To Best Clean Your Cutting Boards, Reach For Some Baking Soda

Cutting boards have been around for thousands of years and since their invention people have been using all sorts of methods to clean them. It's an important topic because failure to clean your cutting board properly is a common kitchen mistake that can lead to food illnesses. While a little soap and water can go a long way, cleaning your cutting boards with baking soda is a great way to give them a real refresh.

Baking soda cleans more gently than bleach or other bottled cleaning products you'll find on the shelves. But that hasn't stopped baking soda from becoming a staple household cleaner. Baking soda is a great cutting board cleanser because it neutralizes lingering acids and smell-causing bacteria. It removes tough stains that sit in the grooves of your board and is abrasive enough to scrub away stubborn grime. Baking soda can kill bacteria in two ways: With direct attacks and by changing the environment. As an alkaline substance, baking soda naturally lowers the pH of the surface when you apply it to your cutting board. The bacteria on the cutting board can't survive in the new, more alkaline environment.

Baking soda can be used as a standalone cleaner that freshens and deodorizes. But when it's combined with water, it becomes even more powerful. A paste made with baking soda and water can disinfect, remove grease, and get rid of smells. But that's not the only way to use it on your cutting board.

In addition to using baking soda and water, you can combine baking soda with lemon juice and kosher salt to form a paste to rub across the surface. The citric acid in lemon juice is another natural cleaning agent but lemons also bring a higher pH to the table. You'll get cleaning power out of the combination of baking soda and lemon for cleaning and deodorizing. Use bottled lemon juice or squeeze lemons straight onto your board; the leftover lemon rinds work great as a sponge for scrubbing. Next, add kosher salt to make an abrasive cleaning solution that really gets out the grime.

Hydrogen peroxide is another cleaning agent commonly used in combination with baking soda and sometimes dish soap. These ingredients are combined in a small bowl (don't use a closed container or it could explode) and then applied to a cutting board. Let it sit overnight for the best stain-lightening results.

While there are other household products that can be combined with baking soda, certain chemicals like ammonia, alcohol, and chlorine bleach can have dangerous reactions. So, before mixing, be sure to confirm that the agent you've chosen is safe.

These baking soda treatments can be done daily or occasionally depending on how much you use your cutting board. No matter the material type, whether plastic, wooden, or otherwise, baking soda will leave your cutting board smelling fresh and looking new.