The Best Ways to Clean Plastic Cutting Boards

 

Having a plastic cutting board in your kitchen will certainly become handy whenever you want to prepare any kind of meals because you will find the plastic cutting board designed with variety of surface hardness. Apart from that, plastic cutting board is quite economical and it will get warp even if it is wet. Having a clean plastic cutting board helps you prepare safety food for your families. You can even assign your plastic cutting board to a specific product. For example, a green board can use for cutting vegetables, yellow board for dairy products while white cutting board can be use for cutting meats or poultry.

 

To clean plastic cutting boards, you need:

  • Dishwashing liquid
  • Clean Rags or towel
  • Sponges
  • Plastic scrubbing pad or a scrub brush
  • Chlorine bleach solution (occasional)
  • Dishwasher (optional)

 

How to Clean Plastic Cutting Board

The Best Ways to Clean Plastic Cutting Board

  • The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you read the instruction provided by the manufacturer especially for a new board that you just purchased before removing its wrapping.
    • The instruction from the manufacturer is important in order for you to prolong the lifespan of your plastic cutting board.
    • Wash the board and rinse it completely before using it for the first time.

       

Always remember to wipe the plastic cutting board using a kitchen sponge or use dishrag once you finished using the board. For example, if you use it for cutting carrots, wipe it off first before you can start to cut lettuce.

  • You can even remove any dye stain resulting from cutting carrots using a bit of mineral or cooking oil along with soap in order to dissolve the oil.
    • Then, rinse the plastic cutting board thoroughly.
    • Most of the manufacturers for plastic cutting board would recommend that we oil the board regularly using mineral oil.

 

  • Other method that you can use is by scrubbing it with plastic scrubbing pad (not the one made of metal) or scrub brush if you find that there is food stuck in the surface of your plastic board.
    • Then, wash t with plain water.
    • Once you finished preparing each of your food preparation, you must make sure to wash the board thoroughly using dishwashing liquid.
    • You can also make use of bleach in order to further sterilize the plastic cutting board. However, you must always rinse it completely if you apply bleach as your sanitizing solution.

 

  • Apart from that you can also use your dishwasher (if you have one) to clean and sanitize the board. This will help you sterile the plastic board and maintain its appearance for quite some time.
    • The hot water and dishwasher detergent inside your dishwasher will kill off any harmful bacteria that comes from the meat or poultry that you cut on the board.

 

  • After each cleaning session, you must dry the board thoroughly before you start to use it again.
    • This is to prevent mold or mildew from getting started on the board.

       

  • Whenever you notice that your plastic cutting board’s surface has turn to rough condition, you should discard it and replace it with a new one.
    • If it creates persistent odor as well as some mildew has started to grow, it is also recommended to be replaced with a new board.

    Always remember that whenever you want to clean your plastic cutting board,

    • Once in a while, you need to dose your plastic cutting board by using a solution of 1/8 cup chlorine bleach that you fill inside a pint spray bottle together with some water. Leave them to sit for a few minutes before you can start rinsing the board completely.
    • Always clean the board every time you finished using it especially if you are cutting raw meat, fish or poultry.
    • Make sure to have at least two or three plastic cutting boards for different purposes like for meat products (meat, poultry or fish), one for cutting fruits and vegetables while the other one is for cutting cheese or other related products.
    • You must also use food-caliber rags whenever you clean plastic cutting boards especially if you are preparing foods that you eat.
    • The plastic cutting board must not touch any hot surfaces like stovetop burners or even being left on top of your oven. This is because if the plastic melts, it will release toxic fumes which are very hard for you to remove from any surface affected by the incident.

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