Is Clorox Clean Up with Bleach Enough?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Callisto in NC

Washing Up
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
3,101
Location
Mooresville, NC
I'm sure you've see it, white bottle, green label. I have finally made a dedicated a plastic cutting board for just my raw proteins (chicken, beef, pork) because y'all have made me totally paranoid :LOL:. Now when I use it, I use soap and really hot water, then spray with the Clorox and then rinse again. Would you consider that enough? I have to rinse a second time because the bleach stinks.
 
That sounds like a good routine.

I just keep a spray bottle of bleach and water and spray questionable surfaces with that. It's cheaper than Clorox Clean Up.

If your board is plastic, just put it into the dishwasher.
 
Clorine bleach works fine for sanitizing plastic cutting boards. It doesn't need to be used full strength, a couple of tablespoons per gallon is sufficient. Ideally, the cutting board should be soaked in a solution of clorine bleach and water for a half hour or so. Alternatively, it can be sprayed on and allowed to stand for at least 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing. It takes that long for the clorine to kill bacteria. If you have an automatic dishwasher, that's by far the easiest way to clean and sanitize your cutting boards. Only use plastic or acrylic boards for meats, never wood. And never use glass or other hard surface boards for anything. They destroy knives.
 
That sounds like a good routine.

I just keep a spray bottle of bleach and water and spray questionable surfaces with that. It's cheaper than Clorox Clean Up.

If your board is plastic, just put it into the dishwasher.
No dishwasher (which is why I'm finding new routines).

I was told a long time ago that the reason bleach comes in opaque bottles is because once exposed to light in about 20 minutes it becomes ineffective as bleach. I guess I could mix it up in the Clean Up bottle once I run out.
 
I'm not sure about the 20 minutes but, yes, light uses up bleach. That's why it comes in opaque bottles.

Yes, use the Clorox bottle. Using other bottles is not as good as the bleach wrecks the sprayer after a bit and the bottle is useless.
 
If you use a wood cutting board, there's not much you need to do - it practically sanitizes itself: UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research. Just wipe with a hot, soapy sponge, rinse, and dry.Incoming! :LOL:
I agree -- I never would use Clorox Kitchen Spray or any other bleach on my wood cutting board for fear it would soak in and then transfer to my food, as well as bleach the board.

I do use the stuff for my granite counter tops, however, especially after working with raw chicken.

I have a couple of plastic cutting boards I use for raw meat of any kind (including chicken and fish), and those I just rinse and pop in the dishwasher.

If I didn't have the dishwasher, however, I might consider using the Clorox on the plastic boards. According to the UC Davis study cited above, the cuts in the surface of such boards can harbor a lot of bacteria. Washing with hot water, detergent, and a scrub brush is probably sufficient, but an occasional shot of bleach shouldn't hurt.
 
I would never use wood for raw meat. As the OP says, this is about plastic and as I said, I don't have a dishwasher.

GotGarlic, thanks for the link. I appreciate it. I always thought you should never use wood for raw meat. Of course, I don't have wood but I appreciate the info.
 
If you use a wood cutting board, there's not much you need to do - it practically sanitizes itself: UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research. Just wipe with a hot, soapy sponge, rinse, and dry.
Incoming! :LOL:

Wow! I learn something new every day. Thanks for the link. I've been spouting back the conventional wisdom about not using wood for raw meats without actually knowing what I was talking about. I feel properly chastized and humbled.
 
Wow! I learn something new every day. Thanks for the link. I've been spouting back the conventional wisdom about not using wood for raw meats without actually knowing what I was talking about. I feel properly chastized and humbled.
Don't beat yourself too hard. The U.C. Davis study is not without controversy. Try Googling "wood vs. plastic cutting boards" and you'll find a slew of opinions on the subject, some concurring and some dissenting. This one quotes a report from Cook's Illustrated, which concluded that there's not much difference if you maintain them properly: ARTICLE
 
Don't beat yourself too hard. The U.C. Davis study is not without controversy. Try Googling "wood vs. plastic cutting boards" and you'll find a slew of opinions on the subject, some concurring and some dissenting. This one quotes a report from Cook's Illustrated, which concluded that there's not much difference if you maintain them properly: ARTICLE
Let's stay on track. This isn't about wood boards, it's about plastic. Let's not get off topic.
 
I would never use wood for raw meat. As the OP says, this is about plastic and as I said, I don't have a dishwasher.

GotGarlic, thanks for the link. I appreciate it. I always thought you should never use wood for raw meat. Of course, I don't have wood but I appreciate the info.

Wood it fine for meat and really safer as the article points out. For those of you who use chlorine bleach, try goggling it and you will see how dangerous its use can be.

Unless you are cutting meat every hour, hot soapy water and letting it dry will do fine.

Remember, you are cooking this food after you cut it, so even in the remote chance that you get some bacteria from the last cutting on your new meat, cook it properly and you will not have a problem.

Just keep a separate board, of whatever material, for cutting meat (to be cooked) and don't use that board for any other purpose.
 
There's a sanitizer that we use in the homebrewing world called StarSan that I keep in a spray bottle. It sanitizes in 30 seconds instead of the 5-30 minutes that most other sanitizers take. I always put my plastic cutting boards used for meat in the dishwasher though.
 
Let's stay on track. This isn't about wood boards, it's about plastic. Let's not get off topic.
Pardon me, but the subject of the thread is "Is Clorox Clean Up with Bleach Enough"; nothing about plastic in it. You can talk all night about plastic cutting boards, but please don't try to tell the rest of us what we can talk about. It's public thread, and like many threads, it expands and contracts and generally morphs as the discussion goes on -- just like in real life.
 
Pardon me, but the subject of the thread is "Is Clorox Clean Up with Bleach Enough"; nothing about plastic in it. You can talk all night about plastic cutting boards, but please don't try to tell the rest of us what we can talk about. It's public thread, and like many threads, it expands and contracts and generally morphs as the discussion goes on -- just like in real life.
It's not just about the title, if you read the ORIGINAL POST (OP) it says PLASTIC cutting board ergo the question is about plastic cutting boards, not wood, therefore discussions about wood board would be off topic and according to GB, off topic conversations in a thread are NOT allowed.
 
Threads do change with the conversation from time to time and we try to roll with that when possible, but our rules do state that threads should remain on topic and the topic of this thread is about taking care of plastic boards. Since the OP chimed in that that is what she wants to discuss here then we should all respect that and stick to that topic please.
 
I think you should also sterilize it with heat (FIRE)!!!!!!!! Naw,just kidding!!!!
PHP:
hehehehe Sounds like you're doing great.
 
Check this article about sterilizing cutting boards -- both wood and plastic -- with vinegar: ARTICLE

Sounds preferable to bleach.
 
According to the National Safety Council a 10% bleach solution is sufficent to sanitize most anything, including blood-born pathogens. I used to transport medical specimens and always had a spray bottle (opaque) handy; not that I was culmsy or anything. LOL
 
Back
Top Bottom