Cleaning and Sanitizing Your Wood Cutting Board or Butcher Block

After each use always wipe down your board with a clean sponge, hot soapy water and rinse well. If you wish to sanitize your cutting board further, consider using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water, as recommend by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Be sure to rinse the board with plain water after using any disinfectant.

Never put your board in the dishwasher! The heat and water can split the wood or cause glue joints to fail.

Keep Your Board Clean Dry and Well Oiled

After cleaning, wipe off any excess water with a paper towel. Then let the board air dry completely. Remember that air needs to get to both sides of the board, so if your board does not have rubber feet, prop it against a vertical surface so that air can reach both sides. Never let your board sit in standing water, or on a wet counter top or sink.

You need to keep cutting boards dry to combat bacteria and mold, but if wood dries out too much it can shrink and split. The solution is to oil a cutting board on a regular basis. The more often a board is washed, the more often it needs to be oiled. A board seldom used can get by on a few oilings a year, while heavy use in a dry climate might demand daily oiling. Applying oil once a week is about right for most cutting boards. You may ask how much oil do I use the answer is never enough. When you oil your board let the oil soak in for 10 to 15 minutes. If the board soaks up the oil right away add more to surface and let stand, after 15 minutes remove any excess oil from the surface with a clean paper towel. This process will protect your board against moisture and extend the life of your cutting board.

What Type of Oil Should I Use?

Olive oil or other vegetable oils are often suggested for use on cutting boards, but we do not recommend them because they can eventually go rancid. Mineral oil avoids this problem, but only use food grade mineral oil. You may also use one of the many fine cutting board/salad bowl oils available on line or in kitchen stores that are specifically formulated to protect wood and comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements.

We also make our own cutting board oil, made from food grade mineral oil, beeswax and a hint of Lemon Essential Oil. Of course this is our oil of choice and what we use on all our cutting boards before they ship.