Cutting Board Questions

A few questions, about cutting board maintenance/oiling/cleaning.


For regular maintenance, is just a soft sponge with a little soapy water ok?

Follow up with some pure white vinegar (for disinfecting)?

And I hear the term "the board will tell you when to oil".. when is that exactly? When the board is rough/dry? I let some board cream sit overnight, wiped off, and the surface still feels a little "dry or rough". Should I keep applying?

For regular maintenance, is just a soft sponge with a little soapy water ok? - Yes

Follow up with some pure white vinegar (for disinfecting)? - Yes, but can be diluted and doesn't have to be done after every use.

And I hear the term "the board will tell you when to oil".. when is that exactly? When the board is rough/dry? I let some board cream sit overnight, wiped off, and the surface still feels a little "dry or rough". Should I keep applying? - Sometimes more than one coat is needed. The board may feel rough or dry but it is OK as long as it doesn't LOOK DRY. Oil will not get rid of roughness and it isn't hurting anything.

Wonka1 said:

A few questions, about cutting board maintenance/oiling/cleaning.


For regular maintenance, is just a soft sponge with a little soapy water ok?

Follow up with some pure white vinegar (for disinfecting)?

And I hear the term "the board will tell you when to oil".. when is that exactly? When the board is rough/dry? I let some board cream sit overnight, wiped off, and the surface still feels a little "dry or rough". Should I keep applying?

Click to expand...

In my experience, 'dry/rough' is a matter of the finish, not the condition of the board. The last endgrain I got I took a hand held belt sander to in descending grits until it was actually smooth and even. This changed the feel of it tremendously.

That being said...you can just see when the board needs oil. The color starts to lighten for one. I read somewhere that when you get a new board, you oil it once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year forever. I've had my board for about five years, and still oil it once a month or so, and absolutely when I see light spots coming up (usually in the center first). It certainly can't hurt anything right?

Anyhow, hope that helps!

Dave (boardsmith) is a vendor of cutting boards here on the forum. You can get some good info in his section and on his website.

bahamaroot said:

For regular maintenance, is just a soft sponge with a little soapy water ok? - Yes

Follow up with some pure white vinegar (for disinfecting)? - Yes, but can be diluted and doesn't have to be done after every use.

And I hear the term "the board will tell you when to oil".. when is that exactly? When the board is rough/dry? I let some board cream sit overnight, wiped off, and the surface still feels a little "dry or rough". Should I keep applying? - Sometimes more than one coat is needed. The board may feel rough or dry but it is OK as long as it doesn't LOOK DRY. Oil will not get rid of roughness and it isn't hurting anything.

Click to expand...

:goodpost:

I didn't even see yours when I posted mine lol.

What is the point for vinegar after soapy water. Does not soap suppose to kill the bacteria - disinfect?
Seems redundant to me.

Soap is basically a surfactant & detergent, and will clean the board. By applying vinegar (or any acid or base) you change the pH of the environment that supports pathogen growth and effectively sanitize the surface.

Good stuff. Thanks guys. And thanks for clarifying a few things..

Thanks ecchef.

How do you guys keep onion/garlic smells out of your board? I'm pretty anal about keeping my board oiled and buttered up but no matter how well seasoned it is, I can still smell onion and garlic. Even after vinegar or baking soda.

I must be dirty. I just scrape scrape scrape with a pastry cutter and then firmly wipe with a wet towel. Then vinegar spritz.

Erilyn75 said:

How do you guys keep onion/garlic smells out of your board? I'm pretty anal about keeping my board oiled and buttered up but no matter how well seasoned it is, I can still smell onion and garlic. Even after vinegar or baking soda.

Click to expand...

baking soda made into a paste with h2o

Erilyn75 said:

How do you guys keep onion/garlic smells out of your board? I'm pretty anal about keeping my board oiled and buttered up but no matter how well seasoned it is, I can still smell onion and garlic. Even after vinegar or baking soda.

Click to expand...

A tbls of bleach in a cup of water.

Wonka1 said:

And I hear the term "the board will tell you when to oil".. when is that exactly? When the board is rough/dry? I let some board cream sit overnight, wiped off, and the surface still feels a little "dry or rough". Should I keep applying?

Click to expand...

Here is a pic of my BoardSMITH saying "Oil me!" and one after oiling.

If your board feels rough, wrap a hand-sized block of wood with 400 grit wet/dry, put some mineral oil on the board and sand the surface. If you have one of those rubber sanding blocks it works even better than the wood block.

Rick

"Oil me!"



"Thank you!"

LOL Rick :lol2:

I love it. It could only be made better by being printed as a pop-up book.

LOL, thanks!