As such a small part of the kitchen, we may not give much thought to cleaning our wooden chopping board. Or, perhaps you have if you’ve stumbled over this article!
Either way, we’ve broken down into steps the most efficient way to deep clean your chopping board. Read on to learn more!
Washing With Dish Soap
Gather these supplies:
- Dish soap
- Sponge or cleaning brush
After cleaning any leftover food scraps from the board, rinse it with hot water. Use dish soap and scrub with a sponge or cleaning brush. Be sure to pay special attention to any knife marks or scratches in the wood and scrub those areas rigorously to eliminate any potential lurking bacteria.
After thoroughly cleaning both sides of the board, rinse it with hot water.
Disinfecting With Chlorine
You’ll need:
- Chlorine bleach
- Sponge or cleaning brush
Disinfecting your wooden chopping board is a good idea if you’ve used it to cut raw meat or poultry. First, you’ll need to create the bleach solution by adding 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water.
Then, soak the entire cutting board in the solution for 2–3 minutes so the bleach has time to disinfect it completely. After the time is up, rinse the board thoroughly and wash it with warm/hot water and dish soap to eliminate any lingering odor from the bleach. Dry completely, and it’s ready for next time!
Cleaning With Lemon and Salt
Gather the following:
- Lemon
- Salt
This method is great once a month or so to help maintain your wooden chopping board. It can also help remove stains!
Start by sprinkling coarse salt onto the board. Cut the lemon in half and rub it cut-side-down over the salt on the board. Be sure to work in the direction of the grain as you scrub in small circles. Let the salt and lemon solution sit on the board for about 5 minutes.
After time is up, thoroughly rinse the board, ensuring all traces of salt and lemon have been removed, and dry it.
