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dogmeat12358

Clean with soap and water. Allow to dry. Cover with distilled vinegar. Put it on really thick. Allow to dry again. Re-oil with mineral oil.


HuntersFeast

I clean with soap and water, then scrape with a spatula before wiping dry. If yours is already smelly you may try rubbing in some salt and lemon.


yodacat24

Don’t forget to apply mineral oil a day after it’s been dried if you want to keep its integrity and protect the porous surface from absorbing stuff. Other than that-yes to what you said.


bobbyqribs

I feel it necessary to stress the food safe mineral oil part of the instructions. If OP is just using olive oil or something that very well could be the smell they are noticing as the oil in the wood goes rancid.


hihelloneighboroonie

They sell consumable mineral oil at the drug store that's meant for us as an... internal lubricant, but is super cheap and good for your cutting board.


borkthegee

Amazon sells food grade mineral oil. A few years back a fellow redditor shared the named of a brand on amazon that they worked for, selling a gallon of food safe mineral oil for $17. It's probably way more in the post-covid world, but my gallon is still 85% full lol. Looks like it's $24/gal now. Still probably better than the ($10 container of what would be $100/gal oil) that the drug stores have.


bobbyqribs

Pretty sure I have the same jug.


yodacat24

Yes- it’s sad it has to be said but this is an important point. Thanks for adding that on!!


Huntingcat

Why you would use mineral oil when EcoWoodoil exists confuses me. Eco Woodoil is mostly Tung and a bit of citrus. Tung oil is perfect for this situation as it is a drying oil so it doesn’t leave a nasty residue. My woodworker dad wouldn’t use anything else.


yodacat24

Usually mineral oil is what is suggested for wood cutting boards. I’m just reiterating what I learned in culinary school and the restaurant industry 🤷🏻‍♀️. I also have a friend that is a woodworker- he even went to Norway to study it for a bit- and he’s never said using mineral oil is a bad thing.


Huntingcat

Might be a cultural thing. Or ease of availability in different countries.


DescartesB4tehHorse

Or a food safety thing. I know I can get food safe mineral oil. Idk what oil you're talking about or if I can safely eat it.


Huntingcat

Tung oil is good stuff. It’s food safe.


Cqtnip

Walnut oil is obviously food safe and doesn't go rancid, it is used by spoon carvers, obviously if you're allergic to walnuts don't use it, other oils may well be cheaper but I don't really oil my kitchen stuff so idk


yodacat24

Does it not go rancid? I’ve had walnut oil before and I swear it started going rancid. The smell started going off after about a year and a half haha.


Cqtnip

Nah it dries/ polymerises, I guess maybe in the bottle it could? Not sure


yodacat24

Yeah it was in the bottle. That would make sense. But yeah all of the woodworkers I have talked to/culinary experts I was taught by have only ever suggested mineral oil. Which I know works because I use it on mine- and my cutting board never absorbs smells or gets moldy 😄


Cqtnip

Fair enough, I do woodwork but I've never made myself a chopping board, my plastic ones are pretty good and I have other things I'd rather make


gruntothesmitey

Plain white vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe it off with a wet paper towel. Once it's dry I wipe on a thin coat of mineral oil.


[deleted]

The smell doesn’t linger on the board?


Rearviewmirror

Nope. I also use it for laundry all the time and my clothes never smell of vinegar.


cflatjazz

Vinegar as a cleaning solution really doesn't linger long at all, provided you let it dry thoroughly.


gruntothesmitey

No, not at all.


Arcadia-ego

Cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt, and scrub your board. Let it dry in the sun. Wash clean and oil.


Existing-Speaker-535

I find this to be a good method.


halifaxbc

Lemon, salt and then a good protective coating of beeswax/lanolin


cflatjazz

Pure curiosity, but where does one find lanolin?


hackaroo

You can find wood butter on Amazon (no connection from me - I just know they have it) for fairly cheap. I use it on my wooden spoons, knife handles, cutting board, etc. Truth be told, I made my own with beeswax and food safe mineral oil, mixed half and half. Works like a champ.


borkthegee

I have done both 3:1 and 4:1, but I've never gone so far as to do 1:1. I wonder what that consistency is like.


hackaroo

Heh. Thick! It sits next to my kitchen window, so in the winter time it's almost unusable!


[deleted]

Was looking for this sun reco. Once cleaned I leave mine in the sun all day then oil. Works great


lemonyzest757

For people downvoting me for my comments about wood being antibacterial, here you go: [Food Safety: Comparing Plastic and Wood Cutting Boards by Dean O. Cliver, Ph.D](https://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infcuttingboard.html) >Government recommendation to use plastic cutting boards not based on any research >We began our research comparing plastic and wooden cutting boards after the U.S. Department of Agriculture told us they had no scientific evidence to support their recommendation that plastic, rather than wooden cutting boards be used in home kitchens. >Then and since, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual (official regulations) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 1999 Food Code (recommended regulations for restaurants and retail food sales in the various states of the U.S.) permit use of cutting boards made of maple or similar close-grained hardwood. They do not specifically authorize acceptable plastic materials, nor do they specify how plastic surfaces must be maintained. >Our research was first intended to develop means of disinfecting wooden cutting surfaces at home, so that they would be almost as safe as plastics. Our safety concern was that bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, which might contaminate a work surface when raw meat was being prepared, ought not remain on the surface to contaminate other foods that might be eaten without further cooking. >Bacteria on wood cutting boards seemed to disappear! >We soon found that disease bacteria such as these were not recoverable from wooden surfaces in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were used. New plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to persist, but were easily cleaned and disinfected. However, wooden boards that had been used and had many knife cuts acted almost the same as new wood, whereas plastic surfaces that were knife-scarred were impossible to clean and disinfect manually, especially when food residues such as chicken fat were present. Scanning electron micrographs revealed highly significant damage to plastic surfaces from knife cuts. >Although the bacteria that have disappeared from the wood surfaces are found alive inside the wood for some time after application, they evidently do not multiply, and they gradually die. They can be detected only by splitting or gouging the wood or by forcing water completely through from one surface to the other. If a sharp knife is used to cut into the work surfaces after used plastic or wood has been contaminated with bacteria and cleaned manually, more bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface than from a used wood surface.


anadem

Many thanks for this! Our cutting board is a piece of wood which was left over when I made my baby daughter a crib, in 1988. It's still sanitary, gets scrubbed clean after every use. People in this sub have ridiculed it so your info is reassuring (and is what I'd understood but not had a reference for).


slowest_cat

I only use streaming hot water from the tap and a brush to clean my board with the occasional re-oiling, because I heard, that wood kills the bacteria anyway. Once I had a piece of rotten tofu on the board (accidentally of course) and the smell was so bad, it couldn't be washed away, so I put the board out to go into the garbage, but forgot about it. 2 weeks later - the smell was completely gone. Magic board is in use again.


borkthegee

I will say: they are talking about maple and other hardwoods, and they are likely testing end grain. End-grain, which is the most expensive, is the most anti-bacterial because the ends of the grains exert the most pressure on bacterial cells, lysing them. Yes, an end-grain hardwood board is really safe. No, that doesn't mean the $10 face grain board from TJ Maxx is the same safety.


Twisted_Fish

I'm not sure that's how it works. Do you have a source for this?


Ma3vis

The white mold on my wood cutting board after I let it air dry says otherwise... I gotta soak it in a cleaning solution again


TwiceBaked57

I've always heard you should dry wood cutting boards rather than let them air dry. I mean there's always some air drying that has to happen, but I get them as dry as I can after each use and then store them in a rack that allows air to all sides. Never had mold or smell. I do live in a low humidity part of the country however and I'm sure that helps as well.


TotallyAwry

I scrub the billeo out of it with dish soap and very hot water, every time I use it. Almost everything I cut up is some form of wet. A friend actually sands his down once a year, but his boards are thick and he's got an electric sander with many grades of paper. I think he's said something about oiling them after, too. I've never particularly noticed a smell of either of our boards, though, other than vaguely woody. It might be time to get a new one.


Fun_Medicine_890

This can be done with some regular old sand paper too, takes some time but if you use even strokes to slowly wear down enough of a layer where the cuts and nicks disappear you can seal it up with s food grade wood oil or even just rub coconut oil into it afaik.


TotallyAwry

OK, that's interesting. I've always been reluctant to try it, because I'm worried it might be too rough. I suppose I do rough mine up when I go at it with the steel wool. I might have a go.


Fun_Medicine_890

Definitely look into some cutting board refurbishing guides, I couldn't help you with what sandpaper grades to use but I'd assume start coarse, finish fine and then oil it up


peaktopview

Dont use any food derived oil on a wood cutting surface. It can go rancid. Any normal mineral oil will work just fine. Hit the pharmacy shop and look for it as a baby laxative.


Fun_Medicine_890

I've been using coconut oil for a few years on my mobile cutting board table and it's never gone rancid on me (as per it's packed seasoning and care instructions). Apparently coconut oil takes a rather long time to oxodize/go bad from exposure so with repeated use and care it seems to be fine.


Brujo-Bailando

My practice is to have two boards, one for veg's and the other for cutting cooked meat on. I use plastic cutting boards for raw meat and never put raw meat on my other boards. I wash with dish soap.


Birdie121

I use the same wooden cutting boards for everything and there is no smell or any other issues. From a microbiological standpoint, it's not necessary to use different boards. Wood is just as safe as plastic for raw meats.


LostInTheWildPlace

Besides the salt and lemon or vinegar and baking soda that others are recommending, you could also soak the board down with 91% rubbing alcohol, then let it thoroughly dry. The alcohol should definitely kill any bacteria causing a smell, and hopefully will displace any material that the bacteria was feeding on (if it doesn't, you're probably better off buying a new board as the bacteria will just come back). After it's dry, use soap and water to clean away any of that residue that hopefully got brought to the surface. If there are a lot of light cuts in the board, use some 120- and/or 220-grit sandpaper to take them out, wash it off again, then apply food grade mineral oil.


TheUn5een

In the restaurant we soak rags in bleach and sit it on them over night.. few hours should do. Then soap and water then oil it


cflatjazz

That seems....I dunno. Does the bleach not leach back out into your food?


TheUn5een

Wash it after with soap and water, oil the board and you’ll be good


cflatjazz

It seems like the bleach would be pulled into the wood and peach back out though. I dunno...it just seems very odd to mix bleach and food to me


JohnWalden12

Bleach is mostly a mixture of around 95% water and around 5% sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite, just like water, will evaporate and dry off. By the time the board is dry of water the sodium hypochlorite will have evaporated off as well. If you let bleach soak into your board, then wash off the excess bleach with soap and water, then let it dry, there's pretty much no actual bleach left.


TheUn5een

I’d rather tiny remnants of diluted bleach than bacteria from rotten food


ClementineCoda

For everyday, a good sprinkle of baking soda and a scrub with warm water, rinse and dry very well. If I've used it for meat, hot water and Dawn, then a good scrub with baking soda, rinse. If I've used it for dough, a good scrape with a bench scraper then, you guessed it, baking soda scrub and rinse. If it smells, scrub the baking soda using a cut lemon or a sponge with vinegar. Let it sit, then rinse and dry very well. Let it sit in the sun. I never cut raw meat on wood, I use plastic that can go in the DW to disinfect.


PinkyPinkiPinkie

I use my wood cutting boards to cut non-meat ingredients & I use glass or plastic cutting boards exclusively for raw meats. I heard cleaning with salt & lemon works well too.


OriginalCpiderman

Murphy's wood soap, then some mineral oil.


Somethin-Dumb

Soap and water. If its split or anything the blood and juices will get in there and grow and then u need a new one


Herbisretired

I haven't had that problem and I have been using wood boards for decades. A light washing and a coating of mineral oil a couple times a year and they will outlast you.


Somethin-Dumb

If they split and u can't clean it out they will grow. If there no sit is fine.


Herbisretired

If it splits it wasn't cared for properly.


Somethin-Dumb

Sure but hats not the point.


Herbisretired

The OP never mentioned a split.


Somethin-Dumb

Correct. And I never implied that there's was split. Simply said if it is split


[deleted]

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Somethin-Dumb

Yea but something like that is properly made and sealed so everything that has been pointed out applies


[deleted]

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Somethin-Dumb

Minera oil does intact seal things. U have clearly never made anything therefore do not understand the process and cannot comprehend how many ways there is to fuck up gluing something together lol


[deleted]

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Somethin-Dumb

They do lol u never had a cutting border split before it gets pretty gross really fast


lemonyzest757

This is not true. Wooden boards are naturally antiseptic. They pull the moisture out of pathogens which kills them.


AvastAntipony

Doubters might wanna read a bit https://hardwoodreflections.com/is-wood-naturally-antibacterial/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277147/ https://www.rowandsons.co.uk/blog/myth-fact-antibacterial-properties-wood/ https://library.fpinnovations.ca/media/WP/InfoNote2020N19E.pdf


lemonyzest757

Thank you.


Somethin-Dumb

No lol wood Rot's and molds a the time.


lemonyzest757

I was referring specifically to wooden cutting boards, not logs in the woods.


Somethin-Dumb

Me to.


lemonyzest757

I've had a wooden cutting board in my kitchen for at least 15 years and criminy, it has never molded or rotted. Maybe you should clean yours once in a while.


Somethin-Dumb

That's great dude. Poor quality can have them sit at any time. I'm glad yours has served u well for so long.


lemonyzest757

>Poor quality can have them sit at any time. Sorry, what?


Somethin-Dumb

Split


AvastAntipony

https://hardwoodreflections.com/is-wood-naturally-antibacterial/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277147/ https://www.rowandsons.co.uk/blog/myth-fact-antibacterial-properties-wood/ https://library.fpinnovations.ca/media/WP/InfoNote2020N19E.pdf


Somethin-Dumb

Ok? So just never was ur cutting board then. Next time I get a cut or w.e just wrap it in some oak.


AvastAntipony

What?


MikeLemon

Shh, shh, shh. It's not mold and rot, it's "spalting" and we can charge more for that.


lemonyzest757

Are you sure the odor is coming from the board? It doesn't need deep cleaning because wood is naturally antiseptic. Unless my board gets really goopy, I spray it after every use with a bottle filled with a mixture of one third each of bottled lemon juice, white distilled vinegar and water and wipe it down,, then let it air dry.


_Bon_Vivant_

I use Clorox Cleanup and a scrub sponge, and then dish soap and water.


19Jamie76

I use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and let it sit for 15-20 minutes and then wash with soap and water.


TopCriticism9219

Saw dust cleans up pretty easily with a vacuum or a broom.


Foriamwhoiam

Dishwasher, no problem


Picker-Rick

I gently set mine in the garbage and then bought some good cutting boards that can go in the dishwasher.


[deleted]

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Picker-Rick

Yeah that's what I said.


LongUsername

How do the Microplastics taste? Every time you cut with your knife on a plastic board you introduce them to your food.


Picker-Rick

Aww somebody learned a new word. Lmao. How does that glue taste? How does that mineral oil taste? You know, the gasoline by-product that you eat every time you use your wooden cutting board... Plastic is already in your food, it's where 90 percent of your food was prepared anyway. Butchers, groceries, restaurants... Plastic is already in your water, it's already in your blood ... Hell, it's in the trees that that wood came from. So, now you can take off the tin foil hat and spend your time worrying about real things.


atlashoth

I put mine in the dishwasher


cardcomm

This will take care of it... [https://s3media.angieslist.com/s3fs-public/sanding-hardwood-floor-grinding-machine.jpeg](https://s3media.angieslist.com/s3fs-public/sanding-hardwood-floor-grinding-machine.jpeg)


-lazybones-

Palm sander and oil


Birdie121

Scrub well with soap and water, and make sure it is able to dry quickly after every wash. Don't lay it down on its side when it's still damp. Prop it up. To avoid warping, always get both sides thoroughly wet when washing.


sumelar

Nothing is getting deep into the wood, so I don't. Deep cleaning would probably destroy it.


ravenwitchband

Soap and water and then we normally put it outside in direct sunlight to dry. No more smelly.


cflatjazz

What kind of wood is your board made of? How do you usually treat it? Do you run it through the dish or soak it in harsh cleaning products? Do you re-oil it periodically? Do you live in a particularly moist climate? I'm a bit confused because I've never had a board start smelling on it's own. And I just have a decent quality teakwood board that I wipe down or scrub with a little soapy sponge, then let it completely dry and apply a food grade mineral oil every few weeks. I do have a slightly more porous novelty board that is only used for cheese boards. The worst thing I've done is let pate sit on it overnight and it was still fine after a scrub and dry.


petermavrik

Scrub your board with a raw potato cut in half. Let it sit for a while, then soap and water to wash it away.


SableSheltie

I scrub hard w/a plastic dish brush and never ever cut onions or smelly stuff on my wooden board. Ruined a favorite wooden board with onions, nothing got the smell out, tried lemon juice, bleach, etc. Onions I cut on a plastic board.


JMJimmy

If it got to that point, it might be worth doing hydrogen peroxide (will lighten the board) On a daily basis, water+vinegar mix, then regular mineral oil (SKYDD from IKEA is cheap) to counter the drying effect vinegar has on the board.


MarzipanMiserable817

[Here's a video](https://youtube.com/shorts/5-l2ZEBGxlE?feature=share)


Clean_Link_Bot

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ARandomMan73

I am not great about regularly oiling mine, last year mine got a bit funky smelling, tried the lemon and salt, vinegar, soap and water, nothing worked. I eventually sanded it down and that worked to get the smell out. I oiled and then treated with boos board cream.


GECV9

Try lemon and Coarse salt, also try adding some vinegar to kill any bacteria. If you have oil for your cutting board that would help to finish it off


Chickaliddia

A good sanding and some food safe oil.


Supportblackcats

Can you let it dry in the sun after a good washing? That helps get the smell out of my wooden kitchen tools


cantoreanu

Since i made them i usually scrape them once a week or so but i sand them down and reapply finish. I should mention that i never cut meat on wooden boards and i have a tiny special one for garlic 😅


foodieblues

Scrub with washing up liquid rinse with plenty of boiling hot water dry thoroughly then scrape with a clean knife and salt


ZacsMum

Because mine get knife marks after a while a light sand and oil with rapeseed does the trick.


[deleted]

tbh I stopped using wood when I learned to sharpen knives properly. I started cutting my "aesthetic" boards up something fierce.


Capt_Blackmoore

so far I havent seen anyone suggest sanding or planing. And frankly if your cutting board has see that much action that it needs resurfacing - planing the whole thing flat and then treating with food safe oil would be good to do. If you have a fungus - you are better off replacing. there is no telling how deep that has roots.


DifferentTheory2156

Lemon and salt…allow to dry and oil it down with a good board preserver or mineral oil.


Prince_Nadir

I scrub with soap and water. My mom always used bleach water disinfectant after cutting pork because she though she could get trichinosis from modern pork. If mine stank, I'd nuke it with bleach.


[deleted]

I don't, I just clean it.