Cleaning a cutting board

PegasusDeb

Wasn't sure where to post this, but it is kinda food related... My question is, how can I clean / disinfect a wood cutting board? I bought a cute 3-piece cutting board set with wooden holder at Goodwill, but I'm not sure how to really clean it. I don't have a dish washer so it would be by hand. Can I use bleach??
Thanx in advance! :-)
Happy chopping!

RoanneRed

My understanding is that wood has natural antibacterial properties. My wooden chopping board gets scrubbed in the dishwashing water (before pots and pans) and rinsed in running water - don't think they should be left to soak. The instructions said for cleaning between washes to wipe down with white vinegar.

peachNpunkin

You can poor boiling water over it, that should kill the bacteria, and when it cools clean it with course salt and water.

Pink_turnip

You can poor boiling water over it, that should kill the bacteria, and when it cools clean it with course salt and water.

DeviantDarkwolf2

Just found this:

Cutting Board Care-Cleaning:

All cutting boards:

1-Scrape of any stuck food.

2-Scrub with hot soapy water and a scrub brush(plastic), rinse and dry immediately.

Wood Boards:

1-Scrape off stuck food with a scraper or metal spatula.

2-Using a good plastic scrub brush, scrub with hot soapy water, rinse and dry immediately. DO NOT immerse in water or leave water sitting on the board. Rinse and dry board immediately.

3-Sanitize with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or both. Some people reccomend vinegar be diluted in water at about 3 Tbsp. per cup of water and let sit on the cutting board for about 10 minutes.

Unfortunately it is not good for a wood cutting board to have water sit on it as it can retain the moisture and eventually cause damage.

A much better way would be to keep a spray bottle handy with straight vinegar in it and spray a thin mist directly on the board and have it sit for the 10 minutes, wiping dry with an absorbant towell after. Hydrogen peroxide at 3% strenght can be used the same way.

You could keep 2 spray bottles handy, one with vinegar, one with hydrogen peroxide, and spray a mist of both on your cutting board for maximum sterilization. Both products are safe for using around food.

Bleach is not reccomended for wood cutting boards. The organic composition of wood works against the bleach and renderes it useless.

mowu

You clean it like you would clean any other cutting board with soap and lots of hot water.

Every once in a while (e.g. once a week/month) you should disinfect it by pouring boiling water over it. And when needed you should treat it with oil (sunflower seed or grape seed oil) to ensure that the wood doesn't dry out leaving cracks and creases where bacterial growth can build up.

But don't ever put it in your dishwasher as this will result in dry wood in absolutely no time (would probably require you to oil it every time or two you use it).

jmatthews75

NEVER put a wooden cutting board in a dish washer. Made that mistake once, next thing you know, I had 3 cutting boards because the thing fell apart. lol

Lolyballs

vinegar will kill any bacteria. I clean with soap and water, then mist with vinegar and wipe down with bamboo oil before storing. I mist with vinegar and rinse before using. If you use them a lot, you really only need to wipe with oil once a week.

ChantalGG

oh yeah, try the vinegar and baking soda, i had to get rid of cat pee off of wooden floors and it worked very well.

jmatthews75

why were you cutting your vegetables on the floor in cat pee to begin with? lol

PegasusDeb

Thanx guys! I will be cleaning it with the vinegar or peroxide, since I actually have both in the house! I use mineral oil on my other boards in the past, as was recommended by the manufacturer.

PegasusDeb

NEVER put a wooden cutting board in a dish washer. Made that mistake once, next thing you know, I had 3 cutting boards because the thing fell apart. lol

Not a problem there! No "dishwasher" consists of my 2 hands, sink & a dish cloth! :laugh: