Cleaning a wooden cutting board

[Daphne]

How do you clean your wood cutting board? Malcom thinks that I should put it in the dishwasher to get it cleaned well. I am not sure if that is the proper way to clean it. What do you think?

[Darlene]

Don't put it in the dishwasher! It think that would ruin the board.
Wash your board well with hot soapy water, and then a bleach water solution, air dry.
What I do is use a plastic board for raw meats only and my wooden ones for everything else.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/...ion/BJ778.html

[pkellyc]

I have run mine through the dishwasher for years and it does ruin them. They warp and dry out really bad, some of them even comming unglued. I would suggest hand washing with the bleach and soap solution as suggested by Darlene. The only thing I would add is to oil them occasionally with regular vegtable oil.

I too have gone to the plastic boards they never warp and run through the dishwasher just fine.

[canadian gardener]

I ditto, hand scrub, then a dilute bleach occaisionally.

wood fibres are naturally germ resistant. The popular wisdom was that plastic was safer, then they tested and

who knew?????


the wood fibres themselves killed off a lot of germs.

So now the usual thing is, hot soapy water and a brush, rinse well, and let dry.

After anything with meat raw or cooked, use a dilute bleach, 1 in 10 solution or so. wearing gloves, apply with a paper towel, let sit, rinse and dry.

[Emerald_Mommy]

The man who made one of mine said hand wash in hot not very soapy water only. Then oil with whatever type of oil you use regularly (vegetable, olive, etc.) He didn't mention bleach but then again, I didn't plan to use mine for meat.

[rebecca]

I've heard that using vingar (sp) will disinfect your cutting board. Heard that vinegar is like bleach that it will kill germs. Wheter this is true or not I don't know.

[canadian gardener]

Vinegar is an acid, and an acid retards most but not all germs. Some thrive in acidic environments (like the yeasts which make vinegar out of wine)

Bleach kills germs period.

Vinegar is perfectly good, for daily use, and it will retard the growth of lots of nasties and it won't splash onto your clothes (do wear aprons anyway)

but if something contacted meat whether raw or cooked, bleach diluted one to ten might be better, wiped on, sit, rinse off and dry.

[Michelle]

I only put my glass one in the dishwasher (that is when my dishwasher was working ). I was the wooden ones as Darlene suggested