How to Clean a Wooden Cutting Board (Salt and Lemon Is Not Enough)

Step by step

1. 1

   Scrape and wash with hot, soapy water

   Scrape off any food bits. Then scrub the whole board, front, back and edges, with hot water, dish soap and a sponge or soft brush. The USDA tip quoted by Wisconsin’s extension says to do this after every use.

2. 2

   Rinse it, and never let it soak

   Rinse the soap off under running water. Do not leave the board sitting in a sink of water, because Maine’s extension says soaking can make wood warp or crack over time.

3. 3

   After raw meat, poultry or seafood, sanitize

   Do this only after the board is washed and rinsed. Ohio State’s extension says to wash the board in hot, soapy water and then sanitize it as a separate step.

   Mix 1 tablespoon of unscented regular chlorine bleach into 1 gallon of water. Pour it over the board and let it sit for at least 1 minute. That is the USDA mix, as quoted by Wisconsin’s extension.

1. 4

   Rinse well

   Rinse the bleach water off with clean water. The USDA tip says to rinse well and then let the board air dry.

2. 5

   Stand it up to dry

   Stand the board on its edge or set it on a rack so air reaches both sides. Maine’s extension says not to stack wet boards or leave them lying flat for long. Let it dry all the way before you put it away.

3. 6

   Oil it about once a month

   When the board is clean and fully dry, rub a thin coat of food-safe mineral oil into it with a paper towel. Let it soak in for several hours or overnight, then wipe off the extra. Maine’s extension says to do this about once a month.

   Skip olive oil and vegetable oil. Maine’s extension says they can turn sticky and rancid over time.

Another way to sanitize: hydrogen peroxide or vinegar

Not everyone wants bleach in the kitchen. Maine’s extension also lists plain 3% hydrogen peroxide (the brown drugstore bottle) or undiluted 5% white vinegar as sanitizers for a washed board.

• Use one or the other, never both together. Ohio State says never to mix vinegar and peroxide.
• Test peroxide on the underside first. Ohio State says to test it on a spot nobody sees, because it can fade or discolor some surfaces.
• Pour or spray it over the clean board so the whole surface is wet, then rinse and stand it up to dry. Maine’s extension does not give a sit time for peroxide or vinegar. If you want a number to follow, the bleach mix in Step 3 has one.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Sometimes a board needs more than a wash.

• A dark stain from beets, berries or turmeric. A paste of baking soda with a little 3% hydrogen peroxide is a common home fix. No agency we found gives a recipe or a time for it, so test it on the underside first and rinse well after.
• It smells like onion or garlic even after washing. Wash it again, sanitize it with the bleach mix, and let it dry all the way, standing up.
• Deep knife grooves or cracks. The USDA tip says to replace any board with cracks, chips or grooves where bacteria can hide. Washington State’s extension says a board with knife cuts can be sanded or replaced.
• You want to put it in the dishwasher. Ohio State says laminated boards, the kind glued from strips of wood, may crack or peel in there. Maine’s extension says even solid wood can warp, so hand wash if you are not sure.

Why it works

Here is why soap does what salt and lemon cannot. The American Cleaning Institute explains that every soap molecule has two ends: one wants to be in water, and the other gathers up the grime and holds it in the water until the rinse carries it away.

A sanitizer does a different job. The American Cleaning Institute defines it as something that reduces germs on a surface, though not always all of them, which is why every extension page here puts soap first.

Drying is the last piece. A wet board left flat is like a damp towel balled up in a hamper, so stand it up and let the air reach both sides.