How To Clean & Restore an Old Cutting Board

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  1. Alie says:

    Wow! It looks amazing. You did an awesome job!

  2. Karen says:

    Couldn’t you have just sanded it to restore it?

    • Shayna says:

      Hi Karen! I could have sanded it down, and I thought hard about it, but since there weren’t any big cuts in the wood, I just decided to use vinegar. Plus, I wanted to see how well the vinegar method would work! πŸ˜€

  3. Becky says:

    It was worth the work–lovely. I have been using coconut oil on all of my wood pieces lately.

  4. Sharon says:

    I have a thing for cutting boards too! This one turned out to be beautiful. Your determination paid off!

  5. Jen says:

    I’ve always read that coconut oil can spoil and shouldn’t be used in this way. Have you had any experience with using it long term? I would love to use it on my cutting board if it’s safe.

    • Shayna says:

      Hi Jen! From the research that I’ve done, coconut oil is perfect to use on cutting boards because it doesn’t spoil. Olive oil or vegetable oil will turn rancid, but coconut oil lasts for years. You can also use mineral oil, but I had a hard time finding it. πŸ˜€
      I hope that helps!
      -Shayna

      • Lee says:

        Shayna,
        You can find mineral oil at drug stores, if you have a Walgreen, it’s with the laxative stuffs. I guess since it’s for internal use, it’s food safe.:-)

        • Shayna says:

          THANK YOU so much for the tip, Lee! I looked all over our local Walmart… including by the laxatives. Next time I’m at a Walgreens, I’m going to grab a bottle! πŸ˜€

  6. Amy says:

    It came out beautifully! I just saw one similar at Williams-Sonoma and they’re asking ….. wait for it….. $139.00 and it’s not even half as nice as yours! Wish I could add the picture of it so you could see for yourself! Great find, and now it’s beautiful again!!

    • Shayna says:

      THANK YOU so much, Amy! I am so happy with the way it clean up! πŸ˜€ $139.00 is pretty steep…

  7. liz says:

    Great post!!! I just purchased two cutting boards from the thrift and had no idea how to go about cleaning & restoring them – thank you for sharing.

  8. […] And showed how to clean and restore an old cutting board… […]

    • Joanna says:

      Thanks Shayna,
      Any ideas for restoring a really large breadboard that I can’t soak in a sink? Do you think just scrubbing with vinigar repeatedly would do it? It’s almost 3 Ft by 3 ft.

      • Shayna says:

        You’re welcome! I’d try scrubbing on it with vinegar and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised at what comes off! πŸ™‚

  9. […] How to Clean & Restore an Old Cutting Board […]

  10. our website says:

    I have an old cutting board but I had no idea that I can restore it and to use it again! Thanks a lot for sharing these ideas! Waterloo Carpet Cleaners Ltd.

  11. Stacy says:

    I buy a product online called Emmet’s Elixir that is awesome for protecting wood chopping blocks and cutting boards. It is food safe, and is made with mineral oil, beeswax and anti-microbial essential oils. I use it on my wooden utensils, too.

  12. Penny says:

    Thank you so much. You just saved me a ton of money on expensive products that probably don’t work nearly as well!

  13. woodguy says:

    coconut oil can still spoil. Personally I wouldn’t recommend soaking in vinegar and hydrogen peroxide either it can make the wood split and if it is end grain damage the glues. Your best bet is to do a sanding progression (80 to 220). Afterwards quickly scrub it with soapy sponge and dry it as fast as possible so the dry wood doesn’t soak up the water. If you’d like to spray it with vinegar, wipe off, hydrogen peroxide, wipe off… at this point to disinfect it… this is okay but do not let it pool or sit on the wood. Wipe it dry immediately. Let it dry a few hours… then get to work applying food mineral oil until it stops drinking it thirstily. Yes none of us love using mineral oil on our eating surfaces but sometimes you have to make concessions. I’ve had coconut oil spoil in my cutting boards before. IT takes a few years so if you’re buying cheap ones to replace go for it. I have end grain high end boards, I do not want them to spoil ever.

    • Shayna says:

      Thank you for your feedback! I’ll be sure to keep it in mind if I have another item that needs restored. Luckily, the method I used worked beautifully and the cutting board still looks amazing today!

  14. Better than store bought says:

    Stop using food based oils on wood boards!!! All food and food based products go rancid over time. Just use mineral oil or a mix of 2.5:1 mineral oil and beeswax. It’s food safe and will never spoil. I’ve been building custom boards for years and mineral oil is all I use when each one is complete. All board builders will agree that Using food based oils is just asking for trouble.

  15. ChrisR says:

    This warped a <1" cutting board, would not try unless you have a thicker board as shown. The sanding method on the other hand mentioned is ideal.

  16. Noralee says:

    I was told to use coconut oil to season my breadboard, but when I asked if that would attract ants, the answer was yes. Yikes. I am glad to know that mineral oil won’t. It seems like beeswax would be anti-bacterial, would the combination of mineral oil and beeswax attract ants? I have the old fashioned type that slides in and pulls out from under the counter top.
    Thank you

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