Disinfecting a wooden cutting board?

[Ekim]

I found a nearly un-marked wooden carving board today, with the ring around it for collecting the juices.

It was in a very bad storage spot. It has tons of dust, a few spider eggs and possibly even a little mold on it. It's pretty filthy. (I already KNOW that I'm a terrible housekeeper, please refrain from any comments on that score.)

If I soak and/or scrub it with hydrogen peroxide, should that sufficiently disinfect it and render it safe to use?

Or should I sand it down or do something else? It's not going to kill me to throw it away, but I hate wasting things.

Thoughts?

 

[justplainbill]

Scrub with brown soap ( e.g. Fells Naptha or Octagon)and rinse thoroughly, then swab with Clorox and let sit overnight.
Rinse thoroughly.
If you're obsessive-compulsive, swab with 5% acidity white vinegar solution.
Scour damp board with kosher salt (to coat with a salt paste).
Allow to dry, brush off dried salt, rinse and allow to dry.
Treat board with mineral oil or a mixture of mineral oil and paraffin or bee's wax.

 

[Ekim]

I'm not seeing either of those soaps online anywhere. Am I looking for the wrong thing?

Could I not use a dab of dish soap first, then bleach, then vinegar, then salt paste?

 

[Andy M.]

I'm not seeing either of those soaps online anywhere. Am I looking for the wrong thing?

Could I not use a dab of dish soap first, then bleach, then vinegar, then salt paste?

The soap serves to remove surface dirt. Dish soap will work. I'd scrub hard with a scrubber sponge or similar. Then continue with the rest of the steps.

 

[Bigjim68]

I would not put soap on a wooden cutting board, nor would I soak it. In this case I would scrape it down with a metal scraper using running water as a lubricant. I have a couple of broken off spatula blades that I use for scraping. Water and perhaps as little bleach would sanitize it. A light sanding may be called for (I use an orbital sander)

Soaking a wooden board most likely will result in a warped board.

 

[Addie]

I'm not seeing either of those soaps online anywhere. Am I looking for the wrong thing?

Could I not use a dab of dish soap first, then bleach, then vinegar, then salt paste?

Go to
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/

They sell the Fels Naptha soap. It is a brown soap that has excellent disinfecting properties. It has been around for ages and ages. When I was a kid, they use to use it for impetigo and other skin infections. It is advertized as a laundry soap. But it has so many other uses.

 

[Addie]

Household Cleaners | Household Cleaning Products

this will bring you right to the page for Fels Naptha or Octogon. Fels is cheaper.

 

[Timothy]

After you've removed the surface dirt by rinsing, you could do what thousands of sushi chefs do; (From the Clorox Site: "To disinfect: Use 3/4 cup of Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water. Wash, wipe or rinse items with water, then apply bleach solution. Let stand 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and air dry.")


Rinse, rinse and rinse again until you can detect no odor of clorox on your cutting board.

 

[Ekim]

Thanks for the input, folks.

I notice that a lot of folks reviewing on Amazon.com say you can find the Fels at Kroger & Wal-Marts for around $1 or so a bar.

 

[letscook]

I would scrub it with a cleanser like soft scrub that has bleach in it and then wash it in hot sudsey water, then reoil it with a mineral oil ( found in most store near the pharmacy)

 

[CWS4322]

My wooden cutting boards are 2" thick oak or elm planks. I put them in the dishwasher--and I dump bleach on them. I know, my bad, but there a lot more where these came from (we have a sawmill).

 

[Fabiabi]

I'm not an obsessive and my advice might not be sufficient for some. I would sand a few millimetres from the surfaces, give it a good scrub with an antibacterial soap. Apparently rubbing lemon juice and salt onto the wood is a good way to care for your chopping board keeping the germs to a minimum.

 

[CWS4322]

I bleach my boards every day...I use one for veggies, the other for meat...and I toss them in the DW at least once a week.

 

[Addie]

My wooden cutting boards are 2" thick oak or elm planks. I put them in the dishwasher--and I dump bleach on them. I know, my bad, but there a lot more where these came from (we have a sawmill).

Are you saying you own a sawmill? Are any of your neighbors missing?

 

[Ekim]

I'm leaning towards scrubbing with dish soap, then rinsing with lots of hot water, then drying, then sanding, then peroxide, then mineral oil.

It's a thick board so a little missing wood should be just fine. And since I forgot to look for the Fels soap while I was out today, I have everything I need on hand here.

 

[CWS4322]

Are you saying you own a sawmill? Are any of your neighbors missing?

Yes, there is a bandsaw mill at the farm--mostly used to make wood for projects.

 

[Addie]

Yes, there is a bandsaw mill at the farm--mostly used to make wood for projects.

So if I come to visit, should I be worried or tell someone where I am going?

Do do do do, do do do

 

[Timothy]

There are some really cool chain-saw mills available.

Like this one:
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=46778&utm_source=base&utm_medium=cse

 

[cara]

I would not use mineral oil for a wooden board...
Just clean with soap and soak with very hot water.. and then dry... most important thing!
So you avoid growing germ, and the tannin acid from the wood can do the rest

 

[Andy M.]

Food grade mineral oil, sold as a laxative in every drug store, is the standard treatment for wood cutting boards.

It should be applied, allowed to soak in, then wiped off to treat the wood and act as a moisture barrier.