How to Clean and Restore an Old Cutting Board

There are two things about me that you may know by now – 1 – I LOVE a good deal! 2 – I am a little bit of a germ freak! So last summer when I found an old cutting board at a garage sale for $1, I had a dilemma. I did a little research and found how to clean and restore an old cutting board – dilemma solved, I bought it!

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I don’t think you really have to be a germ freak to realize how many germs could be found in a used cutting board, even your own personal boards. Food and other (invisible) things tend to soak into wood, especially if you are actually cutting on the board.

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With that in mind, I wanted to make sure mine was disinfected really well. These are the methods I found for cleaning an old cutting board. I may have done more than I needed to, but I used them all.

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Cleaning Old Cutting Boards

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You obviously do not need to use all of these methods, but they are all so easy. The only time consuming part of this project is letting the board dry. These are the methods:

• Wash the board with warm water and dishwashing detergent. I prefer Dawn Dishwashing Soap.
• Wipe the board down with a generous amount of white vinegar.
• Wipe the board with a generous amount of Hydrogen Peroxide.
• Cut a lemon in half and pour sea salt onto the lemon. Using the salted lemon and it’s juice, scrub the cutting board well. Add more salt as needed. (I enjoyed this step.)

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After I was confident that the wood was disinfected, I let it dry completely. I actually set it out in the sun for a while.

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Restoring Old Cutting Boards

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When I got to this part of the project, I was anxious to get it done. Looking back, I should have sanded it down a little. I will probably go back and do that at a later time.

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I found that one popular method is to use coconut oil to treat the wood. It soaks into the wood and as soon as it dries, it is ready to use.

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I happened to have a food-safe butcherblock sealant that I used on a Lazy Susan some time ago. It worked well. I gave it a couple of coats, letting it dry in between each one, and it looked great. The sealant tends to keep the food from soaking in as much, and it is easy to wash and keep clean.

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Other Things I Found Regarding Old Cutting Boards

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After I finished cleaning and restoring the cutting board, I found a post written by one of my favorite bloggers – CoCo at The Crowned Goat. She gave more details regarding conditioning them as well as storing them. It also looks like maybe I didn’t go overboard on my cleaning – she has the same methods listed. Here is the link to the post if you want more details. I think you will love her site!

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For all of you crafty people out there, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia shared how to transfer a handwritten recipe onto a wooden cutting board. It seems pretty simple. Here is her post.

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If you want to have a recipe engraved onto a wooden cutting board professionally, my friend Julie can definitely do it for you. She does excellent work. Check out her page and all that she engraves.

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There is one other post I want to share with you. Robyn from Robyn’s French Nest shared “9 Easy Ways to Decorate with Thrifted Bread Boards.” Her ideas are always beautiful!

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If you are ever at a garage sale or thrift store and find a used cutting board, don’t be afraid to get it. After using these methods to clean and restore an old cutting board, I feel confident that they can be cleaned and usable. Have you used cutting boards in your decorations? What other ideas do you have for them? I would love to hear!

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Have a Grace & Joy-filled day!

Susan

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19