Butcher block cutting boards are wonderful, versatile kitchen tools. They offer a sturdy cutting surface for chopping fruits and veggies or meat, and their warm, natural beauty makes for a lovely centerpiece or serving platter. Keep your butcher block cutting board clean and gorgeous with this step by step guide from the experts at Best Maids, one of Chicago’s best rated cleaning services with more than 10 years of experience.
Step 1: Clean
Use hot, soapy water and a scrubby sponge or brush to thoroughly clean the surface of your butcher block cutting board, taking extra care to remove all stuck-on food particles, and rinse well with hot water.
Step 2: Sanitize
We like to have our maids use vinegar for sanitizing butcher block surfaces as bleach can sometimes damage the wood. A good rinse with white vinegar will do the trick or if you happen to keep a vinegar-water solution in a spray bottle for general cleaning, that will work as well. Just spritz the entire cutting board and let sit while you prepare step three.
Step 3: Scrub
Liberally sprinkle coarse salt over your cutting board, slice a lemon in half and use it to rub the salt into the board. If you don’t have a fresh lemon on hand, you can mix about 1/4 cup of salt with lemon juice to create a paste, then using a scrub brush, thoroughly scrub your cutting board. This will remove odors and bleach out any stains. Rinse well, removing as much water as you can, and allow the butcher block cutting board to dry completely.
Step 4: Seal
Once your cutting board is completely dry, pour a small amount of food-grade mineral oil onto it, and rub it into the cutting surface and edges using a lint-free cloth or paper towel, polishing with the grain. As the oil soaks in, add a little more and continue rubbing and polishing until all the oil is absorbed. Keep adding oil until no more soaks in, then remove any excess oil with a cloth. It may take several applications if this is the first time you’ve sealed your butcher block cutting board.
Best Maids has been serving Chicago and the surrounding area for over 10 years, providing house cleaning services to families, couples, the elderly, and busy professionals. Over the last 10 years, we’ve become experts having tackled every kind of home cleaning challenge, surface, finish and stain. If you are interested in learning more about our cleaning services for the Chicago area, please contact us for a free house or office cleaning consultation.
