The Easiest Way to Clean Wooden Cutting Boards with What's Already in Your Pantry, According to Chefs
These are the best editor-tested, chef-approved ways to clean and sanitize your favorite wooden cutting board, plus easy tricks to do to keep them at peak performance — and what to avoid at all costs.
The 8 Best (and Easiest!) Ways to Clean Wooden Cutting Boards, According to Pros
1. Scrub with lemon and salt.
As it turns out, one of the best ways to clean your wooden chopping block is with a few things every home cook probably already has: a lemon and coarse salt. Sprinkle salt on your board, then scour the surface with half a lemon cut-side down (pre-squeezed is fine!). Let it sit for five minutes, then scrape away the dirty gray liquid that's leftover with a rag or bench scraper. When you're done, give it a final rinse with a clean wet sponge.
2. Keep it simple with dish soap.
While you shouldn't submerge your board for hours in a water bath, a little soapy water at the end of the day is necessary for cleaning this hardworking tool. 'Personally, I like using Dawn,' says Jordan Ware, the chef de cuisine at Hen of the Wood in Vermont (he also crafts bespoke boards under the name Original Provisions). 'Other brands can leave lingering scents, which get into the food.' After drying it with a towel, Eamon Lee, former executive chef at Syracuse University, suggests letting the board sit out overnight to dry completely before storing it in a cupboard.
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3. Create a kosher salt crust.
Charlie Palmer, a James Beard Award-winning chef and hotel developer, finds this salt method so useful, he employs it in all of his Charlie Palmer Steak restaurants. After a quick soapy wash, he coats his board with kosher salt then lets it sit for an hour. 'This draws out moisture,' he explains. And not just moisture: 'The salt absorbs all the bad smells,' says Lachlan Archibald, head chef at The Kitchin in Edinburgh, Scotland. Once the hour is up, use a bench scraper to flake off the salt (more on that below).
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4. Reach for a bench scraper.
Bench scrapers are ubiquitous in restaurant kitchens — but they're not regularly found in home cooks' utensil drawers. It pays to invest in one, though, because they're incredibly useful for cleaning wooden cutting boards, as well as plenty of other surfaces. Palmer uses one to scrape off his kosher salt cure, and it's also helpful when it comes to loosening any crusted-on food bits, like melted cheese. This tip was echoed by many of the chefs, including Matt Carrell, owner of Woodland Baking in Vermont. Carrell finds a metal bench scraper to be especially helpful at cleaning crusty flour from wooden boards and butcher blocks. 'It also does an excellent job at dividing butter,' he notes.
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5. Mix lemon and baking soda.
Thanks to their acidity, lemons make for a pretty good all-natural cleaner. If you don't have any coarse salt lying around, reach for baking soda, another incredible cleaner. While it won't disinfect it, sprinkling baking soda on your cutting board and then covering it with lemon juice and scrubbing with a lemon can be considered a 'spa treatment' for stains and odors, says Jessica Ek of The American Cleaning Institute.
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6. Create a baking soda paste.
A water and baking soda paste can easily remove odors and stains from both wooden and plastic cutting boards. With one part water to three parts baking soda, stir the paste together, then scrub it into the board to absorb any lingering smells or leftover traces of food. Rinse it off, and it's like you never used it to chop garlic or anchovies — in less than a minute!
7. Sanitize with bleach (if you must!).
If you're especially worried about bacteria seeping into your wooden cutting board, Lee uses a simple-but-effective solution: 'One tablespoon of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water. Soak a cloth in the solution and wipe the board generously on all sides. Let stand for one minute, rinse with running water, and pat dry.' (Here's everything you need to know about cleaning with bleach in the kitchen.)
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8. Break out the sander.
Need to do major damage control? It may be time for an electric sander. In fact, some professional chefs consider this to be regular maintenance. Archibald at The Kitchin does this twice a year to keep his boards in shipshape. An orbital sander, which uses a circular motion, is preferred for its powerful ability to lift materials from the surface. You may find this purchase more useful than you originally thought — this cast-iron maker also uses it to repair rusty pans. As with all power tools, take adequate safety precautions, including wearing protective eyewear, when using.
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3 Other Tips for Making Your Wooden Cutting Board Last
Avoid prolonged exposure to moisture.
Raw poultry on a wooden cutting board is not a good idea, but that's not the only bacterial red flag. Soaking boards or letting them stay wet for too long can cause problems, too. 'Don't let your boards stay wet,' Ware warns. 'Moisture and temperature changes are really bad for wood, in terms of bacterial growth.'
Oil it regularly.
Oiling wooden work surfaces — and kitchen tools like wooden spoons — is non-negotiable for long-term care. 'This will help with knife cuts and dryness, which will keep your boards around for a long time,' Carrell explains. It also provides a protective sealant layer to keep the porous wood from soaking up bacteria and funky smells.
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Don't go overboard, though: Ware gives his boards a proper rubdown every couple of months. He recommends a mineral oil, or blended beeswax product that gives off a pretty luster when buffed. (Psst: The Kitchn tested a variety of board oils and picked a must-try favorite.)
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Add rubber feet.
Ware always adds rubber feet to the bottom of his custom-made boards. Not only does it stop them from sliding around on the counter, but it also encourages proper airflow around the entire board. 'That helps it dry evenly,' he explains. 'Putting a piece of wet wood directly on your counter will just make it warp.'
How do you care for your favorite wood cutting boards? Tell us in the comments below!
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