It is good for you to maintain your wooden chopping board in order to prolong it for a longer period of time. It must always be kept in dry condition especially if you are not using it. Whenever you are choosing your wooden chopping board, you must ensure that is suitable enough to be placed on your countertop. If you are using the wood board for the first time, you must season the board with mineral oil right until the mineral oil no longer soaks the surface of the board. After that, make sure that you wipe off any excess mineral oil with a clean cloth. The seasoning of the board should be done on a regular basis. One of the most suitable ways for cleaning your wooden board is by using lemon juice where it is considered as a natural bleach solution. It does not only helps you clean the wooden board but also deodorize and bleach away any stains on the surface of the boards. In addition, this natural solution also works well on any other wooden utensil that you have in your kitchen area. Having clean chopping boards is definitely good not only for your health but also for your families. The most common bacteria that can be found on wooden chopping board are Salmonella and E. coli to name a few. If possible, we advise you to have at least two chopping boards to be used in your kitchen. Use one of them for cutting meat and poultry only while the other chopping board can be used for fruits and vegetables. You can even label them to make it easier for family members when they want to use them and not get mixed up.
To clean wooden chopping board, you need:
- Liquid Dish Soap
- Clean Rags or towel
- Sponges
- Hot water
- Table salt
- Mineral Oils
- Lemon wedge
- Abrasive antibacterial cleaner (for tough stain)
- Scouring pad
- Sandpaper (for severe stains)
- White vinegar or hydrogen peroxide
How to Clean Wood Chopping Board
Cleaning Wood Chopping Board
- The first thing that you need to do is to wipe your wooden board using a sponge that you dip in hot and soapy water as soon as you finished using it.
- Next, rinse the board completely in order to eliminate any bacteria in order for the board to maintain its safe level.
- Make sure not to submerge your wooden chopping board into dishwater once you have finished using it because it will transfer pathogens into the wash water. Wooden board has porous surface and due to that it can easily absorb water which can cause the wood to split and warp.
- Next, rinse the board completely in order to eliminate any bacteria in order for the board to maintain its safe level.
Always remember not to leave your wooden chopping board in any standing water if you do not want to see the wood to split and warp.
- For removing minor stains on the wooden board, you need to sprinkle some table salt on the affected surface before rubbing the area using a lemon wedge.
- The mixture of salt and lemon wedge would be able to create an abrasive solution for removing stubborn stains. Use the solution and apply it onto the board. Next, scrub it by using a clean cloth on the board’s surface.
- For stubborn stains, you can leave the mixture to sit on the affected surface for a few minutes before you can scrub the stain much easier.
- The mixture of salt and lemon wedge would be able to create an abrasive solution for removing stubborn stains. Use the solution and apply it onto the board. Next, scrub it by using a clean cloth on the board’s surface.
- As for tough stains, you should use an abrasive anti-bacterial cleaner along with scouring pad to remove them off the board.
- In order to remove any severe stains, you can use fine sandpaper and rub it on the board in order to remove the stains.
- Make sure that you rub the sandpaper along your wooden board’s grain.
- Once done, rinse the chopping board thoroughly.
- Make sure that you rub the sandpaper along your wooden board’s grain.
- You also need to disinfect the chopping board from bacteria by spraying undiluted white vinegar onto it and then allow it to dry thoroughly.
- Research done by the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, whenever you wipe or spray wooden chopping board using white vinegar, it will help you to remove any harmful bacteria that still resides within the board even after you have cleaned it. The white vinegar can also help you neutralizes any of the unpleasant odors coming from the wooden board.
- For those of you who do not have white vinegar, you can also make use of an undiluted solution of standard 3 percent hydrogen peroxide for sanitizing the board. The hydrogen peroxide needs to be applied using a cloth or paper towel before you start to wipe the chopping board.
- Research done by the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, whenever you wipe or spray wooden chopping board using white vinegar, it will help you to remove any harmful bacteria that still resides within the board even after you have cleaned it. The white vinegar can also help you neutralizes any of the unpleasant odors coming from the wooden board.
- Finally, you can use a clean towel so that you can wipe off any excess water.
- By leaning the chopping board against your countertop can also allow for an even dry.
- By leaning the chopping board against your countertop can also allow for an even dry.
In order to make the surface of your wooden chopping board looking sleeker, you can wipe the board by using a small amount an extra virgin olive oil onto the clean wooden surface. Apart from that, it will also provide you with an extra coating which will protect it from stains during future usage.
Always remember that whenever you want to clean your wooden chopping board,
- Make it a habit to clean the board right after using it for sanitary purposes.
- In order to maintain the wood’s attractive appearance, you can use a food-safe mineral oil to polish the board.
- Remember to avoid cleaning the board using your dishwasher. Even though, it helps you sanitize the board but it will also severely damaged the board along the way.
- If you find that the board produces unpleasant odors, you need to rub some salt or use some baking soda over the surface. Leave it for a few minutes before wiping it off and rinse the board. Besides that, you can also squeeze half a lemon onto the board and rub it across the surface of the board in order to produce a nice smell.
