How to Disinfect a Bamboo Cutting Board

After you are done doing your chopping business in the kitchen, it's very important you know how to disinfect a bamboo cutting board. This is especially true if you cut with poultry or fish. Not only is the stench nauseating, but the germs within the cutting board can give you food borne illnesses.

Disinfecting your Bamboo Cutting Board

Since bamboo is wood, you can use the same methods as disinfecting a wooden cutting board. Bamboo tends to be much more sturdy and (according to some users) it has natural bacteria-fighting properties. I'm not sure about the last part, but it is definitely a higher quality than most.

First things first: Clean your Bamboo Cutting Board

The first thing you need to do is clean your cutting board. A bit of mild dish washing soap and hot water works nicely. Make sure you also dry it right away - you don't want to let the water sit as it can cause discoloration and perhaps mold growth.

Once you're done with that, you can start with the disinfecting process.

Method #1: Using Bleach

To create your own disinfecting concoction, simply mix 1 Tablespoon of bleach with about a gallon of warm water. Let the bleach mixture soak into the bamboo cutting board for a few minutes. Afterward, rinse off with hot water. Make sure you really get all the bleach off because you don't want any bleach in your food!

Method #2: Coarse Salt

Take about 1 Tablespoon of Coarse salt and sprinkle it all over your bamboo cutting board. You can use more for larger cutting boards. After, take a sponge and start scrubbing it all around. Rinse off when done.

Method #3: Baking Soda and lemon

Sprinkle baking soda all over your cutting board. Take your lemon (cut in half) and squeeze the juice all over the baking soda. You should see the baking soda starting to foam. Once all the lemon juice is squeezed out, you can use the lemon half as a scrubber to scrub the foam.

Let sit for at least 10 minutes, then rinse off the baking soda.

This is personally my favorite method since it makes my cutting board smell nice and citrusy.

(Note: in this video, Lisa Bronner lets the cutting board dry outside. I don't think that's complete necessary - I just let it dry for at least 10 minutes so the disinfecting process can happen).

Remember: Disinfecting your Wooden Cutting Board is Very Important

I know sometimes the disinfection process can seem tedious, but it is definitely necessary. If you don't disinfect your cutting board, you can get very sick, and I'd much rather prefer spending 20 minutes disinfecting my cutting board than 1 week at home with a food-borne illness.