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Cutting Board Care Schedule

After every use: "+(m==="plastic"?"wash with hot soapy water or run it through the dishwasher.":"hand wash with hot soapy water, rinse, towel dry and stand it on edge to air dry. Never soak it.")+"
Oil: every "+(wk===1?"week":wk+" weeks")+" with food-grade mineral oil or a board cream, and any time the surface looks pale or dry.
Oil: not needed. Sand lightly when the surface gets heavily scored.
Oil: not needed. Replace the board when deep grooves no longer come clean.
Sanitize: "+(raw?"after raw meat, poultry or fish":"once a week or after anything messy")+", using 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Flood the surface, let it stand several minutes, rinse and dry.
Tip: keep one board for raw proteins and another for produce and bread.

How often should you oil your board, and when should you sanitize it? Pick your board and how you use it to get a simple schedule.

How this works

End grain absorbs more oil than edge grain, so it needs oiling more often, and dry air pulls moisture out of wood faster. The sanitizing ratio is the one USDA FSIS gives for cutting boards. Plastic and rubber boards do not need oil.

Sources: USDA FSIS: Cutting Boards and Food Safety.

Rules of thumb, not guarantees. Check the maker's own specs and care instructions for your knife or board. Last reviewed October 28, 2026 by The Cutting Board Care Guide team.