What to Use to Clean a Bamboo Cutting Board

Overview

There are a lot of advantages to using a bamboo cutting board in the kitchen. Aside from its sustainability, it is also one of the better materials to cut on in terms of knife maintenance. The soft material gives enough to not bend your blade, but is still firm enough to cut quickly on. Unfortunately, this softness makes a bamboo cutting board an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Especially after cutting raw meat, it is crucial to clean your board. Fortunately, cleaning a bamboo cutting board is simple and can be done with common household products.

Custom-shaped bamboo cutting board.
Regular Cleaning

After cutting on your bamboo board, immediately rinse it with hot water. Use a kitchen brush or sponge to wipe it down. Apply some liquid dish soap and scrub it into a lather. Be certain to scrub both the front and back of the board; it's hard to be certain where food product may have landed.

Bleaching

If you used the board to cut a raw meat product, the FDA recommends sterilizing your board with bleach. Fill your sink with about 3 gallons of warm water, then mix in about 3 tablespoons of bleach. Don't make the water hot; it will reduce the effectiveness of the bleach. Let the board soak for about 10 minutes. Flip the board half-way through to allow both sides to be cleaned. Once you've soaked the board, take it out and rinse with cool water. Let the board air dry. The bleach solution can be used to sanitize any other kitchenware used on the meat as well.
Conditioning Your Board

Depending on how often you bleach your board, you should condition it with mineral oil approximately once per month. Some companies suggest you condition once a day for the first week. Conditioning prevents your board from drying out and possibly cracking. Using a cloth or your hands, apply 3 tablespoons of food-grade mineral oil to the board. Allow the board to soak overnight or for a few hours, then wipe the oil off. Rinse with warm water.