How to Naturally Sanitize & Restore Wood Cutting Boards

Now that things have settled from the holidays, I’ve been taking some time to get caught up on things that often get pushed off, like deep cleaning my kitchen. This past weekend we started by completely cleaning out our entire fridge and wiping it down. We also decided it was time to sanitize and restore our wood cutting boards. Every time I go to cook a meal I am reminded of how awful my cutting boards look — dry, pale and some on the verge of cracking!

If your boards are in need of some TLC as well, I think you will find that our simple process of cleaning them up is rather painless. We used raw or cold pressed coconut oil to add life back into these boards. There are plenty of products sold for this exact purpose and many people use olive oil. Specialty products can be pricey and olive oil can go stale. The quick, easy and inexpensive solution is likely in your pantry right now — coconut oil. With its antifungal and antimicrobial properties you won’t have to be concerned with it growing bacteria or going stale as you would with olive and vegetable oils.

Start with clean, dry cutting boards. You can use coconut oil right out of the container or create a block of it by freezing in an ice cube tray. It will freeze solid in about 20 minutes and then you can work it into the boards the way skis are waxed.

Rub just enough coconut oil onto the board to cover all of the surfaces — front, back, edges, hang up cutout. Then wipe with a clean dry cloth to remove excess oil. Let sit for a few hours before using to ensure the oil has time to get into the wood to really condition it. You may repeat these steps 2-4 times. For maintenance purposes, you can condition your boards approximately every 4 weeks or when the boards are looking worn out again.

Are your wood cutting boards in need of some TLC? Try this simple process and let me know how it goes!