How to Clean Your Wood Cutting Board

We use our wood cutting board for everything. I snagged a gorgeous, heavy, heirloom-style cutting board from a local woodworker and I’ve never looked back. I vowed that I would put time and effort into cleaning my wood cutting board since we all know that funk can get trapped in the grooves.

I’ve only ever used soapy hot water, until I learned that that’s not cutting it – pun intended. When you make grooves in the wood, bacteria can get trapped underneath. If you’re using one cutting board or cutting meat where you cut your vegetables, bacteria can easily form in your cutting boards. 

I love a beautiful wood cutting board. It ranks up there with my cast iron in my favorite kitchen items. Like cast iron, if you take care of it, you can ensure it is clean and extend its life dramatically. 

Here is a simple way to clean and sanitize your wood cutting board. This is great to do every couple of months to ensure your wood cutting board is clean and in good shape for long term use. 

Step-by-step to cleaning your wood cutting board

First, wash and scrub your cutting board with hot soapy water. 

Next, pat dry and spray your cutting board with white distilled vinegar. If you don’t have vinegar in a spray bottle, simply pour some on and wipe it around. 

Third, pat it dry again and sprinkle your board with salt. I use a coarse celtic sea salt. 

Next, cut a lemon or lime in half and rub the salt into the board with your citrus. Small circles. You’ll find out if you have any cuts on your hands now. Do this until most, if not all, of the salt is dissolved. 

Then, pour on some olive oil and rub all over the board. 

Let your board completely dry, then brush off any excess salt. 

If you want to take it a step further, you can add a bee’s wax based board balm after your board is completely dry and cleaned off. I like to use a bee’s wax board balm since it is all natural and very effective at sealing the wood to prevent moisture and bacteria from hanging out in the grooves of your board.