We clean and disinfect a cutting board made of wood and plastic

Each of us has a cutting board in the kitchen on which we cut vegetables, bread and other products. It often happens that this much-needed item becomes dirty, stained and becomes unpleasant. We will talk about how you can clean a cutting board made of wood or plastic so that it retains its appearance for a long time and is suitable for further use.

Materials and Features

Like any thing, a board made of wood has its pros and cons. Among the positive aspects include:

• environmental friendliness;
• strength;
• ease of use;
• low cost.

As for the cons, they are obvious:

• subject to wear;
• gets dirty quickly;
• the porous structure of the tree has the ability to absorb the juice of vegetables and fruits;
• traces of a knife may remain after cutting food.

As for the plastic board, the following qualities are characteristic for it:

• ease;
• strength;
• color variety;
• odors are easily eroded.

Of the minuses, we can distinguish:

• no antibacterial coating;
• the material is not environmentally friendly;
• often a sliding surface.

The inevitability of pollution is the biggest problem that housewives usually use when using a board - both wooden and plastic. This feature leads to the formation of microbes that contribute to the development of infections. To prevent bacteria from entering the body, you need to learn how to clean the surface of food debris.

Cleaning rules

Most often, this kitchen item is cleaned with hot water, as well as all kinds of detergents. It is worth remembering that it is not worth soaking a dirty board in water, since the tree from which it is made can begin to rot, and the number of bacteria will only increase.

It is undesirable to wipe the board with a towel, as the germs may be contained on the fabric. When in contact with it, bacteria may get on a wooden or plastic surface, and washing will be a waste of time.

Tip

The best option after washing is to simply dry this household item in limbo. But if you urgently need to use it, then gently blot the board, both wooden and plastic, with a napkin or a disposable paper towel.

Disinfection

From time to time it is necessary to disinfect the cutting surface, and this process should be given special attention. If you are thinking about how to remove the smell and leftovers of food, weigh all the pros and cons of each method.

The “thermonuclear” Soviet version is chlorine purification. For this purpose, you need to mix five liters of water with one tablespoon of this substance. After that, the wooden board is lowered into the mixture for half an hour. You need to act very carefully, work only with gloves and do not forget about your own safety. After using chlorine from the board, carefully remove all traces of this chemical with hot water. But no one can guarantee that no toxic compounds remain in the porous structure of the surface. Since the board is used for cooking, using this method is still highly undesirable.

It is better to use the usual soda available to every housewife. To do this, dilute a teaspoon in 0.5 l of hot water and mix thoroughly. It is enough to hold the board in the solution for 5-10 minutes, after which it should be thoroughly washed and left to dry in an upright position.By the way, the plastic board can be cleaned in the same way, since soda is a universal cleaner for many surfaces.

In addition to alkali, hydrogen peroxide is also suitable for this purpose. To do this, two teaspoons are mixed with 0.5 liters of water, after which they are placed in the resulting composition board. This method helps to get rid of the smell and residual products.

Folk ways

If you don’t have any detergents at hand, you can use methods that have more than once helped our grandmothers.

One of the great ways to remove contaminants is lemon. Only half of this citrus is enough to clear any food debris from a plastic or wooden board. Rub the surface with lemon, after which the cleaned item is thoroughly washed with water.

Another popular recipe can be a combination of citrus and salt. As in the previous case, rub the board with lemon and then sprinkle with salt. After 10-12 minutes, the surface is again rubbed with a half of citrus, and then washed with water.

If you need to remove the smell of herring or meat from the board, vinegar can do this very well - you can wipe the cutting surface with it.

If you notice cracks or scratches appear on the board, dispose of it as soon as possible. Even if you really like this thing, remember that with deep damage to use it is already unusable.