Wooden Cutting Board Care – What You Need to Know

If you spend any time cooking in the kitchen, odds are you have one (if not multiple) wooden cutting boards for your food prepping needs.

A wooden cutting board is not only essential for any professional cook but a home cook as well. Taking proper care of your cutting boards will result in a longer-lasting, more durable kitchen tool.

Taking care of your cutting boards not only helps with keeping your board looking nice but can also help with keeping your kitchen knives in top shape.

Cutting Board Care consists of cleaning, sanitizing, and deodorizing on a regular basis. We have put together a few useful tips to help you with that process.

Tuesday Tips: Cutting Board Care - Tips and Tricks Caring for your wood cutting board.

Wood cutting boards are an essential tool in any kitchen. They are sturdy and durable and the perfect surface for helping to keep your knives sharp.

You should wash your cutting board after every use with hot soapy water. Even with regular cleaning, you may need to give them a deep clean to remove stains, sanitize or even deodorize the porous wood surface.

Natural Cleaning Solution:

  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda

This cleaning solution will lift stains, deodorize, and polish your cutting boards. For tough stains let the mixture sit for just a few minutes, use a little elbow grease and scrub with a coarse sponge or wire brush.

After you chop smelly food like onions or garlic, rub half a lemon over the wood to eliminate odor. Lemons will also help to sanitize your board.

Disinfect your wood cutting board using pure white vinegar. Any other vinegar can leave a smell and/or stain to the wood. Pure white vinegar will kill bacteria and germs.

Always dry your cutting board right after you clean it. Excess water can get trapped in the grain and produce mold. It can also warp and dry out the wood.

Polish your cutting boards with a light coat of mineral oil or coconut oil. Don not use regular cooking oil as this can and will go rancid on your cutting surface.


Useful Tip: To keep your cutting board from sliding while you are chopping, place a damp paper towel under it. This will keep it right where you need it, and prevent any accidents from happening in the kitchen.


Things to NEVER do to your Wood Cutting Board:

Never put your cutting board in the dishwasher. This will dry out your wooden board and cause cracking and splitting.

Never let raw meat or blood sit on your cutting board. Raw meat should be cut on plastic non-porous cutting boards, raw meat on wooden boards can cause bacteria

Never let your cutting board sit in water. Wood will soak up the water and as I mentioned earlier, water means mold and warped cutting boards.


Wooden cutting boards make fantastic gifts and can last a lifetime if taken care of properly. Amazon.com has a wide variety of cutting boards in all shapes and sizes. I am always a fan of kitchen gadgets and utensils for a gift. With Mothers Day right around the corner, you really can’t go wrong.


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4 thoughts on “Wooden Cutting Board Care – What You Need to Know”

  1. Oh very great tips on the wood cutting boards and how to clean them. I do have a slide out wood cutting board in a kitchen cabinet and prefer to only use it for cutting bread and use plastic for everything else. Now I know how to clean it and keep it looking like new.

    Reply

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