How Do You Clean a Wood Cutting Board?

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PA Baker

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I have a counter-top wood cutting board that I use for prepping veggies, herbs, fruits, etc (no meat or dairy). I usually wash it in the sink with a little soap and water and dry it right away, but I can tell that it's starting to warp. This isn't the first one that I've done this to :rolleyes:, but I'm not sure how else to clean it. Someone told me just to wipe it off with a damp rag, but that just doesn't seem sanitary enough to me.

Any suggestions? (Oh, I do condition it periodically, too.)
 
It could be warping due to improper storage. Thin, long grain boards should be stored flat. If your drying it off right away it shouldn't warp.
 
I wash mine with a mild soap if I've cut cooked meat or cheese, or just water if veggies fruits etc. I keep mine oiled. I don't cut raw meats or poultry on the board. I have a composite for that and it goes in the dishwasher.
 
I keep a spray bottle with about 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 lemon juice and 1/3 water in the kitchen and use it on my wood boards and granite countertop. I spray the board and let it sit for a few minutes, then hold it over the trash can and wipe off the spray and any crumbs, etc., with a damp sponge.
 
This may seem obvious, but whatever method you use, do not put a wooden board in the dishwasher. It will come out squeaky clean...and be ruined about the third time you do it (warped beyond recognition).
I would use GotGarlic's method in the post above.
 
I wash mine with a mild soap if I've cut cooked meat or cheese, or just water if veggies fruits etc. I keep mine oiled. I don't cut raw meats or poultry on the board. I have a composite for that and it goes in the dishwasher.

Hey Robo, what's a composite?
 
This may seem obvious, but whatever method you use, do not put a wooden board in the dishwasher. It will come out squeaky clean...and be ruined about the third time you do it (warped beyond recognition).
I would use GotGarlic's method in the post above.

I've got a number of wood boards, and with one exception I put them all in the dishwasher (yup, in spite of being told I'm not supposed to). None of them are any the worse for wear *shrug*
 
Ahhhh...the wooden cutting board! Well...it looks as though the question has two parts: (a) How do I clean it? and, (b) Why is it warping?

Well...cleaning a wooden cutting board is simple. Allow it to dry thoroughly after cleaning. The wood fibers actually draw moisture into the wood and disperse it well enough to kill bacteria. Use salt, lemon ...whatever...but allow it to dry thoroughly! Bacteria requires warmth and moisture to propagate.

Warping? Wood warps because of too much moisture on one side and not enough on the other. Are you using one side and washing it more that the other? The grain of the wood also plays a factor.

Warping boards require dampening the concave side and weighting them down to flatten.

Marko
 
I spray neat alcohol on mine, it will kill Everything!

Do try to make sure there are no sources of ignition around though ;)
 
I spray mine with Clorox clean up, let set for about 5-10 minutes, and then wash, and dry. Nothing has warped yet. However, it wouldn't hurt to rub it with some Mineral Oil which won't affect the flavors of food that you chop on it and will definitely improve its appearance--I'm afraid the warping might be permanent, however. I use mineral oil on my olive wood salad bowl and wooden utensils. Boy do they look great after using it. Hope you find a solution.........
 
We clean ours with vinegar, and condition it with mineral oil. Never put it in the dishwasher, and don't cut raw meat on it.
 
Hi PAB - It's all been mentioned but this is what I do - Wipe down with full-strength white vinegar after each use. However, a diluted bleach solution is another way to go (1 tsp. bleach to 1 quart of water). Vinegar is a great disinfectant and kills all the things you worry about from a cutting board. I also make a diluted vinegar solution

One of the best defenses is proper drying. Make sure your board is dry before you put it up.

To condition your board slightly heat some USP grade mineral oil. Rub in the direction of the grain and leave to absorb for about 10 minutes or so. The minderal oil helps prevent absorption. If you notice that your board quickly sucked it up add some more. Add until your board won't wick it up. Just wipe off excess.

I also like to scrub my board with kosher salt and a squeeze of lemon. This helps to eliminate garlic/onion ordors.
 
Never thought to heat the mineral oil, KitchenElf, but what a wonderful idea!! It just makes all the wooden utensils in the kitchen look so nice......got the tip from the Egyptian artist who sold me an olive wood salad bowl in the first place!
 
We clean ours with vinegar, and condition it with mineral oil. Never put it in the dishwasher, and don't cut raw meat on it.

I've been meaning to buy mineral oil for years now....actually since I built be cutting board (which is part of my island). Now, it's so used I'm like "What's the use?" I use a sponge and some dish soap. If it gets stained I use Greased Lightning and alot of water.
 
I've been meaning to buy mineral oil for years now....actually since I built be cutting board (which is part of my island). Now, it's so used I'm like "What's the use?" I use a sponge and some dish soap. If it gets stained I use Greased Lightning and alot of water.

You REALLY need to scour it first with some salt/lemon, clean with white vinegar, and give it a good, healthy dose of mineral oil. It will help a LOT with the preservation of it from here on out. You don't want your board to become absorbant. The mineral oil will REALLY help with that. At the end of the evening do as mentioned and then pour on what you perceive to be more than enough and let soak in overnight. Remove anything left over with a paper towel the next morning. When I do this I find this the perfect time to oil all of my wooden spoons/spatulas, etc. Just set them on the butcher block and let them "marinate" overnight too :chef:
 
When I think of it I squeeze some lemon halves ofer it and rub it in with a new (not microwaved) sponge. lol
I just keep forgetting to order the stuff. You can't find it at any retail store near me.
 
I use a watered-down bleach solution and rinse it well. And like you, I never use meat or dairy on it; that is strictly done on plastic. In fact, I rarely use the wooden cutting boards any more, even though it feels so much better. I just find plastic so much easier to clean, and I know I can sanitize it safely without damaging it.

So now the wooden cutting board is more for display :)
 
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