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How to Get Smells Out of Wooden Cutting Boards

September 5, 2020 By Morgan Last Updated: November 27, 2020

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If you’ve noticed a smell coming from your wooden cutting board, you probably need this! Whether it’s just from daily use or an especially garlicky meal, this will get that stink out! Keep reading to learn how to clean a wooden cutting board.

First Published: January 16, 2016 Last Updated: September 5, 2020

A smelly cutting board lesson

Once, Alex came home super late from work hungry and made himself some pasta with fresh chopped garlic. He made himself his meal and left our wooden cutting board in the sink until the morning.

You guys, I could smell the damn garlic in that stupid cutting board for DAYS.

I washed and washed and washed it and I would think the smell was gone until it dried and I walked past it and it the pungent smell made me gag. A real problem, you guys.

You only need 2 items that you probably have lying around your house to make your smelly wooden cutting boards fresh and clean!

I did a bunch of Googling for how to get smells out of wooden cutting boards and found a few different “solutions.” Including sanding it down an eighth of an inch or simply throwing it out.

So with a hope and a prayer, I tried a few things and found something that worked. 

It’s easy, uses 2 ingredients you probably have on hand, and works, plain and simple. Also, it’s natural!

Cleaning wooden cutting boards FAQ

How do you get the smell out of a wooden cutting board?

A mix of lemon and baking soda is a great natural way to remove the smell.

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

For daily cleaning, hand washing is a must. Never put your wooden cutting board into the dish washer.

For deep cleaning, scrub it with this deodorizing mix!

How do you disinfect a wood cutting board?

Always wash as soon as possible with hot water and soap after each use.

Occasionally use this deodorizing tutorial and allow to sit in a sunny spot with lemon juice for natural disinfection.

Happiness is a smell-fee cutting board! How to get smells out of wooden cutting boards!

How to clean a wooden cutting board

Time needed: 1 hour.

How to get smells out of a wooden cutting board

  1. Wet cutting board.

    This helps for everything to stick a bit better.

  2. Sprinkle with baking soda.

    I do a pretty thick coat. You definitely don’t want to skimp.

  3. Add a cleansing acid.

    Try lemon, lime or distilled white vinegar. You’ll want just enough to make a paste – start with 1 or 2 tablespoons. You don’t want it super liquidy, but you do want it spreadable. I’ve used both fresh or bottled lemon or lime.

  4. Scrub the paste in.

    Rub in the goo and scrub it in hard. The smell will get stronger. It will probably be gross. It’s all the stink stuck in your cutting board coming out. Add more liquid if it gets too dry.

  5. Let it sit.

    I let it sit until it dries. I have no idea if it helps, but I feel like it does. Sometimes I skip this step if I’m running late.

  6. Rinse it off.

    If it smells really bad, I’ll take a copper scrubber and scrub, scrub, scrub away.

  7. Let dry and use!

    If it’s really bad, leave it in a sunny spot while it dries. The UV rays will help to sanitize it and remove stains and smells.

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Filed Under: Cleaning

Comments

  1. Hollie says

    January 16, 2016 at 7:56 am

    We accumulate smelly cutting boards and honestly we always just threw them away Granted we never had the most expensive brand or anything. Thank you for sharing, I’ll have to do this next time!

    Reply
  2. Beth @ Sublimely Fit says

    January 16, 2016 at 8:24 am

    Ooh, thank you so much for this tip, Morgan! I have a Boos Block that we got as a wedding gift, and it’s not smelly yet, but I’m so happy to know what to do if it does get really stinky. Definitely pinned this one for future reference. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 8:37 am

      Yes, definitely take care of that thing! I want one so bad but I can’t seem to bite the bullet and just get one. The big problem is you can’t put wooden cutting boards in a dishwasher to disinfect, so it’s confusing how to get smells and what not off!

  3. Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi says

    January 16, 2016 at 9:37 am

    I have a super sensitive nose too! It was terrible during pregnancy! I can’t wait to try this out on our wooden cutting board, great tip! 🙂

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 8:35 am

      I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited for this babe to be out so that I can change a diaper without holding my nose…..

  4. Kelly @RaisingSamuels says

    January 16, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    I know exactly what you mean! When I was pregnant, there were smells that would make me horribly sick. This is so cool you found out this awesome way of naturally cleaning the cutting board. Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week 🙂

    Reply
  5. Heather @ Polyglot Jot says

    January 16, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Although I’m not pregnant…I have always had a super sensitive nose. I smell EVERYTHING! This will be a lifesaver. I get so grossed out!! Cant wait to give this a try!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 8:34 am

      Seriously, I always had a pretty sensitive nose for things, but when I’m pregnant it’s UNBELIEVABLE. Watch out for when you’re pregnant! You’ll be like me, cleaning EVERYTHING. Too bad some cleaners will also make you sick… sigh.

  6. Debrashoppeno5 says

    January 17, 2016 at 9:13 am

    This will be helpful as I am on the look out for old cutting boards. I will definitely give it a try.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 8:33 am

      I never even thought of that, great tip Debra!Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says

    January 18, 2016 at 1:31 am

    Ohhhhh… I need this! My wooded board smells like onion. Not idea when you’re slicing stuff that isn’t onion. LOL!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 12:01 am

      Definitely not! I realized how bad it was when an apple I cut tasted a little garlic-y.. ICK!

  8. Judy Turnbull says

    January 18, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    I was seriously just asking myself this question this past weekend! What perfect timing! Thanks for sharing your post.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 21, 2016 at 12:00 am

      It’s one of those things that you never think about really until it’s really pressing! Glad I could help!

  9. Mary-the boondocks blog says

    January 19, 2016 at 5:09 am

    What a great tip! And so timely!! Thanks for posting this. I am going to pin it and use it really soon.!! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 20, 2016 at 11:59 pm

      Oh, I’m so glad I could help! Thank you for stopping by!

  10. Marie,The Interior Frugalista says

    January 19, 2016 at 11:06 am

    Great tip – guess what I’m going to be doing today? LOL

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 20, 2016 at 11:56 pm

      Hahah I hope it works wonders for you! That smell is terrible!

  11. Veronica says

    January 20, 2016 at 1:15 pm

    This is great! Mine was starting to smell like onions! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 20, 2016 at 11:55 pm

      It’s the worst ever! Thanks for stopping by!

  12. Sam @ Living The Dutch Dream says

    January 21, 2016 at 3:28 am

    Now I have different cutting boards for different jobs – because I can’t stand the smell transferring. I’m going to give this a try…

    Reply
  13. joy says

    January 24, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    Thank you for sharing this helpful tip. Visiting from Bouquet Of Talent Link Party. Have a wonderful week.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 24, 2016 at 10:17 pm

      of course, I hope it helps you out!

  14. Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen.com says

    January 25, 2016 at 10:03 am

    What a great idea I will have to try this. Thanks for linking up at the Thursday favorite things blog hop.

    Reply
  15. Janelle @ Run With No Regrets says

    January 30, 2016 at 6:25 am

    What a useful tip! I only have a plastic cutting board but this is good to know when I start buying more cooking tools!

    Reply
  16. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says

    February 6, 2016 at 10:32 am

    I am the opposite, I struggle with smell. I worry sometimes, I’m missing it in the house or something.
    So sorry for the delay– it’s been a crazy week.
    Thank you for linking up to #BestofBlogs ! I pinned your post to my Kitchen How-To’s board.

    Reply
  17. lolobunny says

    February 14, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    Awesome tip! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  18. Leigh Powell Hines says

    February 14, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    Another idea is to use Thieves spray. I love it. Or make your own with Thieves Spray. Email me if you want more information. Thanks for linking up on Small Victories.

    Reply
  19. Karren Haller says

    February 14, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    I love it when there are natural ways to clean!

    Pinned and Tweeted from #SmallVictoriesSundaylinkup

    Thanks for stopping by to share!
    Karren
    Oh my Heartsie Girl

    Reply

    Reply
  20. Sandra Garth says

    April 20, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Yesssss!

    Reply
  21. Tania says

    May 15, 2016 at 9:58 am

    Great tip! Luckily I can’t smell things like you can but I think maybe I need to clean my cutting boards using your method anyway… just so I know they don’t stink and will be clean!

    I’m planning an upcoming post on my cutting board collection and I’d like to link to your post if you don’t mind :o)

    Tania

    Reply
  22. Laurie says

    May 15, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    I have used this method before and it really works. Pinned to share. Thanks again for linking up with us for Snickerdoodle Sunday!

    Reply
  23. Charlene Asay says

    May 15, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    What a great method. I always wondered how to do this. I wanted to invite you to link up at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party this week. Hope to see you there http://thinking-outside-the-pot.com/?p=2505

    Reply
  24. Britney says

    May 18, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    I was just thinking about how I need to clean my wood cutting boards ASAP! This sounds easy to do and I will definitely be trying this in the near future. Thanks for sharing at Simply Natural Saturdays!

    Reply

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