TODAY, how to clean a wood cutting board. A scary cutting board full of someone else's grime (because I found it at a garage sale between a Royal Doulton and a cigarette butt. )But it'll work on any wood cutting board at all.
Unless you’re a first semester, first year University student with a cafeteria pass, you probably own a cutting board. Or if you’re a baby. If you’re a baby you almost certainly don’t own a cutting board. A baby barely even knows how to set out a decent mise en place.
We’ve determined you probably own a cutting board. You also probably have no idea how to clean it.
I’m not saying this because I think you’re dirty and lame. I say it because I have never spoken to anyone who actually seems to know how to clean a wood cutting board.
A plastic cutting board is easy to clean. Throw it in the dishwasher.
A glass cutting board is…well…you really shouldn’t own a glass cutting board. They dull your knives and the sound of cutting on them is horrible. Throw it out.
A wood cutting board, however, is a bit more complicated. To clean and sanitize it you can’t just throw it in the dishwasher. And what about those stains? How do you get rid of those?
Table of Contents
First a case for the wooden cutting board.
You probably think that plastic is a more sanitary choice because that makes sense. It isn't porous like wood. Therefore your very logical mind tells you that bacteria from chicken juice and steak blood can't get trapped in plastic the way it can in wood.
WRONG. WOOD IS MORE SANITARY THAN PLASTIC.
UC-Davis studied the bacteria levels of plastic versus wood cutting boards and found that wood is naturally antibacterial.
A plastic cutting board retains bacteria in its scars (the places a knife has scarred the surface). It doesn't matter how much you scrub it, wash it or put it through the dishwasher, plastic holds onto bacteria and allows it to multiply.
On the other hand, bacteria dies in or on a scarred hard wood surface. It naturally kills bacteria. Only close-grained hardwood should be used for cutting boards. (MAPLE, BEECH, TEAK, WALNUT)
DROPSHOT
You won't get pretty flowers with it, but the ferny greenery of Dropshot (an herb in the Marigold family), tastes exactly like, IDENTICAL TO, black jellybeans.the ferny greenery of Dropshot (an herb in the Marigold family), tastes exactly like, IDENTICAL TO, black jellybeans.
This doesn't mean you should never use plastic cutting boards, just that wood ones are much safer and cleaner.
To keep your plastic cutting board safe, replace it when it gets rough and scarred.
If you're buying a new plastic cutting board do yourself a favour and get one like these that have an anti slip back so you can stop putting a wet dish towel under it.
How to Clean a Cutting Board
This is for a worn out, maybe second hand, disturbingly gross and stained cutting board. If your cutting board is just regular person dirty you can probably get away with just a regular butcherblock cleaning & oiling like I use on my countertops in this post.
Supplies
Directions for a heavy duty, tip to tail cleaning.
Each step takes care of a separate problem so feel free to only do what you think is necessary for your board.
Also - before I forget, you can make your own foaming hand soap. You seem like the kind of person who would like that kind of information.
Step 1: General Cleaning
1. Pour a mound of Kosher salt in the centre of the board. Add enough lemon juice to make a paste.
2. Swirl it around the cutting board and scour it with a coarse sponge. When you’ve scoured enough, rinse your board and dry it with paper towels.
(if you want to do a really good job, leave the salt solution on for a few hours…the salt will draw out impurities and liquid in the board as it dries)
Rinse the board and dry it with paper towels. See how much nicer it looks already? No stains. No sticky.
Step 2: Stain & Odour Removal
3. Pour a mound of Baking Soda onto the centre of the board. Add enough water until a paste forms. Rub it all around the board. If you’re doing a really good job, it’ll start to stink.
Step 3: Sanitize & Condition
Killing the bacteria that probably isn't there but will make you feel better if you do it.
4. In a spray bottle, combine 1 teaspoon of bleach with 4 cups of water. Spray the board surface and let it sit briefly. Rinse off the bleach solution & dry with paper towels. Make sure the board is fully dry before proceeding.
5. Pour Mineral Oil onto the cutting board. If it soaks in almost immediately, pour more on. Keep adding oil until it doesn't absorb anymore. Leave the board overnight then wipe off any residual oil.
* Get edible Mineral Oil from a drugstore (look for the one labeled "USP" for food grade). You can opt for Butcher Block oil, but Mineral Oil is less expensive and also - the same thing. *
You’re done.
Your board is ready for cutting a Big Mac on. Or if you’re super healthy like me, an apple. ‘Cause I only eat apples and red peppers and wholesome foods. Also there's no need to cut potato chips.
This post has older comments, but was completely rewritten in June, 2023.
Bill Grigg
Why are people so anti bleach, anyway? Bleach is just chlorine, like they add to the water system to sanitize the water. Chlorine bleach also dissipates quickly. In fact, old bleach should be disposed of, as it, quite quickly, loses it's strength. If your bleach container is over six months old, it's probably only quarter or half strength. Yes, even if its tightly closed and in a dark cupboard.
I keep a spray bottle of bleach dilute (pretty much your proportions) handy to spritz down the table, counter and stove top.
I also use plastic cutting boards for meat, and only chop veggies, tubers and bread on my wood board. And NEVER beets, the stains never comes out of the wood.
Handy tips about cleaning the wooden cutting boards. Nothing I didn't already know, but I'll give you a hand for fitting in the prosthetic leg!
Tina
Thanks Bill! Exactly the same thing I was going to comment. Anyone who has eaten at a restaurant or cafeteria or whatever has had their items washed with bleach. It's a required additive to rinse water! There, and I'll bet it hasn't bothered them at all!
I have a wonderful, very old, solid teak board and I set a pan of beets on it. The bottom had beet juice on and I've bleached it and tried everything! I hate to sand it (although it's at least 3 inches thick) but that's all I can think to get the stain out. Any other ideas?
Bunguin
Try a poultice of kosher salt and lemon juice. Put a piece of plastic wrap over it too (to keep it from drying out). I've had major success with the lemon/salt/furious scrubbing combo for beets/strawberries/blackberry stains.
Tina
Thanks!
Kathy
This is great, Karen - thank you! Just one question, though - will these same techniques work for bamboo cutting boards, as well? I have a very garlicky bamboo sucker on my hands right now...
Karen
Hi Kathy! I've never tried these techniques on bamboo, so I hate to give you advice. Having said that ... I can't think of any reason why any of these methods wouldn't work on bamboo! I'd go for it. If you have a stink, use the baking soda with water paste. Rub it in with your hands. Rub and rub and rub, then rinse. Then do it again if you need to. Good luck! ~ karen
Oona
How is it that you always seem to have the most practical information at exactly the moment in life that I need said information? I think you are psychic. And awesome, but that goes without saying, of course.
Shirley from Coquese
LOL..is it offense to say that I enjoy reading these comments than the blog itself??? ;-) Just kidding! I love this post. Learning something new everyday! Thanks!
Hana
I'm not anti-bleach as such, but since a few years back my cats decided they really enjoy licking freshly cleaned surfaces (?!?) and making themselves sick, I just stopped cleaning with anything I wouldn't put in my mouth. (OK, I wouldn't really put baking soda in my mouth... but, y'know, the principle of it... and stuff.)So since there's no bleach in the house, it'll have to be vinegar for me.
With that said, I actually do put my wooden boards in the dishwasher. They swell a little, but they also get that wonderfully "worn", "rustic", "farmhouse", "vintage", "muted", "nature-found" and-other-hipster-words-de-jour vibe that makes them photograph so well. ^^
Connor
I think you stalk me. I was just talking about this and had honestly come to the conclusion that sticking it in the oven for a few minutes might just be the best way to go... I guess I was thinking along the lines of the sponge in the microwave trick?
In theory I can do this for all of my, um, kitchen wood? (Unrelated to your spring pornography, I swear!)
Thanks, Karen!
Bev
Hey Connor,
Actually you are not totally wrong with the oven trick. One of the ways to stop germs breeding and growing on wood is to dry it out completely. If you have cooked something, and the oven is still warm, or can stack the board behind a warm hob to dry it works a treat! My mother swears by that trick, best not to actually have the oven or hob turned on though ... *shudders to think*.
Bev-ski
Connor
HA! I knew I wasn't crazy! Thanks for clarifying! :)
Todd
We used to have an awesome wooden cutting board. It was such a PITA to clean that we gave it away, and bought a plastic one. Is it as cool? Perhaps not. Is it simple to maintain? Oh heck ya! I even went and bought a smaller one for those smaller jobs. :)
amy walters, aDESIGNdock
I love how witty your blogs are. And it's always a nice reminder that people don't have to have it "all together" and be "perfect"!
CJ
So worth doing everything for a beautiful timber board that's gorgeous to prepare food on and leave out - mine is tasmanian sassafras. I do, however, also have a frequently replaced nasty plastic one hidden above the microwave for meat cutting because it is faster to wash...
Eva
Thanks fo the tips on cleaning cutting boards. My sporadically useful brain always remembers about seasoning with oil, but could never remember "which" oil...the only clue I ever retrieve was that it should be "edible." And of course, my brain works well enough to know that between the one in the garage, and the one in the pantry, the vegetable was the edible one. I have always used that for my board. Just for the record, it seems to work.
This article also triggered some old synapses that store useless, weird facts and surprisingly some had to do with wood vs plastic cutting boards, which was cleaner? Wood was actually safer... I guess something in the wood prevents bacteria from multiplying and they *die.* In plastic they hide out and party in all the little microscopic grooves made from the knife. Handwashing plastic was useless, even the bleach treatment was marginally effective, and had to be done exactly right. Dishwashing, and nuking, (as in microwave) are the only reliable ways to sanitize a plastic cutting board.
Here's link to an article that must have been behind how I knew this: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm
lori
Eva I totally agree with you!! a wooden cutting board is much safer. though at this time I myself don't have one :( Will have to keep an eye out for one at the garage sales and antique shops I love to go to.
Elissa
Eva: I've been told (and read from quite a few sources) that olive and vegetable oil should not be used for wooden cutting boards because it goes rancid and can contaminate your food.
Dieu
Would you do the same thing for a bamboo cutting board? I mean specifically the mineral spirits.
ps. love your blog. read the entire thing last week, as in, every single post. so much stuff I now know how to do and just waiting for that chance to pull those knowledge jewels out for use.
JaneS
Mineral spirits and mineral oil are not the same thing. Mineral spirits are for cleaning paint brushes and are stinky. You wouldn't want that on your cutting board.
Katie P NC
I didn't know I needed this post in my life but I did.
I second this question, my cutting board is bamboo as well, are the tips the same? I don't have a dish washer so if you have any tips (or if these are ok for plastic cutting boards too) please share.
I LOVE your blog. It really is the highlight of my morning. I have shared it with so many friends because every single day you tickle my funny bone.
Emily
I am a second semester Senior and my house mates and I have been wondering about how to clean the wooden cutting board, especially since we don't own a dish washer. By hand has been the option. Pray that we continue to survive with good health until we purchase some bleach.
Karen
Emily - Good health be with you my child. ~ karen
Sharon Woo
You had me at SLITHERS!!!
Mary W
Great word - my brother calls it porcelain blasting, dipootus of the blow-hole. Too much imagery in that description and will switch to slithers. LOL
Andrea Claire
Thanks Karen!
So when I get sick of my McD delivery and pull out my butcher's block I will know what to do!!
;)
AC
Erin
That was one hilarious post, mostly because you said "The poops."
Anyway, thanks for the posting on the various ways to clean wooden cutting boards because I never knew how! I shall clean mine soon. [Hopefully sooner than a year from now!]
Cheers,
Erin
Adrienne Audrey
cool. I'm trying some of these tonight!
Whitney
Maybe I'm just really lazy... but that seems like a heck of a lot of work to clean one cutting board. I'll stick with the plastic. Or the glass. I'll just get ear plugs and a knife sharpener ;)
Karen
Whitney - Oh don't be silly. You only have to do all of these things if you found your cutting board on the ground beside a cigarello. Just do whatever your board needs. Stains? Use baking soda paste. Just needs freshening up? Salt and lemon juice. Mineral Oil? Mmmm ... once every few months. Or ... as you say just use plastic. ~ karen
JessieB
I believe that diluted vinegar can also be used to sanitize, in place of bleach -- for anti-bleach folks :)
Karen
JessieB - Thanks Jessie. Yes! Vinegar is a good sanitizer ... but it isn't as good as bleach. And why are people anti-bleach for cleaning? It's 1 tsp. diluted in 4 cups of water. You can use those proportions to clean children's toys! I'm not suggesting people bathe in it, or use it in place of vodka in a martini ... just kill a little salmonella with it, then rinse it away. (this diatribe was not directed at you JessieB ... or anyone else for that matter. Just your basic, general rant) ~ karen
Melissa
You mean we shouldn't use bleach as a replacement for vodka in our martinis?
Drat.
billy sharpstick
Your pool probably has that much chlorine in it.
Linda
Bleach evaporates quickly and that is why the chlorine in pools needs to be checked and added so frequently. In the restaurants, a drop of bleach used to be added to a tub of rinse water after the suds and before the final rinse to sanitize dishes and silverware.
Just rinse and your good. Love this blog!!
Sarah McDonnell
Maybe we should all replace pool chlorine with vodka for natural cleanliness. Just a thought.
Brandy
Besides....that solution is used in most commercial kitchens as the final rinse for most hand washed dishes as well as for wiping off counters and tables. A food service inspector will actually test your solution to make sure there is the right amount of bleach in it :) See....you were already using it and didn't know it!!!
sera
Honestly? I worked in a coffee shop where someone got a little overzealous with the bleach regularly. She nearly put someone in the hospital from bleach fumes.
That and I always wear black so I'm worried I'm going to spill it on myself and destroy all my clothing.
Why does bleach not come in a container with a smaller hole at the top?
Bunguin
Actually, if you have bad eczema, a cap full or two of bleach in your bathwater can help. So you can bathe in it too, really.
Cassandra
YOU are the new best blogger. keep it up.
Karen
Cassandra - Well evidently you're the new best reader! Keep it up. ~ karen
Karen
Cassandra - Wow! I seem you've been "Stumbling" my posts like crazy! Thank you! Views are up! Gold star for you. ~ karen
Theresa
love it- i use the lemon and sakt - don't like the bleach - but will try the mineral oil.
Karen
Theresa - This amount of bleach is harmless. Plus, you rinse it off after a couple of minutes. And there is *no other way* to kill the bacteria caused by raw meats. So if you don't use bleach on your wooden cutting board, you shouldn't cut poultry, beef, pork or any other meat on it. Kay? That's all I'm asking. Well that's not true. A few days ago I was asking for money. That's all I'm asking today, I guess. :) ~ karen
jen
I always use salt and a little water. I rub it around with my hands and the plus is that the salt makes your hands really soft just like exfoliating.Never knew about the baking soda but I'll give it a try. LOve all your nifty bits of info.
Thanks
Karen
Jen - Thanks! The truth is, if I only had time to do one thing it would be cleaning with the baking soda and water. It actually does a wayyyy better job of getting rid of stains and smells than the salt and lemon juice! Using the salt and lemon juice is good for a relatively clean board, but if you have some "ick" go with the baking soda paste. You'll be amazed at the gooky colour it gets. Blech. ~ karen
Miriam
Would the baking soda work on my oiled wooden worktop? I've an area beside the kettle, where bottles of oil sit, and it is icky icky.
The wood retains its antibacterial properties as long as you don't wash or scrub it with wash-up liquid or put it in a dishwasher.
Bunguin
I have an oak and walnut butcher block.
Do not use baking soda, I repeat, DO NOT use baking soda on the walnut. I mistakenly tried to use a baking soda poultice on the walnut block once and it turned the walnut wood a blackish purple color. It was awful, I had to lightly sand it to get the stain off. If you use baking soda - just apply it, and wash it off immediately.
I can tell you that the salt/lemon combo will draw out stains (like from the two metals cans I left on it, or the iron skillet.... ooops) without damaging the color of the walnut or oak (I've done this on both). You can leave the salt/lemon on for a decent amount of time (~hours) and wash it off, and then re-oil and it's like nothing happened.
Amy Schmucker
YEah but Karen,
Go back and look at your picture of the cutting board and the spray bottle.
See the parsely plant... the one you eat.... you srayed the bleach water on the poor thing too... Hope it doesn't die on you and I wouldn't eat it or use it for garnish either.
I don't own use the wood cutting boards anymore. Too much hassel.
Karen
Amy - LOL. I knew someone would spot that. I actually just pulled the parsley in for the pretty when I was shooting the pics! I think she'll survive. We'll see, I guess! :) ~ karen
Julie
Thought you just said "bacteria dies in or on a scarred hard wood surface. It naturally kills bacteria."
Karen
Yes, you're right Julie. But if you have an old gross chopping block that you're particularly squeamish about then bleach it. Like I wrote in the post it's mainly to make you feel better. What end cut wood does is prevent bacteria from multiplying. So it dies off instead of multiplying like it would on a smooth plastic surface for instance. ~ karen!
Mary W
I've never had a wood cutting block - just plastic which I roll up to clean so any stuff in the cuts will get soap. That probably doesn't work but I didn't know how else. Now I know to buy wood. I was shocked that you said end grain as that would seem the opposite of clean. So, I'm going to listen to you and search for end grain - still seems very weird. It is so much more porous than side grain. I've used baking soda poultice on bee stings and it works great to pull/draw out the stinger/hurt. I also use it with vinegar to clean my drains each month with hot water chaser. You are just full of ----- knowledge that I admire. Thanks.