Cutting Board Cleaning - How to Properly Clean Your Wood Cutting Board

As with any wooden item, cutting boards should never be submerged in water for extended periods of time. NEVER place your wooden cutting board in the dishwasher. The dishwasher cycle produces extreme heat, humidity, and then more heat—the wood will swell with water and then expand and contract in a short period of time causing cracking and splitting.

Wash your cutting board with water (soap is fine too), including the underside and edges, removing anything that’s stuck to it with a lint-free rag. Most people only wash the top, and that actually ends up hurting the board. When moisture reacts with grain, it swells, and if the swelling isn’t uniform, it can warp the board. A rocking cutting board usually means that only one side was washed.

Then, wipe down the board and let it dry thoroughly overnight, standing it on edge so that both large faces are facing out.

When your board becomes lighter in color and feels ‘dry’ to the touch, that’s when you know it’s time to re-season your board.  Apply board butter on your clean dried cutting board.  This will help protect it and restore some of the shine.  In the event your cutting board is in rough shape you could sand it down and then apply the board wax.