Day to day cutting board maintenance is straightforward — clean it as soon as you’re done, and be mindful of the food items that are cut on them.
However, you would want to be much more thorough in your maintenance, especially when purchasing an expensive wooden cutting board made from premium products like cherrywood, Maplewood, and walnut.
Premium wooden cutting boards can withstand abuse when compared to plastic. If you’re using it to cut vegetables or slice bread, then all you need is a damp rag to wipe it down. But if you are dealing with meat or fruits that can stain, to be more aware. Immediately after using your wooden board, scrub it with soapy water and dry. Cherry stains, for example, can be long-standing. For aggressive stains, scrub the board with coarse salt and rub it with a halved lemon. This will deodorize the wooden board as well as any stains.
Plastic boards — while more affordable – do not last as long as premium wood boards. Once they become marked up and cut up, it’s very difficult to restore plastic boards. Thankfully, with a wooden board, your money is not going to waste. With a bit of care and elbow grease, you can restore your wooden boards and bring them back to life.
Scratches. Knife marks on your wooden board are unavoidable. Thankfully, they’re pretty easy to get rid of. If your board starts to look a bit scratchy, then sand it down with wet and dry sandpaper. Wipe off the dust, and use an oil designed for boards to restore its finish.
Warped. Wood can actually become warped if it becomes too wet for too long. To flatten it out, lay a damp cloth over the work area and iron it until it becomes straight. Place something substantial like an old book on top of it to keep it flat while it tries, making sure to let it dry completely before use.
Offensive smells. If your wooden board is stinky, and you cannot remove the smell regardless of how much detergent to use, then use coarse salt and half a lemon to help eliminate odors. For stubborn smells like garlic, you can use cleansers that are formulated with enzymes to remove funky smells.
What Is the Average Lifespan of a Wood Board?
When properly taken care of, the premium wooden cutting board can last between five and ten years.
One of the main reasons why boards are replaced is because they become worn, warped, or miscolored. You can circumvent most of these with regular maintenance. However, a factor that tends to be overlooked is the proliferation of bacteria. Worn cutting boards have thousands of hiding spots for bacteria to grow, that can cause serious illness. Worn cutting boards can also be a potential safety hazard because a sharp knife on an unstable surface is inherently dangerous.
While wooden cutting boards resist bacteria better than plastic, laminated wood boards are not dishwasher safe and can be difficult to clean. Replace a wooden cutting board when it comes excessively worn. Most are designed to have several laminated pieces, and they should be replaced when the seams between the boards begin to separate. Bacteria can grow between the seams, and your wooden board can contribute to reoccurring sickness.
When To Give Up
Theoretically, with the right routine, your cutting board will last a long time. However, you may have a difficult time knowing when to give up. If deep cut marks start to show up on the face of the wood, you can sand down the ridges by taking sandpaper. Sanding it down evenly takes time, but it will give you board a new lease in life. Sometimes the board will actually become warped, regardless of your best care. In that case, you will need to get a new board. When glue joints fail or become heavily cracked, bacteria can start to develop. There is long grain, square tiles, end grain — shop for the wooden board at Wood Cutting Boards Store.
Wood Cutting Boards Store Advantage
Wood Cutting Board Store is a U.S based, small business that specializes in the design and manufacturing of custom wooden boards. We use cherry, walnut, maple, with many of our custom boards designed with several types of woods. Focusing on quality instead of bulk orders, Wood Cutting Boards Store caters to cooks who want to alleviate their food preparation experience, to restaurants who need custom wood designs. To learn more, contact us.