By Jasman, Co-founder of PureZest | Updated October 2026 | 8-minute read

Wondering how to clean a cutting board properly? For everyday use, scrub it with hot water and a good dish soap right after you use it, rinse well, and let it dry standing up. Wood and plastic boards then need slightly different care for stains, smells and raw meat, and that's what this guide covers, step by step.

Key Takeaways

• Clean right after use: hot water, dish soap and a brush or scrubber, then rinse and air-dry upright.
• Wooden boards: never soak them or put them in the dishwasher; wash fast, dry fast and oil them about once a month.
• Plastic boards: they can handle a soak and a stiffer brush, but deep knife grooves mean it's time to replace them.
• Raw meat, poultry and fish: Health Canada recommends a separate board for them, plus cleaning and then sanitizing before and after food prep.
• Stains and smells: coarse salt and half a lemon work on wood; a baking soda paste works on plastic.

Why Cleaning Your Cutting Board Properly Matters

A cutting board touches almost everything you cook, so leftover food residue, fat and juices can easily move from one food to the next. Cleaning removes that residue so it can't build up in knife marks or transfer to the next thing you chop.

According to Health Canada, more than 4 million Canadians get food poisoning every year. The same guidance recommends separate cutting boards for produce and for raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood, and washing anything that has touched raw food with soap before you reuse it.

The type of board also matters. Wood is gentle on knives but absorbs water, so it needs quick washing and drying. Plastic is easier to wash aggressively but scars more deeply over time.

What You'll Need

• Hot water
• A gentle, effective dish soap (we use PureZest Enzyme Dish Soap)
• A stiff brush or a wooden scrubber
• A clean, dry tea towel or microfibre cloth
• Coarse salt and a lemon (for wooden boards)
• Baking soda (for plastic boards)
• Food-grade mineral oil or board cream (for wooden boards)

How to Clean a Wooden Cutting Board

Wash it quickly with hot, soapy water, rinse and dry it right away. Wood is porous, so the goal is to clean the surface well without letting it sit wet.

1. Scrape off food bits with the back of a knife or a bench scraper.
2. Add a few drops of dish soap to a wet brush or scrubber.
3. Scrub both sides and the edges, following the grain. Both sides matter because juices run underneath.
4. Rinse under hot running water until no suds remain.
5. Towel-dry, then stand it on its edge so air reaches both sides. Lying flat on the counter traps moisture and can cause warping.

Never soak a wooden board or run it through the dishwasher. Long exposure to water and heat makes wood swell, crack and split, and those cracks are much harder to keep clean.

How to Clean a Plastic Cutting Board

Plastic boards can take a little more water and elbow grease. Most can also go in the dishwasher if the manufacturer says they're dishwasher-safe, but hand-washing gets into the knife grooves better.

1. Rinse off loose food under hot water.
2. Soak for 5–10 minutes in hot water with a squirt of dish soap if there's dried-on residue or grease.
3. Scrub along the knife marks with a stiff brush, not a sponge. Bristles reach into grooves where food gets trapped.
4. Rinse thoroughly and air-dry upright or in a dish rack.

How to Clean a Cutting Board After Raw Chicken or Meat

Clean it first, then sanitize it. Cleaning removes the juices and residue; sanitizing is a separate step, and Health Canada recommends doing it for cutting boards before and after preparing food.

1. Wash immediately with hot, soapy water and a brush. Don't let raw juices dry on the board.
2. Rinse completely so no soap is left on the surface.
3. Sanitize with a kitchen sanitizer used as directed, or the diluted bleach solution Health Canada suggests: 5 mL of bleach in 750 mL of water.
4. Rinse all items carefully with water, then air-dry.

Better still, keep one board just for raw meat, poultry and fish, and a different one for bread, fruit and vegetables. Coloured plastic boards make this easy for the whole family to remember.

How to Remove Stains From a Cutting Board

Use an abrasive paste and a little patience. Beet, berry, turmeric and tomato stains usually lift after one or two treatments.

• Wood: sprinkle coarse salt over the stain, scrub with the cut side of half a lemon, let it sit 5 minutes, then rinse and dry.
• Plastic: make a paste of baking soda and a little water, scrub with a brush, rinse and let the board dry in sunlight if you can. For orange stains from tomato sauce, our guide to removing stains and smells from plastic containers works on boards too.

How to Get Smells Out of a Cutting Board

Garlic, onion and fish smells come from oils that settle into the surface. Wash with dish soap first, since soap breaks down the oils that carry the odour.

If the smell lingers, use the same salt-and-lemon scrub on wood or baking soda paste on plastic. Drying the board fully between uses also helps, since a damp board holds onto odours longer.

What About a Mouldy Cutting Board?

If you see mould spots or black marks deep in the cracks, replace the board. Surface marks on a smooth board can sometimes be sanded out on wood, but deep cracks and grooves can't be cleaned reliably.

Mould is a sign the board is staying wet too long. Always store boards upright with airflow around them, especially through damp Metro Vancouver winters when kitchens dry slowly.

What NOT to Do

• Don't soak wooden boards or put them in the dishwasher.
• Never mix bleach with other cleaners, especially acids (like vinegar, lemon or citric-acid products) or ammonia. These combinations can release harmful gases. Rinse off soap or lemon completely before using a bleach solution.
• Don't use straight bleach or harsh oven cleaners on any food-contact surface.
• Don't use a sponge for raw-meat cleanup. Health Canada notes sponges are harder to keep bacteria-free; a brush you can wash and dry is a better choice.
• Don't oil a wooden board with cooking oil like olive or vegetable oil. It can turn rancid and sticky. Use food-grade mineral oil or board cream instead.

How to Care for and When to Replace Your Cutting Board

A little routine care keeps a good board lasting for years.

• After every use: wash, rinse, dry, store upright.
• Weekly: do a salt-and-lemon (wood) or baking soda (plastic) refresh.
• Monthly for wood: rub in a thin layer of food-grade mineral oil, let it soak in overnight and wipe off the excess. Dry indoor air during Canadian winters dries wood faster, so you may need to oil more often from November to March.
• Replace plastic boards when they have deep grooves you can't scrub clean.
• Replace wooden boards when they crack, split or warp.

Why We Use PureZest Enzyme Dish Soap on Our Cutting Boards

Cutting boards are one of the hardest-working (and most overlooked) items in a kitchen. We made our Enzyme Dish Soap to deal with exactly this kind of greasy, food-based residue.

• Citrus enzymes + lemon oil + citric acid break down grease and food residue in knife marks.
• Rinses clean with no residue, so nothing transfers to the next food you chop.
• Gentle on hands thanks to a coconut-derived moisturizing ingredient, handy when you're washing boards several times a day.
• Free from synthetic fragrances, phthalates and SLS, so there's no lingering perfume on surfaces that touch food.
• Soak hack: for greasy plastic boards, soak 5–10 minutes in warm soapy water before scrubbing.
• Septic-safe, and the enzyme-rich rinse water helps keep your drain and P-trap fresh.

Pair it with our wooden scrubber or coconut fibre utensil scrubber to get into knife grooves, and save plastic with the 1.9 L refill. Curious how enzymes work? Read What Is an Enzyme Cleaner?

Shop the Dishwashing Essentials Combo →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to clean a wooden cutting board?

Scrub it with hot water and dish soap right after use, rinse well and towel-dry. Stand it on its edge to finish drying. Never soak it or put it in the dishwasher.

Can you put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher?

No. The heat and long exposure to water make wood swell, warp and crack. Hand-wash it instead; it only takes a minute.

How do you clean a cutting board after cutting raw chicken?

Wash it right away with hot, soapy water and a brush, then rinse. Health Canada recommends sanitizing cutting boards before and after food prep, using a kitchen sanitizer as directed or 5 mL of bleach in 750 mL of water, followed by a rinse.

How do you get stains out of a plastic cutting board?

Scrub with a paste of baking soda and water using a stiff brush, then rinse. Drying the board in sunlight can help fade remaining tomato or turmeric stains.

How often should you oil a wooden cutting board?

About once a month, or whenever the wood looks pale and dry. In winter, dry indoor heat can mean oiling more often. Use food-grade mineral oil, not cooking oil.

When should you replace a cutting board?

Replace plastic boards when knife grooves get too deep to scrub clean. Replace wooden boards if they crack, split, warp or show mould that won't come out.

The Bottom Line

Learning how to clean a cutting board is simple: wash with hot soapy water right after use, rinse, dry upright, and give wood a monthly oiling. Use separate boards for raw meat and produce, and sanitize after raw meat as Health Canada recommends. For more kitchen care, see our guide to cleaning a burnt pot or pan.

Ready to make board cleanup easier? Try PureZest Enzyme Dish Soap →

About the author: Jasman is the co-founder of PureZest, a BC-based natural cleaning brand, and previously ran a cleaning services business.