A few years ago, there seemed to be a rumor that wood, cutting boards were more dangerous than plastic. Specifically, they could not be cleaned as effectively as their plastic counterparts. However, the problem is it wasn’t true. No worries, today I am going to show you how to SAFELY clean a wood cutting board!
If you look at what the FDA says about cutting board safety, you will see that there is no safety difference between the two options. Who knew that homemaking could be so dangerous?
Between the choice of plastic and wood, I choose wood hands down. Plastic has been shown unsafe in recent research. BPA which is found in many plastic products has been shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of the possible health effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses and children.
The good news on the chopping board front is the arrival of bamboo cutting boards, which have been shown to be naturally anti-microbial and resistant to bacteria. It is nice to have options!
How To Safely Clean A Wood-Cutting Board
Supplies
soap
boiling water
sink
scrub brush
DIRECTIONS
- Rinse the cutting board with hot water and scrub off food debris.
- Stopper the sink and fill it with boiling water.
- Let the cutting board soak until the water is cool.
- Drain and refill the sink with hot soapy water and scrub (with a bit of muscle) using a scrub brush.
- Dry in a drying rack and do not put the wood cutting board away until it is completely air-dried.
TIPS
- Every few months, repeat the aforementioned cleaning steps and add 1 TBS. bleach to the boiling water.
- Every few months, oil your wood cutting boards with a light coating of olive oil or homemade wood balm.
- Have multiple wood cutting boards. Use one for bread, one for vegetables, and one for meat.
YOUR TURN…
How do you safely clean your wood-cutting boards?
Blessings,
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Have been looking for a bamboo cutting board. Thanks. Thanks for sharing at Let’s Get Real Friday Party.
I have wood cutting boards but I am also looking for bamboo…they are supposed to last forever!
Awsome website! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also
Thanks for your encouraging words Allie!
I was taught to scrub with hot soapy water and the. To generously sprinkle kosher salt and lemon juice on the board. Then I use the half of lemon as a scrubbber and work the salt and lemon juice thoroughly into the wood and let it sit while I wash other dishes then rinse thoroughly with hot water (from the tap – not the dirty water in the sink and dry in the dish drainer. Not sure if this is best but I have been doing it for a number of years with no issues. However, I do NOT use my wood boards for meat. I have a glass board for cutting meat if necessary.
This is such good advice, Wendy! Thank you for sharing!