The most important reason to wash, rinse and sanitize a meat slicer or knife is to: prevent it from harboring and breeding harmful microorganisms such as bacteria.
Washing or sanitizing a meat slicer or knife after use is very important. When a meat slicer or knife is not cleaned or sanitized regularly, meat can accumulate in it and allow harmful microorganisms such as bacteria to grow. The organism (bacteria) can contaminate foods and lead to foodborne diseases.