We probably find how difficult to keep plastic cutting board clean, before we discuss about how to keep white cutting board in white, let’s say why it is important to keep a cutting board clean firstly.
Plastic chopping boards are probably the most hygienic cutting board you can buy. Unlike the wooden ones they can be cleaned in dish washers at high temperatures and sanitized in ways that would make a wooden one warp or otherwise become damaged. Glass or marble chopping boards are also relatively easy to keep clean, but are a little more impractical due to weight, sharp edges and their fragile nature. Plastic boards are generally pretty cheap as well so they make good sense.
Despite some claims that plastic chopping boards harbour fewer bacteria than the wooden counterparts, various tests have indicated that this isn’t quite the case. In fact in an older plastic chopping board with lots of surface scratches there are more nooks and crannies that may allow moisture to collect and it is this which allows bacteria to multiply. on an unamortized board. Incidentally, the wooden boards aren’t as unhygienic as people may think; the capillary action of dry wood means that germs end up beneath the surface where they soon die. Plastic boards on the other hand will retain surface moisture easily unless dried thoroughly and this provides a perfect breeding ground for the nasties!
Cleaning and sanitizing your white cutting board
If you have a dish washer you should use this to clean your plastic chopping board as the high temperatures will kill off any bacteria. If you do washing up by hand then you should regularly disinfect it either with a mild bleach solution, boiling water or some other disinfectant such as those used for cleaning baby feeding equipment. Always keep your chopping board dry as this helps prevent bacteria from multiplying.
How to keep cutting board white
This is something that I’m perhaps a little obsessive about. On a regular basis I like to get my chopping boards back to the nice white color they were when I first bought them. The chances are that even with a dish washer your boards will still develop a discoloration or stain with regular use. Hand washing certainly doesn’t prevent this from happening, so it’s to the rescue with good old Hydrogen Peroxide.
Use a bottle of thick bleach and liberally paint it on all over the board. I generally do one side at a time. Once you’ve coated the board just leave it for around 20 minutes or half an hour. Rinse the bleach of thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) and you’re plastic chopping board should be back to a brilliant white color again. As ever, make sure it is completely dry before putting away.