How do I wash the "pokey" side of a box grater?

A dishwasher gets cheese off even that side - but that's no good if you don't have one, nor is it very effective against ginger and other fibrous foods.

The best I've found is simply a washing up brush (i.e. plastic bristles and a long handle) from both sides. I would then put it in the dishwasher for a final clean unless I'm doing a proper load of washing up, which is rare

Save your old toothbrush, as this guy shows.

Or as this post describes:

Simple enough, but certainly a nuisance:

• soak a little in soapy water

• using a plastic bristle brush, clean the inside

• then take the brush and lightly but quickly scrub the outside using a circular motion

• rinse, check and repeat as necessary

Note: contrary to what's said here, the dishwasher is a bad choice:

• it doesn't work - especially for things like cheese. Physical scrubbing is necessary.

• it will damage plastic/rubber parts over time

• like a knife, a grater will blunt more quickly when put in the dishwasher

I personally use one of these to clean my own cheese grater.

You can buy one of them at walmart for pretty cheap. http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/scotch-brite-palm-scrubber/6000075838915 Plus as an extra benefit it can be used to quick wash a couple things quickly to avoid a full wash if you just need a plate or something.

I've never had to clean ginger, but to clean cheese or tomato from these types of graters I simply stab the surface with a soapy sponge. That is, with moderate force and speed I press the sponge onto the surface from the normal orthogonal direction. This works very well and does not grate the sponge.

The cleaning motion should be "up-down" from the perspective of the grating surface.

If the box grater is dishwasher safe, you can put it on the top rack. Mine always comes out perfect.

Also, I agree with @GdD about the brush. Something with moderately short, stiff bristles will work.

In the comments and answers to this related question, What's this "pucker" style hole on my cheese grater for? , it is said to wrap it in cling wrap before use. Supposedly it's easier to collect the contents and when you pull the paper off, the grater is clean.

I haven't tried this, but it may be worth a shot. If/when I try it, and if you do, it would be smart to notice if any plastic comes off into the food.

Make a stiff dough, like the recipies you find to make modeling play-dough for kids or cleaning wallpaper.

Run a ball of the dough over the grater and it will grab up the fibers, but its own messy crumbs come back together with some dabbing from the ball. The dough also washes away with water, if necessary.

Then switch to “young” ginger, and avoid the woody stuff for grating. If you use it, like my wife does for Asian cooking, mince it with a Chinese knife instead. There are also special grater things specifically for woodymature ginger that look like bumps on a plate.

Alternatively, if you have a gas stove you can purify with fire to burn off the left over bits. Once cool, rinse. Though, care should be taken not to burn oneself or melt any plastic parts.

Full disclosure, I've never actually tried this. :)

If I were faced with this my inclination would be a pressure washer, although I would avoid getting to point blank range. Beware that you would need to do something to keep it in place, otherwise it's going to go flying.