One of the B-hones I acquired was a little cruddy on top so I used a cotton ball with 91% Isopropal alcohol that took some orange stuff of it. I fallowed that by with a glycerin shave soap lather painted on with a brush and smeared around with my hand. After that I rinsed it with plain old tap water. Good to go. I was worried about soaking something made of silicon carbide but Im tempted to try with my Alumine. Its fairly clean and doesn't suck up water like the carbos. Perhaps the aluminum oxide is denser.