The first rule almost everybody know is that cutting boards do not go in the dishwasher. But how to clean a wooden cutting board then?Immediately after using, it is possible to remove the bigger residues with a sponge. Then, the cutting board can be washed with warm water and a sponge soaked in little dish soap. Finally, the cutting board must be rinsed and dried with a clean cloth. It is also important that the cutting board is then left drying in a vertical position, far from heat sources.
For a deeper sanitation of the wooden cutting board, instead of using the dish soap, the board can be sprayed with a bleach solution diluted in lukewarm water in proportion of 1/20, obviously after having removed the bigger food residues. After letting the bleach solution work for a few minutes, you must rinse the surface with warm water and dry it with a clean cloth. As a final step, leave the cutting board drying in a vertical position so that water do not stagnate or filter within the cutting board.
At least once in a month, in order to guarantee the right level of humidity to the wood fibres (after accurate cleaning and drying), it is sufficient to rub a thin layer of mineral oil such as Vaseline on all sides of the cutting board and to remove the excess one with a soft cloth. With this trick we prevent the wooden cutting board from warping or dehydrate up to form cracks on the surface. This is the reason why the cutting board must never been kept near heat sources such as the hoven, stoves, radiators, burners or even in too humid environments. It is essential that the mineral oil is rubbed on all surfaces of the cutting board and not only on the cutting surface because, by doing so, the cutting board might warp. The ideal alternative to the only mineral oil would be a mixture of mineral oil and natural beeswax , for a basic water-repellent treatment.
We suggest not to use alcoholic substances on our cutting boards.
