There’s More Than One Way to … Clean a Cutting Board

The kitchen is full of bacteria and grime – especially the area where you cut, chop and prepare food. Make sure it’s a safe-zone with these sparkling tips

By Timothy R. Schulte
CTW Features

From keeping your counter nick-free to keeping your knife steady, cutting boards are wonderful to have in the kitchen. Until, of course, it comes time to clean them. With the fear of bacteria and illness lurking like a shadow in a dark alley and, perhaps, a lack of confidence in your dishwasher (appliance or spouse), whether or not that cutting board is clean and safe to use after making contact with bacteria is a matter of debate.

“We found that the kitchen is the main battlefield of germ warfare,” says Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona regarding his department’s 1998 study that found the kitchen to be the most germ-ridden room in the home – and the room study participants were least effective in cleaning. “Countertops, the sink and drain area, faucet handles and sponges contained dramatically high levels of illness-causing bacteria like E. Coli, staph and strep bacteria.”

If a quick splash of the sprayer and a cycle in the dishwasher doesn’t leave you too confident, try a few new methods that are sure to clean up.

• To clean and sanitize use hot water and an antibacterial liquid soap. Use the liquid to create hot, soap-heavy water, and then pressure scrub as hard as possible on the board with a scrubbing pad or brush, as if you were sanding a piece of wood. This will remove dirt and food, and kill some bacteria. However, it isn’t fail-safe: “Whether they’re coming into the home on produce or meat or a child brings them home from day care, people are being exposed to more illness-causing germs today than ever. Cleaning with soap and water doesn’t kill germs,” Gerba says.

• Alternative: Wash with hydrogen peroxide, alternating with distilled white vinegar. Let each material soak into the cutting board for 10 minutes before rinsing and moving to the next material. Also, use a bleach/water mixture – 1 tablespoon to 1 quart – to sanitize the board. “After we gave the participants specific instructions on how to use bleach-based cleaners correctly and gave them a recommended disinfecting routine to follow, the amount of illness-causing microorganisms were reduced 99 percent or more,” Gerba says.

• To remove stains and odors: salt and lemon

Sprinkle salt over your board and then scrub it with a halved lemon. The salt will act as an abrasive, and the acid will help remove any scents or stains embedded in the board, such as garlic, onions or fish.

• If you’re using a plastic cutting board, it can always go into the dishwasher after any of these manual cleaning techniques. Be sure it gets in on a hot-rinse cycle and, if it’s available, select the sanitize button.

Remember to always use a new board if switching from preparing raw meat to something else, like fruits or vegetables. When cleaning, be sure to get every groove and nook and cranny of the board – if you notice cracks that bacteria could be hiding in, it’s time to get a new board.

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