Cleaning and disenfecting cutting boards.

C

Camper6

Well-known Member
Location
Northwestern Ontario Canada
Here's a way to get all the nicks and scratches and clean up your cutting boards as well as disinfecting them.
My own invention. It even gets out tomato and mustard stains.

And you can do two or three at once.

Use rubber gloves because you will be using bleach full strength.

On the cutting board lay down a piece of paper towel.
Sprinkle bleach full strength on it till it's covered.
Next lay another cutting board on top of that one.
And cover again with a paper towel and sprinkle bleach on it.

Let the boards sit for about a half an hour.

When you separate them they will be clean as a whistle and any scratches will be gone.

Then of course wash and rinse them thoroughly. Bleach is chlorine and in small quantities is not harmful.

I wish I had taken before and after pictures.cuttingboard.jpg
 

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Great method!

I'm fastidious when it comes to disinfecting my cutting boards, too.

Myself, board is rinsed off after use, and using a cloth soaked in bleach, I scrub the board well, then rinse and dry.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Great method!

I'm fastidious when it comes to disinfecting my cutting boards, too.

Myself, board is rinsed off after use, and using a cloth soaked in bleach, I scrub the board well, then rinse and dry.
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The soaked paper towels can be dropped in the toilet and left there. They will also help cleaning.
 

Don M. said:
We've used Farberware "polymer" cutting boards, for years. No nicks, no scratches, and easily cleaned in the dishwasher after use.
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The ones I have are from Dollarama. I have four at a time going. I'm cutting onions on one and celery on another. If you don't get nicks and scratches you're knives are not sharp enough.

I don't have a dishwasher so I have to rely on do it yourself skills.
 
It looks like your cutting boards are plastic or polymer. Full-strength bleach may not damage them.
Mine are bamboo & I only use dish soap & hot water. I don't really have to be concerned because I don't prepare raw or cooked meat. But if I liked meat, I'd follow advice I heard - Use a separate cutting board for meat only to prevent cross contamination.
 
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win231 said:
It looks like your cutting boards are plastic or polymer. Full-strength bleach may not damage them.
Mine are bamboo & I only use dish soap & hot water. I don't really have to be concerned because I don't prepare raw or cooked meat.
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I'm thinking a weaker solution of bleach would work on bamboo. I know they use bleach to lighten the color of wood.
 
win231 said:
It looks like your cutting boards are plastic or polymer. Full-strength bleach may not damage them.
Mine are bamboo & I only use dish soap & hot water. I don't really have to be concerned because I don't prepare raw or cooked meat.
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Extracted from the web...

"In a test where food was cut on boards then not washed, the wooden boards were free of bacteria the next day and the bacteria thrived on plastic boards. Wood does have natural antibacterial properties simply through its capillary action that wicks away moisture from the surface".
 
Aunt Marg said:
Extracted from the web...

"In a test where food was cut on boards then not washed, the wooden boards were free of bacteria the next day and the bacteria thrived on plastic boards. Wood does have natural antibacterial properties simply through its capillary action that wicks away moisture from the surface".
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I wouldn't trust that method of not washing or wiping any kind of a board as a scientific test.

Commercial establishments use polymer or plastic cutting boards for preparing food.
 
Aunt Marg said:
No, and me neither, but the findings are interesting.
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I worked for a company that sold commercial size cutting boards and counter tops to commercial establishments.
There was a rumor started that plastic cutting boards harbored bacteria and wood didn't.

The company disputed that claim quickly with scientific evidence. The cuts in wood with a knife are much deeper than plastic or polymer. That's where the bacteria hides out.
 
Just was doing some research for prices of cutting boards since I need replacements.

Ours go in the dishwasher.

One thing that showed up was that wood was the best. That’s what Gordon Ramsey uses. Someone else also does his clean up.

DH has an old board that his late brother made in high school. A house sitter put it in the dishwasher so the wood separated. Now I just use it to place hot dishes on.
 
Camper6 said:
I worked for a company that sold commercial size cutting boards and counter tops to commercial establishments.
There was a rumor started that plastic cutting boards harbored bacteria and wood didn't.

The company disputed that claim quickly with scientific evidence. The cuts in wood with a knife are much deeper than plastic or polymer. That's where the bacteria hides out.
Click to expand...
I can believe it.

Being the fuss-nut that I am, if something (anything) has been exposed to something yucky, it get's disinfected automatically whether it needs it or not.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Extracted from the web...

"In a test where food was cut on boards then not washed, the wooden boards were free of bacteria the next day and the bacteria thrived on plastic boards. Wood does have natural antibacterial properties simply through its capillary action that wicks away moisture from the surface".
Click to expand...
I remember reading that wood is antibacterial. But technically, bamboo is not wood; it's a type of grass. But it's supposed to be antibacterial anyway.
 
Jules said:
Just was doing some research for prices of cutting boards since I need replacements.

Ours go in the dishwasher.

One thing that showed up was that wood was the best. That’s what Gordon Ramsey uses. Someone else also does his clean up.

DH has an old board that his late brother made in high school. A house sitter put it in the dishwasher so the wood separated. Now I just use it to place hot dishes on.
Click to expand...
He uses the wood boards because it saves the knife edge. Hard plastic or polymer dulls a blade.
 
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