worth buying when you cook for one.

What about the other blades? A mandoline belongs in its box or a cabinet with its guard on. Our guide on how to use a mandoline covers storing it safely. Kitchen shears can hang on a magnetic strip or go in the utensil drawer.

Keep Knives Clean, Dry and Sharp Before You Store Them

Good storage protects an edge. It cannot fix a dirty, wet or dull one.

Wash by Hand, Dry Right Away

Do not put good knives in the dishwasher. The heat and harsh detergent dull the edge, and the blade knocks against other items in the rack. Wash each knife by hand with warm soapy water, keeping the edge pointed away from your hand. Dry it with a towel straight away, then put it away.

Do not leave knives in a dish rack overnight. Water spots turn into rust spots on carbon steel and even on some stainless blades.

Keep the Edge Sharp

A sharp knife is a safer knife. It cuts where you aim it instead of slipping off a tomato skin. For a small kitchen, a pull-through sharpener is the easiest choice. The Work Sharp Kitchen Edge Knife Sharpener has a carbide slot to sharpen and a ceramic wheel to hone, and it is small enough to live in the knife drawer. It also handles serrated bread knives. For more options, see our guide to the best knife sharpener.

Cut on the Right Surface

Glass, stone and ceramic boards dull an edge in a few strokes. Use wood or plastic. In a small kitchen, an over-the-sink cutting board adds prep space and is kind to your blades.

Renter-Friendly Knife Storage

You can store knives well without drilling a single hole.

• In-drawer trays need no tools at all. They lift out when you move.
• Edge guards work in any drawer and pack into a moving box with the knives inside.
• Adhesive magnetic strips suit light knives on smooth tile or a cabinet side. Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol first and wait the full cure time on the tape package before you hang anything.
• A strip inside a cabinet door hides small screw holes where no one sees them. Ask your landlord first if your lease is strict.

If you do screw a strip into the wall, two small holes in drywall are easy to fill with spackle at move-out. Holes in tile are not, so drill through the grout instead. Our list of renter-friendly kitchen upgrades has more fixes that come down cleanly.

A Quick Knife Storage Setup Plan

1. Pull every knife out and keep three to five. Donate the rest.
2. Choose a method from the table above, then measure the wall gap or drawer and your longest knife.
3. Install the strip or tray near your prep counter, away from the stove and sink.
4. Add child locks if you have young children.
5. Sharpen every knife before it goes into its new home, then give the old block away.

Once the knives are sorted, the drawer next to them is often the next mess. Our small kitchen cabinet organization ideas and our small kitchen hacks are good next steps.

What Usually Goes Wrong With Knife Storage

• Storing knives loose in a drawer. It dulls edges and cuts fingers. Use a tray or guards every time.
• Dragging knives off a magnetic strip. Tilt the edge away and lift. Never slide it down the strip.
• Mounting a strip over the stove. You reach over heat, and grease coats the blades.
• Crowding the strip. Leave a finger width between knives so they do not knock together.
• Using only drywall anchors for a heavy strip. Hit at least one stud.
• Putting knives away wet. Moisture in a guard or slot leads to rust and smells.
• Trusting height alone around toddlers. Children climb. A locked drawer is the safe choice.
• Running good knives through the dishwasher. Wash and dry them by hand.

Fix these, and your knives stay sharp and your counter stays clear. For more ways to win back space, see how to make a small kitchen look bigger.

Related Guides

• Best magnetic knife strip
• How to store pots and pans in a small kitchen
• How to organize pot lids in a small kitchen
• Spice storage ideas for small kitchens
• How to organize a small kitchen with no pantry
• How to keep pests out of a small kitchen
• Small kitchen ideas on a budget

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of a knife block?

A magnetic knife strip on the wall is the best swap for most small kitchens, since it uses no counter or drawer space. An in-drawer knife tray is the next best choice, and knife edge guards let you keep blades safely in any drawer you already have.

Is it OK to keep knives loose in a drawer?

No. Loose knives knock into each other and into other tools, which chips and dulls the edges. Worse, you can cut yourself reaching in. Put each blade in a slot of an in-drawer tray or in its own edge guard.

Do magnetic strips damage knives?

Not when you use them the right way. Set the spine of the knife on the strip first and roll the blade flat, then lift it off by tilting the edge away. A wood-faced strip is the gentlest, because steel never slides over steel.

How high should a magnetic knife strip be?

Most people mount it 4 to 6 inches above the counter, or just under the upper cabinets, so the handles are easy to reach without stretching over anything. In a home with small children, keep knives in a locked drawer instead, because kids can climb onto a counter.

How do I keep knives safe from a toddler?

Store the knives in one drawer fitted with an adhesive magnetic lock, and keep every blade in a tray slot or edge guard. Never leave a knife near the counter edge or in the sink, and put it away as soon as you finish cutting.