Every month or so I give my wooden cutting boards a good cleaning — kind of like a nice little spa treatment — by using a few simple kitchen ingredients: lemon, salt, and a touch of elbow grease. I’ve been doing it for years, and it’s the simplest, most effective way to give your cutting boards a deep clean. No store-bought cleaners required!
I first learned this cleaning trick decades ago when I worked in a community kitchen that had a huge butcher block-topped prep table. The table was wiped down several times a day and always looked clean. But about once a week, we would do a special cleaning with salt and lemons, and I was always impressed by how well it cleaned the surface. My evidence? The dirty gray sludge that I would scrape away every week, despite the fact that the kitchen was extremely clean and well-kept. Naturally, I started doing it at home, and you should, too.
How to Clean a Wooden Cutting Board with a Lemon and Salt
Sprinkle coarse salt on the surface, then rub the cut half of the lemon in circles, scouring to clean. Let it sit for 5 minutes before scraping off the remnants with a bench scraper. Give a final pass with a damp, clean sponge.
How to Clean Wood Cutting Boards with Lemon and Salt
The procedure is simple. You don’t even have to use a freshly cut lemon — a mostly squeezed lemon will do here, and it’s a great way to use one up from a cooking project. For a stinky cutting board or with extra stubborn stains, you can also try adding a little bit of baking soda with the salt.
What You’ll Need
- 1/2 of a lemon
- Coarse salt
- Bench scraper
- Warm water
- Sponge or cloth
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Apply salt: Sprinkle the cutting board with coarse salt.
2. Scour the surface: Using a lemon half with the cut side down, scour the surface, squeezing slightly to release the lemon juice as you go.
3. Let sit, then scrape off: Let sit for 5 minutes, and then scrape the gray, dirty liquid into a small bowl using a bench scraper, and discard.
4. Rinse: Give the surface a final rinse with a clean wet sponge.
Does Lemon Disinfect Wooden Cutting Boards?
Beware that lemon just cleans wooden cutting boards, but doesn’t have disinfectant properties. According to Jessica Ek of The American Cleaning Institute, lemon and the abrasive nature of salt are useful in breaking down stains, but to disinfect the surface, she recommends washing your cutting board with hot, soapy water after each use, rinsing, and patting dry.
Can You Clean Plastic Cutting Boards with Lemon and Salt?
Yes, you can use this same method on a plastic cutting board! While it wasn’t the winning method when The Kitchn editors tested to find the best way to clean plastic cutting boards, but it can work in the same way to deodorize it and remove stains.
The best way to clean plastic cutting boards is to mix hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap, spread it on your cutting board, and let it sit overnight. Any stains will easily come up once washed off!