How to Clean a Wooden Cutting Board

That wooden cutting board is very useful, but it absorbs stains and bacteria like nobody's business. Here's how to keep it clean.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Liquid Dish Soap
• Clean Rags
• Sponges
• Clean Rags
• Salt
• Salt
• Mineral Oils
• Scouring Pad
• Sandpaper
• Sandpaper
• Salt
• Sponges
• Salt

1. 

   Wipe down the board with a sponge and hot, soapy water immediately after use.

2. Get rid of minor stains by sprinkling table salt on the affected area and rubbing the area with a lemon wedge.

3. 

   Use an abrasive antibacterial cleaner and scouring pad for tougher stains.

4. 

   Rub the board with fine sandpaper to get rid of severe stains. Be sure to rub along the grain of the wood.

5. Rinse the board well.

6. Wipe off excess water with a clean towel and lean the board against a countertop to allow for even drying.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your cutting board after each use for sanitary purposes.
• To maintain an attractive finish, use a food-safe mineral oil to polish your cutting board.
• Don't leave a wooden cutting board in standing water. Doing so will cause the wood to split.

[gemuetlichkeit]

on 11/22/2009 Rachel Ray is wrong on this one. Olive oil will go rancid--trust me, you can tell the difference between good and spoiled olive oil. It will sink into the pores in the wood and start to smell, not to mention contaminate your food. Mineral oil is much cheaper (about $1.50 for 16 oz) and is easy to find at drug stores and the pharmacy section of stores like Target.

[kateej]

on 10/22/2009 Rachel Ray on youtube said to first use course salt to scrub any stains, then season your board with olive oil.

[chefcharlie]

on 1/28/2009 You want to avoid products like Olive Oil and Vegetable oil because these products will go rancid to season your boards. I prefer to use Wooden Wonders Beeswax Butcher Block conditioners on all my wooden kitchen tools. Usually I season my wooden kitchen gadgets (cutting boards, spoons, knife handles etc) about once a month. During the winter months it's especially important to season your wood since furnaces tend to dry wood out. A good humidifier helps a lot too.

[0002]

on 9/27/2008 This artical was very helpful thank you.

[Friend2]

on 12/26/2006 In response to Cindy on 7/15/2006

FOOD-GRADE mineral oil......
(1) Mineral oil with added fragrance is marketed as 'baby oil' in the US, UK and Canada.
(2) Used as an ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and other pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
(3) Can also be used on eyelashes to prevent brittleness and/or breaking.
(4) Mineral oil is sometimes taken orally as a laxative.