making your board last a lifetime
Your new chopping board is a living, breathing thing. Your board wants to grow old with you. Like you, it needs care, compassion, and occasional sustenance to thrive.
Cleaning your board is simple enough. Wipe your board down with mild soapy water, followed by a quick rinse under the faucet, and then wipe dry with a towel. If you’ve cut chicken or meat on the board, wiping the board with a mixture of 1 tsp. of bleach to 1 gallon of water will help kill salmonella and other nasty stuff. Never leave your chopping board soaking in water; the wood can act like a sponge, weakening the integrity of the whole board through expansion.
Your board wants to look its best. To maintain its youthful, radiant appearance, apply a thin coat of food grade mineral oil usp to the surface once a week if you use the board regularly. You can find food grade mineral oil usp in your grocery store, typically in the section where you will find cough drops, aspirin, Metamucil, etc. Remember, you want food grade oil, NOT baby oil… blech! With exposure to natural light and additional applications of oil, your board will begin to take on a richer, deeper hue.
And never, ever use a serrated knife, bread knife, or a pizza cutter on your board. The sawing action acts just like a handsaw on the wood. Cover your board with a plastic cutting mat to use these tools.
If the surface becomes worn from use, a quick session with 200 grit then 600 grit sandpaper (available at any hardware store) will return your board to it’s mirror-smooth glory.