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.
Sherri
You've convinced me, Karen! After a long affair with a wooden cutting board in my youth I got rid of it because my sweetie used it as a surface for our cheap little electric espresso maker. Something went haywire with the electric cord and the espresso maker went up in flames on the cutting board. Sweetie wasn't supervising the whole operation (I wasn't home and he was in the shower) until he smelled burning wood. He streaked through the house in his birthday suit and carried the whole mess to the yard (wearing nothing but oven mitts) so he could put out the flames with the garden hose. Our perfect cutting board was scorched beyond recognition and had a very deep burn mark in a circular shape in the middle of it where the faulty appliance was sitting. We tried sanding it out, but ended up tossing it into the garbage. Your post convinced me, after years of using plastic boards, to give wood another try. I just completed ordering the one from the link you embedded in your blog. Of course, I'll save today's posting to make sure I don't forget how to clean and condition it. Did anyone ever tell you that you'd make a good televangelist?
Ev Wilcox
Thanks Karen! Super good info and I thank you. I have a large heavy wooden one that so far has been used only for bread-scared to cut meat (shudder....). I use my plastic ones like crazy. Now I have to rethink it all! I read the research article-thanks for that too. I will be copying that for my files for the naysayers in the family. Thanks again!
Katie C.
I'm assuming all these steps can be taken on a butcher block counter top too?
We don't cut meat on it, but it has a few stains that I'd like to try to get rid of.
Shelagh
So, I have "Epicurean" brand cutting boards in various sizes that are supposedly made from compressed paper.
I've always just tossed them in the dishwasher. They never smell but they have faded a bit. Should I be doing something else to clean them?
I knew about that study determining wood better than plastic and I do have wood boards too but my arthritic hands prefer the lightness of the compressed paper.
Thanks as always Karen. Love the fluff and most of the time even the other comments make me laugh! Never stop
Choice Furniture Superstore
This post helped me a lot. Good information. Thanks for sharing this post.
Suzanne
I only use my wood board for produce. I use those thin plastic things for meat, or the plastic boards and my dishwasher soap has bleach in it. And yes my mom taught me about the mineral oil part in the late 60's.
Nicole Sparks
OK, I'm confused. I was seeing all these new commenters and thought, "Huh, look at all the folks who clearly don't get Karen's humour" and then I realized some of the comments are from 2011. Is this a repost? An edit? I read it because it showed up in my inbox like a new post. Super useful info, though!
Is this how you're supposed to clean wooden salad bowls too? I've always wondered.
LEO J. MUZZIN
Good Post! I have not used my bamboo board since carving the Christmas turkey on it for fear of residual bacteria. Now I can clean it and feel safe! I use olive oil instead of mineral oil.
TucsonPatty
I, too, love the fluff, and I, too, read every comment and love them. I am grateful that you give us all so much wonderful and free information! I am a vegetarian, and now I feel better about using my little thin plastic boards, especially since I have cheap and small knifes from Target! My ex-a**hole took the good knives and the beautiful thick block with feet and a cut-out to push the cut-up whatever onto a little scoop/paddle to transfer to wherever...now I use the thin small board that I've had for about 40 years. I'm happy about the whole thing. (Except for the nasty cheap knives I have now.) Thanks again, Karen!
TucsonPatty
OMG. knives!!! Not knifes.
Lisa Dart
So I'm on holidays and have now added cleaning my chopping board with backing soda and lemon to my list - just washed and waxed the floors, windows will happen when the rain stops; it has rained a lot with Cyclone Debbie - but at least we weren't flooded and blown away (had over 240mm in one day last week in my suburb) like so many up North and South of here; lots of flooding. Back to the boards. I use wood for me - but plastic for the possum fruit (I'm sure they don't mind).
PS: What else is a girl going to do on her holidays but clean the house in preparation for winter hibernation. :)
PPS: Every time they give a cyclone a "friendly" name she turns into a right b*tch. Honestly who names a cyclone Debbie.
Mindy Northrop
The cigarette butt comment made me want to get out of bed and go smoke. I don't know what that says about me.
murdock2525
Cigs are bad so I went for a bong hit (medicinal, of course)
Heidi Ruckriegel
Exactly what my Dad's been saying for decades. Wood is much better than glass or plastic. Reason? Very smooth surfaces get a 'film' of bacteria on them that is almost impossible to get rid of. Wood can be scrubbed much more easily. I clean mine with detergent and then some boiling water and never leave meat/chicken/fish on it. Clean straight away. Your 'recipe' sounds like a great way to revive a chopping board that's been goodness knows where though!
PS what would my Dad know? He was a butcher and smallgoods-maker in Germany for about 20 years. Did you know that they have to study (including food safety) for 6 years to be fully qualified?
karin sorensen
ah yes, Germans leaving nothing to chance. How I miss it sometimes.
Greetings from a fellow German.
Karin
Lindsey
Hi Karen,
Are you still responding to posts you made five years ago? Help! I have this stinky cutting board that has been sitting in my step-dad's garage for 5 years that reeks of exhaust or possibly motor oil. He swears he never got anything on it, so it's been soaking up smells out of the air, I suppose.
Thus far I have bleached it, baking soda'd it and vinegared it. (I'll be doing the mineral oil after the stink is removed.) Still stinks. It's big and beautiful and I paid way too much money in excess baggage fees to bring it home with me. Two questions here:
1- Can I get rid of the stink?
2- Suppose it stinks forever... can I still use a motor oil scented cutting board or will I be ruining my health and meals?
Neeta
Karen-
So I was just cleaning my cutting board with soap and water and I thought I was doing the right thing.
But I know I am not when I noticed discoloration on the sides of the board (black film?) which I don't know what it is and how to get off and there is a smell on the board and discoloration. I am going to try everything you said with vinegar on the top and back where I chop but bleach on the sides. I hope this works. If you have any other recommendation for the sides which are turning black, please let me know. Thank you.
-Neeta
Karen
Good luck Neeta! Don't forget that sometimes wood just ages and that's part of the beauty of it. So there will be some discolouration over time and that's O.K. If the black is mold, then that's not O.K., lol. Hope it works well for you! ~ karen
Karen
Thanks Karen!
My butcher block cutting board does not have legs and to keep it from sliding around too much I put a couple paper towels under it. Something got under it when a roommate was cooking and soaked into the paper towels. I didn't notice right away and when I did, it was nasty!!
I tried a couple of things, but the nasty just wouldn't go away. It was a light gunky coat of stinky. This process worked beautifully. I left the salt & lemon on for awhile. The board started to smell like wood after that step with just a bit of nasty left. The baking soda did the trick. I gave it a quick bleach treatment and used oil I bought at IKEA made specifically for wood used in food preparation. It's called Skyyd.
The board is back to it's good ole self again! Something I really didn't think could be done.
p.s. my plastic cutting board goes into the dishwasher with everything else after I use it. I don't use it often because of the bacterial issue.
Karen
That's great! Thanks for letting me know. I recently got an entire butcher block counter, lol! So Give it another year or so and I'll be dugunking a whole lotta butcher block. ~ karen!
Rodger Ramjet
I dont own a cutting board but I tried the mineral oil..yuk butt it sure worked on my impaction isuue !
Warren McGoldrick. Providence, RI
Found you by googling cleaning wood cutting board in Microwave. Seems you wouldn't do it. My board has a big hollowed our indention for holding the turkey. It gets used once a year. It is great but probably a wedding present in 1971. There are multiple separations leaving tiny cracks where the glued wood has parted a bit. Assuming I do a good job with the bleach do you think I am properly cleaning my board for next year, or maybe next month..or should I use it as a nice hardwood addition to my fireplace wood pile and try to find a replacement. Wonder how long bacteria lives on wood.
And, I do love your extraneous comments. Will sign up for blog.
pak ombak
I tend not to listen to anyone who thinks a big MAC is "delicious"
Karen
I'm not what you'd called concerned about that. ~ karen
Erica
Hey, Karen! I come back this post often to deep clean my boos butcher block. It works great, and added bonus: it manicures too! My hands, cuticles, and nails look awesome after I do this treatment. I love multi-tasking. As always, thanks for your valuable info!
Karen
That's fun! May hands, cuticles and nails ever look awesome. Clearly I'm not cleaning my butcher blocks enough ~ karen!
Mel
Helpful info but Could do without the excessive introduction. Cut the fluff and get to the meat
Karen
Hey Mel. I have close to a million followers a month. And many of them come here specifically for the "fluff". So I'll leave my posts as is ~ karen!
Penley
Yeah leave the fluff alone :) - for some of us the fluff is the highlight of their lunch hour at work!
Tina
Yeah, I need my dose of sugar-free fluff!