---
slug: how_to_sharpen_kitchen_scissors
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/cutlery_knife_accessories/kitchen_shears
type: informational
title: "How to Sharpen Kitchen Scissors"
lead: "Open the blades wide and run a whetstone or the coarse slot of a knife sharpener along the angled outer edge of each blade, matching its existing bevel, a few strokes each — never touch the flat inner faces. A quick pass restores shears that mangle instead of cut."
recommendation:
  name: "Sharpen only the beveled outer edge of each blade at its existing angle — never the flat inside faces"
  reason: "Scissors cut by two edges shearing past each other, so you sharpen the angled outer bevel of each blade and leave the flat inner faces alone, because grinding those ruins the close contact that makes them cut. Open the shears as wide as they go, or separate them at the pivot if they come apart, and hold one blade steady. Lay a whetstone — or a diamond rod, or the coarse V-slot of a pull-through knife sharpener — against the beveled cutting edge at the same angle it was ground, and draw it from the pivot to the tip a few times, then match the strokes on the other blade. Clear the burr by closing the shears once or twice, or a light pass along the flat side. Serrated or micro-toothed kitchen shears are hard to sharpen well at home and often just need replacing. Finish with a drop of oil at the pivot so they open smoothly, and test on paper."
published: 2026-07-08
updated: 2026-07-08
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Point", "Do", "Don't"]}
  rows={[
    ["Which edge", "Only the angled outer bevel", "Never the flat inner faces"],
    ["Angle", "Match the existing bevel", "Don't change the angle"],
    ["Tool", "Whetstone, diamond rod, coarse slot", "Skip for serrated shears — replace"],
    ["Finish", "Clear the burr; oil the pivot", "Don't skip testing on paper"],
  ]}
/>