Scrape off scraps, scrub both sides and the edges with hot soapy water, rinse, towel it dry, and stand it on its edge until fully dry. Don't soak it or put it in the dishwasher. After raw meat, poultry, or seafood, sanitize it with 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water, then rinse. Oil it about once a month.
That's the whole routine. The details below are about doing each step so the board doesn't crack, warp, or start to smell.
Everyday cleaning, step by step#
- Scrape food into the bin or compost with a bench scraper or the back of a knife (not the edge, which dulls it).
- Run hot water over the board and scrub with dish soap and a brush or sponge. Do both faces and all four edges, even if you only cut on one side. Pay attention to the juice groove if your board has one; that's where things get left behind.
- Rinse with clear hot water.
- Dry it with a clean towel straight away.
- Stand it on its edge, or lean it in a dish rack, so air gets to both faces. Leave it until it's dry all the way through before you put it in a drawer.
The USDA's cutting board guidance is hot soapy water after every use, a rinse, then air drying or patting dry with clean paper towels.
Drying flat is the mistake that warps boards. The top dries, the bottom stays wet against the counter, and the wood moves unevenly. The same happens if you leave it in the sink under other dishes.
Can you put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher?#
Keep it out. USDA says solid wood boards can go in a dishwasher but laminated boards may crack and split, and many wooden boards are laminated, meaning strips of wood glued together. John Boos, a long-running maker of butcher blocks, says plainly that wood cutting boards are not dishwasher safe and warns against soaking or submerging them, which can split the board.
The long hot soak, the drying heat, and strong detergent are a bad combination for wood and glue. The damage often shows up later as a split along a glue seam.
How to sanitize a wooden cutting board after raw meat#
Wash it first. Sanitizer works on a clean surface, not through a layer of chicken fat.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach into 1 gallon of water.
- Flood the board's surface with the solution and let it stand for several minutes.
- Rinse with clear water.
- Air dry, or pat dry with clean paper towels.
That's USDA's recipe, and it works on wood and plastic. If you'd rather use a commercial product, USDA's guidance on cleaning and sanitizing kitchen surfaces says to pick one approved for cutting boards and follow its label, including any rinse step. Don't use a general surface disinfectant on the board; USDA says those shouldn't go on anything that touches food.
Some people use vinegar. Boos lists a 1-to-5 dilution of vinegar as an option for its boards. Just never use vinegar and bleach together or back to back without rinsing in between. Mixing bleach with an acid like vinegar releases chlorine gas, as the Washington State Department of Health explains.
Easier still: keep a separate board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood, which is what USDA recommends anyway, and make it a plastic one that can go in the dishwasher.
How to get smells and stains out#
Garlic, onion, and fish smells usually live in the top layer of wood. Sprinkle coarse salt over the board, scrub it in with the cut side of half a lemon, leave it for a few minutes, then rinse and dry. A paste of baking soda and a little water does the same job on stains.
These are for smell and appearance. They don't replace washing, and they don't sanitize. If a smell comes back every time the board gets wet, food may be trapped in deep cuts or a crack, and that's a sign to look at whether it needs replacing.
How often should you oil a wooden cutting board?#
At least once a month, and whenever it looks pale and dry. Boos recommends a minimum of monthly oiling and says a board that has turned dry and lighter in color is overdue.
- Start with a clean board that has dried overnight.
- Pour food-grade mineral oil on the surface and spread it with a clean cloth or paper towel. Do every face and edge, not just the top.
- Let it soak in for a few hours, or overnight if the board is very dry.
- Wipe off whatever hasn't absorbed.
Use mineral oil or a board cream made for the purpose. Skip olive, vegetable, and other cooking oils. Boos says cooking oil will damage the board, and food oils can turn rancid and leave the board smelling stale.
The board is only as clean as what you scrub it with#
A sponge that's been in the sink for a month will leave bacteria on the wood you just washed. Change your sponge regularly or use a brush that can go in the dishwasher. Dry the board with a clean towel, not the one that's been hanging on the oven door all week. Microfiber towels dry wood well if you wash them often.
A monthly oiling reminder in ChoreLists.com is the easiest way to remember the step most people skip.
FAQ#
Can you use dish soap on a wooden cutting board?#
Yes. Ordinary dish soap and hot water are exactly what USDA recommends. The thing to avoid is soaking, not soap.
How do you get mold off a wooden cutting board?#
For a few small surface spots, scrub with hot soapy water, sanitize with the bleach solution, rinse, and dry it completely on edge. If mold is growing inside a crack or keeps coming back, replace the board.