Wood cutting board look great in any kitchen and are better than most plastic cutting boards. You can’t just throw them in the dishwasher like their plastic cousins, and you shouldn’t use them to prepare raw meat. But if you take care of it and clean it often, your wooden cutting board can last for years. Here are some ways to clean it.
How often should wooden cutting boards be cleaned?
With the proper care, cutting boards made of wood can last for generations. But adequate care is the key word here. Wooden cutting boards should be wiped down and given a quick clean after each use, and they should be deep-cleaned every so often.
But how often you do the deep clean shown below depends on how you use it. If you almost always use a wooden cutting board, you might want to clean it once a month. If you use it more than once a week, you might want to clean it deeply once a season.
Various Kinds of Cutting Boards
Most cutting boards are wood, bamboo, or a material that doesn’t absorb water.
- Nonporous: Most of these are made of plastic, resin, or glass. They don’t soak up things and are easy to clean. The best things to cut with them are meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Wood: These cutting boards can be thought of as giant sponges. They may soak up the juices from both raw and cooked proteins. Wooden cutting boards are best for foods that can be served immediately, like herbs, vegetables, fruit, bread, and cheese.
- Bamboo: Bamboo cutting boards are better for the environment than wooden ones and need the same kind of care. They are also a little more complicated than wood, so your knives will get dull faster.
What You Will Need
Are you ready to get your wooden cutting boards back to their best? Here are the matters you’ll require to begin:
- Sponge cleaning
- Hot water
- Soap for washing dishes
- Scraper bench
- Stiff brush to scrub
- Coarse salt
- White vinegar
- Mineral oil
- Hand towels
Step 1: Clean it quickly
Do a quick surface clean on your wooden cutting boards before giving them a deep clean. To do this, brush off any leftover food or crumbs and then scrub the board with a sponge dipped in hot, barely soapy water. Use a bench scraper to get rid of any extra water, and then turn the cutting board over and do the same thing on the other side.
Step 2: Look through the board
Next, get your salt and a stiff scrub brush. Sprinkle coarse salt all over the top of your board and wet your scrubbing brush. Scrub and scour the salt into the board with all the strength you can muster. This will help get rid of any food bits or stains that are stuck. Use a wet, clean sponge to rinse before going on.
Step 3: Clean and deodorize
Wood cutting boards can pick up bacteria and germs from your food through cuts and scrapes, so it’s essential to clean them often. Also, food that smells like onions or garlic can stick to wood and make it smelly over time. White vinegar can help with both of these things.
White vinegar can be used to clean. Pour it into an empty dish and soak a clean sponge in it. Then, scrub the cutting board with the vinegar sponge, scrape off any extra liquid with a bench scraper, and let it dry in the air.
- Hydrogen peroxide. Pour or spray your cutting board with hydrogen peroxide until it is very wet. Let the peroxide work for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry your cutting board.
- Water and white vinegar. Pour an equal amount of water and distilled white vinegar on your wood cutting board. Please wait 10 minutes, then shake off the extra moisture and let it dry in the air.
- Make water clean. One tablespoon of chlorine bleach should be mixed into a gallon of water. Pour this onto your cutting board and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, wash and dry your cutting board by doing what was said above.
Step 4: Mineral oil
When your wooden cutting board is completely dry, it’s time to protect it. When you oil your board, it stays cleaner longer and is less likely to get damaged by water. Use a paper towel to rub mineral oil or another oil that is safe for food on the surface of your cutting board. Let it sit for a day. In the morning, use a clean paper towel to remove any oil that didn’t get soaked up.
How to keep cutting boards clean for longer
Wooden cutting boards could last years if they are taken care of well. But you’ll need to keep your cutting board clean for this. Here’s how to keep your wooden cutting board cleaner for longer:
- Could you not put it in the dishwasher? Even though it might seem like a simple way to clean your wood cutting board, the hot water, and harsh cleaners in a dishwasher can seriously damage your board. Instead, it would help if you took the time to clean it by hand.
- Don’t let stains sit. Don’t leave food scraps or stains on your cutting board after cooking or using it. If you do this, it will not only be harder to clean when you do wipe it down but also more likely to get stains and smells.
- Don’t forget to keep it safe. After you’ve cleaned your wooden cutting board, don’t forget to put mineral oil on it to seal it. This helps stop water damage, stains, and bad smells.
Read Also: How Can Robot Vacuums Clean Multiple Rooms?
Conclusion
It turns out that cutting boards made of wood are cleaner than those made of plastic. To clean yours, wash it by hand in hot, soapy water. You can get rid of knife signs and rough spots with sandpaper. Coat your cutting board often with any oil safe for food and won’t go wrong. This will keep it from cracking or splitting. If you take care of your wood cutting board, it will last for years.
