How To Clean Cutting Board With Salt

Below is a video showing how to clean a cutting board with salt.

Wood cutting boards need to be cleaned after each use, but you don't want to warp them with harsh chemicals.

Therefore, you can clean your wooden cutting board with salt.

Here's how you do it:

Step 1. Spread the salt onto the cutting board and rub it in, using the salt itself as a mild abrasive.

Step 2. Rub hot water onto the salt on the board until it all dissolves, still using the salt as an abrasive until it all gets dissolved.

Step 3. Dry the cutting board with a clean towel and allow the board to air dry the rest of the way.

In the video Rachel Ray demonstrates this method using coarse salt.

The video also demonstrates how the salt removes the stains from the wooden cutting board, which is an added bonus.

Does This Method Disinfect Your Cutting Board?

In the video Rachel says that salt kills "all" the germs. Based on my research I do not believe this is accurate.

I disagree that salt is a "disinfectant." On the other hand salt does retard bacterial growth, which is why before modern refrigeration one of the major methods of meat preservation was to salt-cure meat, for example.

Therefore, I am not sure that the salt will kill "all" bacteria, but it will retard its growth.

Because of this I don't recommend that you use a wooden cutting board when cutting meat, because those cutting boards need to be thoroughly disinfected after each use.

Instead, you should use a plastic cutting board when cutting meat, and then disinfect it afterward.

You can read how to disinfect a cutting board here.

Tips for sanitizing and cleaning a cutting board {on Stain Removal 101}

I hope these videos have helped you know how to clean a cutting board with salt.

You can submit your own tip about uses of salt in your home here, or read additional tips already submitted.

More Helpful Resources

Uses for salt for cleaning and stain removal {on Stain Removal 101}

Uses For Salt For Cleaning & Stain Removal

Top photo courtesy of jamesonf

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Comments for How To Clean Cutting Board With Salt

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pear stains
by: Helen

I have sliced pears on a hard plastic cutting board. How do I remove the pear stains from this cutting board?

how I remove smells from wooden cutting board
by: Susie

First I wash in hot soapy water, then I cover with baking soda or borax and let sit for a while to try and get the onion smell out. Then I let them sit in the sun for a few hours.

Removing smells from wooden boards with toothpaste
by: Anonymous

I have a nailbrush especially for this use and brush my wooden boards with toothpaste from the discounter. It removes smells like onion and garlic.

why I use wooden cutting boards
by: Marlene

The reason to use wooden boards instead of plastic or glass is that it won't dull your knife as easily as the other two. Also (if I am remembering right)the University of Wisconsin did a test on cutting boards and plastic and glass to see which is easier to sanitize. Using and cleaning each, then testing for bacteria just after and again 30 minutes and again an hour later. They found that the wood sanitized the same as the other two at first, and continued to kill bacteria over time. The other two grew bacteria that may have hidden in a cut or groove. Even a cutting board that one student brought in that had been in the family for 100 years continued to kill bacteria. Take good care of your wooden cutting boards and they will take care of you.

stuff bristle brush for my wood cutting board
by: Yvonne

I use a stiff bristle brush with several squirts of Dawn to scrub my wooden cutting boards. The bristles get into the cracks and remove food junk.

wood boards
by: Anonymous

I came across a article in woodworkers magazine from the 70's. It reviewed a test done in a Wisconsin university. They tested wood, glass, and plastic cutting boards after use for bacteria. Then after washing them all the same they tested them, and again 30 minutes later. The wood had less Bacteria after 30 minutes than right after being washed. Even the one cutting board someone had brought in that had been in the family 100 years.The others had more. Wood cutting boards are better for your knives and your health.

Salt to clean cutting boards and safety.
by: Zoe Hoover Tyler

I attended a Knife Skills class taught by a chef. He recommended using Kosher salt to clean our cutting boards, but he didn't demonstrate. Thank you for the demonstration on how to use salt.

Also, FWIW I heard a report of bacteria from plastic vs wood cutting boards for safety. The result was the wooden cutting board was safer because the wood drew water away from the bacteria killing it.

Once a year....
by: Anonymous

Besides cleaning your cutting board after each use, lightly sanding your cutting board once a year is helpful for removing deeper residue & giving your board a 'new' look. ;)

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