It’s Essential That You Clean Your Cutting Boards—Here’s Exactly How to Do It

Cutting boards are an essential cooking tool—no kitchen is complete without one. Whether you prefer natural wood or bamboo, durable plastic, or stain-resistant glass, cleaning and caring for a cutting board is an important part of food safety. Cutting boards are porous and can harbor bacteria like E. coli and salmonella that cause foodborne illness. 

There are multiple methods for cleaning cutting boards and, while all of them will get your board clean, each method has slightly different strengths. This guide provides instructions on each method, as well as information about when you might choose one approach over another, and what problems each method best addresses.

How to Clean Plastic Cutting Boards

Many plastic cutting boards are dishwasher safe; if it is safe to do so, washing a cutting board in the dishwasher is the best choice because the high heat offers more cleaning and sanitizing power than washing the board by hand.

To determine if a cutting board is dishwasher safe, either check the care instructions provided at purchase or in an online product description, or look for the dishwasher-safe symbol stamped somewhere on the board. The dishwasher-safe symbol is a square with a fork and glass, or a square with a glass and water droplet(s).

Routine Washing with Dish Soap

To wash a plastic cutting board by hand, start by scraping any food into the garbage can or disposal. Rinse the surface with hot water, then wash both sides of the board with dish soap and a non-scratch scrub sponge or dish brush. Rinse the board well with hot water and dry thoroughly with a clean dish towel.

Deodorize with Lemon or Vinegar

To eliminate odors from cutting boards, use either lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to clean the surface. The acetic acid in both lemon and vinegar is a powerful natural cleaning agent and deodorizer that can quickly and safely neutralize strong food odors that have seeped into a cutting board. 

To use lemon to clean a cutting board, scrub the board with the cut side of a lemon, then wash with hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. To add scouring power, sprinkle kosher salt on the lemon, which acts as a gentle abrasive to scour away odor-causing buildup and residue.

To use vinegar for cleaning a cutting board, soak a paper towel with it and lay it on top of the board. Allow 5-10 minutes to neutralize odors, then wash with hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. 

Remove Stains with Hydrogen Peroxide

To remove stains from a cutting board, soak a paper towel in hydrogen peroxide and lay it on top of the board. Allow 5-10 minutes for the hydrogen peroxide to penetrate and break down the stain, then wash with hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.

Disinfect with Bleach

Chlorine bleach is especially useful for eliminating bacteria on cutting boards after preparing raw meat. Make a mild bleach solution by mixing 2 tsp. bleach with 1 gallon of water. Submerge the board in the solution and allow it to soak for 2 minutes. After soaking, don household gloves to protect your skin from the bleach solution, and wash the board well with hot soapy water. Rinse well, and dry thoroughly with a clean dish towel.

How to Clean Wood and Bamboo Cutting Boards

Wood and bamboo cutting boards should be washed by hand, and should not go in the dishwasher—the high heat and prolonged exposure to moisture can cause cracking, splitting, and other damage. Additionally, to prevent overexposure to moisture, do not soak a wood or bamboo cutting board for longer than 10 minutes.

Immediately after washing, wood or bamboo cutting boards should be dried with a clean dish towel to prevent bacterial growth from forming on the wet surface. After washing and drying, experts recommend oiling a wood cutting board to prevent drying and splitting. 

Dish Soap Cleaning Method

Follow the same instructions for hand-washing a plastic cutting board. After washing the board with a sponge and hot soapy water, use a metal bench scraper or spatula to scrape the surface, then rinse with hot water.

Lemon or Vinegar Cleaning Method

Acids like lemon or vinegar help to deodorize and disinfect wood cutting boards. Either scrub the board with the cut side of a lemon, or soak a paper towel in distilled white vinegar and lay it on top of the board for 5-10 minutes. Wash the board with hot, soapy water to remove the lemon or vinegar, and dry thoroughly. 

Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaning Method

Wood cutting boards are highly prone to staining because they are porous. To remove stains from the wood, lay a hydrogen peroxide-soaked paper towel on the surface for 5-10 minutes, then wash with hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.

Bleach Cleaning Method

To disinfect a wood cutting board, especially after using it to prepare raw meat, soak it in a mild bleach solution (2 tsp. bleach to 1 gallon of water) for 2 minutes. After soaking, wash the board well with hot soapy water, rinse, and dry thoroughly with a clean dish towel. 

How to Clean Glass Cutting Boards

Like plastic cutting boards, many glass cutting boards are dishwasher-safe and, if that is the case, the dishwasher will be the best choice for cleaning and disinfecting your board after use. Glass cutting boards may also be washed by hand using any of the methods above.

After washing, always dry a glass cutting board with a clean dish towel to prevent water spots and mineral deposits from forming.

To remove stubborn stains on a glass cutting board, or to reverse cloudiness caused by soap residue, soak the board in a solution of distilled white vinegar and filtered water for 1-2 hours, then wash and dry as usual. Note that this method will not work to remove cloudiness caused by scratches or etching in the glass.

When to Replace a Cutting Board

Regardless of which type of cutting board you have, experts recommend replacing them every few years. Signs that a cutting board needs to be replaced include deep grooves that are hard to clean, cracks, or warping.