How to Clean a Wooden Butcher Block

Keeping your butcher block clean prevents contamination.

The incredible durability and toughness of butcher blocks makes them many chefs' cutting board or countertop of choice. Unfortunately, it's this same quality that makes butcher blocks the most used item for food preparation using kitchen knives, leading to scratches and stains. Because you might place many raw foods on your butcher block, you need to make sure that the butcher block is not only clean, but also disinfected after every use so that you do not contaminate other foods.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels or clean cloths
• Dish soap
• Sponge
• Table salt
• 1/2 a lemon
• Hydrogen peroxide (3 percent)
• Cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Wipe off all solid matter such as food particles or trash away from the butcher block using a paper towel or cloth. You want a smooth surface when you start cleaning, so that you don't end up grinding food particles into the block itself.

2. Wet a sponge and add a few drops of dish soap. Wring out the sponge if necessary: You want it damp but not sopping wet. Scrub the surface of the butcher block, using the abrasive side if you run into caked-on or stubborn food particles. Wet a paper towel and thoroughly wipe down the butcher block. Repeat until there is no soap residue remaining on the block.

3. Sprinkle table salt over the block, focusing particularly on marks and grooves. You want to disinfect these areas in particular, since bacteria can hide in the many tiny cuts made by cutting knives. Rub the cut side of half a lemon across the block, making sure not to wipe off the salt. Let sit overnight, then rinse with clean water.

4. Remove any remaining stains by dabbing a cotton swab with a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution onto the stains, and letting sit for 10 minutes before wiping clean.

5. Let the butcher block air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your butcher block moisturized by wiping it with a paper towel dipped in mineral oil every few months, so as to avoid cracking and pitting.

References

• Good Housekeeping: Cleaning a Butcher-Block Counter