Care Of Your Cutting Board

First and foremost, do not put your wooden cutting board in the dishwasher, ever. The heat and moisture inside dishwashers cause the wood to absorb water and soften. This breaks down the surface fibers, ruins the fine sanded finish, and will often lead to warping and cracking. Just not putting your cutting board in the dishwasher will eliminate about 90 percent of problems. Further, it's not necessary. Some people believe that in order to sanitize kitchen equipment, including wooden cutting boards, it is necessary to run them through the dishwasher. As discussed HERE, unfinished wood is self cleaning. The physical properties of the wood kill bacteria. What's more, studies have shown that putting cutting boards in dishwashers do not necessarily sanitize the surface. What researchers found is that more often, the bacteria is spread around inside the dishwasher by the pressure of the spraying water to the other dishes.

Second, do not leave your cutting board sitting in water, either in the sink or in a puddle on the counter, or with a puddle of water on it. The wood will absorb the water to balance its moisture content. While not as destructive or fast acting as the dishwasher, leaving your cutting board to sit in water may lead to warping and cracking as the wood absorbs and looses water unevenly. Not letting your cutting board sit in water will eliminate about 90% of the remaining problems.

When you are done using your cutting board, either wipe with clean, moist cloth, or quickly rinse under running water scrubbing off any stuck-on food. Dish soap can be used to help remove any fats, oils or grease, but research has shown that it is no more effective at killing bacteria than the wood's natural ability. When cleaning, wet both sides of the board evenly. This will keep the moisture balanced within the wood and help prevent warping.

Once clean, use a dry towel to wipe off any surface water and prop up on end on a dry towel to fully dry before putting away. The goal is to provide good air circulation and not allow any part of the board to stay wet. Obviously, the time that it takes for your board to dry will depend on your climate and the humidity level of the air. Where I live in Colorado, the board is dry within a few minutes. In a more humid environment, it could take a few hours. Putting a board away wet may lead to uneven drying, mold growth, warping and cracking.

Staining - Some foods will stain your cutting board. Brightly colored fruits such as pomegranate and berries are especially good at this, but pre-weting the board will minimize staining. When finished using the board, rinse under running water and give it a quick scrub with soft brush. Please do not scour it with wire or abrasives. Wipe off surface water and dry as normal. Over a few days, and a few more uses, you will see the stain begin to fade, usually disappearing completely. Interestingly, the stain is not actually fading or being washed off, rather the stain is being drawn into the wood by the same self cleaning mechanism discussed HERE.

Odors - Some foods such as onions and garlic are notorious for leaving odors on cutting surfaces. First don’t let the food sit on the board any longer than necessary, and rinse the board right away as soon as you are done cutting. For stubborn odors try rubbing freshly cut citrus on the board and then rinsing. A paste of baking soda with a little water rubbed onto the board and then rinsed can also be effective.

End of life - Natural cutting boards do not last forever, nor are they intended to. With proper care however, your board should give you years of service. Eventually though the board may develop a large crack (small cracks should cause no problem) or show so much wear from knife use that it is no longer efficient to use. As your board is 100% natural wood, it can be safely composted or even burned in the fire place.