How to Clean a Wooden Cutting Board

Is soap okay? What about air-drying? And what’s the deal with board oil? We answer all your burning questions.
Trimming the edges off of green beans on a cutting board
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Pearl Jones

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

A big wooden cutting board is the cast-iron pan of ingredient prep: an essential kitchen tool that’s heavy, totally beloved, built to last forever, and not at all intuitive to clean. And as with your best hand-me-down skillet, there is a lot of (often contradictory) information out there about how best to wash your boards. Here, you’ll find the answers to the most commonly asked questions about rinsing, drying, and maintenance—plus a few of our favorite products to help you get the job done. You might still puzzle over all the cast-iron seasoning steps, but you’ll be an expert on how to clean a wooden cutting board.


Can you wash a wooden cutting board with soap?

The short answer is yes: a little bit of dish soap and warm water is the best move for everyday cutting board cleaning.

Like all wooden kitchenware—spoons, salad bowls, cheese plates, the whole shebang—a wooden cutting board should never be put through the dishwasher. Your butcher-block slab may look resilient, but it really does require a gentle hand if you hope to own it for many years. Use a basic kitchen sponge, warm (but not scalding) water, and your average everyday dish soap to clean your cutting board of any food residue and discoloration. Then rinse the board well.


How should you dry your wooden cutting board?

If your board warps or splits over the course of its life, it will not be the fault of your knife skills or incessant onion slicing. The real culprit? Water. Drying your board properly after washing it, never letting it sit wet in the sink, and quickly cleaning up anything overly damp that you’re cutting on it will prolong your cutting board’s life and keep it straight and level.

After you’ve washed it with soap and water and rinsed everything clean, immediately pat your wooden cutting board dry with a kitchen towel, then set it upright (set it on the long edge or lean it gently against a wall rather than placing it flat on a countertop) to dry completely. This allows the water that has penetrated the wood to evaporate evenly on all sides, which keeps the board from curving or cracking.


What about sanitizing and disinfecting?

Stains, smells, and bacteria growth are inevitable on a surface that sees as much action as your wooden cutting board, especially if it’s older and has a few knife nicks. Occasional—or regular, if you use it for meat—sanitizing and disinfecting of your board with natural solutions is a necessary part of upkeep.

To tackle set-in stains, sprinkle the area with coarse salt and rub it in with a half lemon, cut side down; the combination of acid and abrasion will work out most discoloration. For smells and bacteria, dilute white vinegar with a bit of water and spray the entire surface of your cutting board. Let it sit for two or three minutes, then wash and dry as normal. 

(A note about using a wooden cutting board to prep raw meat, poultry, and fish: You absolutely can if you’re diligent about cleaning, but it’s a best practice to designate a plastic board—which is machine washable and can handle the sanitizing effects of a long soak in super hot water—for those products and reserve your big wooden boy for everything else.) 

Image may contain: Bottle, and Shaker

16-Ounce Glass Spray Bottle


What’s the move for long-term maintenance?

Take it from someone who has ruined an expensive cutting board by neglecting to give it the TLC it required: You gotta moisturize. Like a skin-care routine, monthly board-care sessions take just a few minutes each time but can make a world of difference, maintaining the natural oils in the wood and protecting it from excess moisture.

All you need for regular board upkeep is a bottle of good food-grade mineral oil. Vegetable, coconut, nut, and seed oils can all start to go rancid and smell after some time when used on wood, so “white” or FDA-certified mineral oil is the best move. It is fairly inexpensive, and a little goes a long way. Rub the mineral oil all over your (clean and completely dry) cutting board, covering every edge and side in an even coat. Prop it up like you did when drying it to allow the oil to soak in for an hour or two. 

If you want to get fancy and add another step to the process, a board cream or conditioner (usually a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil) or a bit of 100% beeswax makes for a good follow-up coat. Once the oil has soaked into the wood, spread the cream all over the board in a thin, even layer, then set it aside to dry overnight. The next morning, wipe any excess into the board with a clean kitchen cloth. The exterior will look shiny and new, and be able to withstand another month of continued use.

Image may contain: Bottle, Shaker, and Lotion

John Boos Block Board Maintenance Set

Image may contain: Bottle, Cosmetics, and Shaker

Material Wood Oil


Get to chopping

Now that you’re well-versed on how to clean a wooden cutting board, the next step—if you haven’t already—is to add one to your kitchen arsenal. These are a few of Team Epi’s favorite wooden boards, built to last a lifetime and look good doing it.

John Boos Block Cherry Wood Cutting Board, 18 x 12 Inches

Image may contain: Furniture, Tabletop, Wood, and Plywood

Sonder Maple Wood Cutting Board, 17 x 13 x 1.5 inches

Photo of The Angled Board in Carbon Black by Material.

Material Angled Board