All good cooks have at least one chopping board in the kitchen, and usually it’s a wooden chopping board.
Some prefer a plastic chopping board while most prefer to use a wooden chopping board, due to wood being easier to clean deeply, as well as the longer life span a well maintained wooden board can offer.
A wooden chopping board should be given a deep clean and sanitized at least once a month, or more if you use your board for various food groups.
Wooden chopping boards should never be emerged under water during cleaning, or cleaned in the dishwasher. Doing so can make the board crack or warp.
What you will need to Clean & Sanitize Your
Wooden Chopping Board
- 1 fresh lemon
- Salt – Table salt can be used, but most people prefer to use coarse salt, such as Sea Salt
- Paper towels
- White vinegar – One good vinegar brand for this job is Heinz Cleaning Vinegar
– (This vinegar can also be used in cooking)
How to Deep Clean Your Wooden Chopping Board
Each time you have used your wooden chopping board, put a little mild detergent on it after use, lather up under a running tap of hot water and rinse off.
Depending on how often you use your board, it is recommended to give it a deep clean at least once a month.
The lemon and salt in the deep cleaning method removes built-up dirt and odors from the board. This method also removes many stains that can build up on your wooden cutting board.
If you don’t want to buy a lemon every time you need one, you can actually grow your own lemon tree in a pot, indoors or outdoors.
(1) Sprinkle salt onto the chopping board (enough to cover the board)
(2) Cut the lemon in half
(3) Place one half of the lemon (juice side down) on board, and rub the salt into the board. Apply circular movements to completely drench the board with the juice. If your board is very large, you may need to use the second half of the lemon.
(4) Rub down with a paper towel. If you find there is still some salt left on the board, rinse board off under a running tap and dry with a tea towel.
How to Sanitize Your Wooden Chopping Board
Once you have given your cutting board a thorough deep clean, sanitizing it to get rid of any nasty bacteria that can build up, is recommended.
(1) Pour a little white vinegar onto the board – (enough to spread out to cover the board in step below)
(2) Using a paper towel or a clean cloth, rub the white vinegar all over the board.
(3) Leave board to air dry
Please NOTE: It is generally known that white vinegar can remove some types of harmful bacteria, but the science is a little murky on how many types it removes, and how much of the bacteria it removes.
For this reason you may want to use a natural product that disinfects, particularly if you use your board for cutting various meats. CleanSmart Daily Kitchen and Bathroom Disinfecting Cleaner
Extra Tip: If you only used one half of the lemon, you could put the other half down the garbage disposal unit to get rid of odors as well, or due to the many health benefits the lemon offers you may want to make a health enriched lemon drink instead.
Article written by Wen Dee
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