You’re cleaning your wooden kitchen utensils all wrong – the right way means you don’t need to scrub them
NOT ALL kitchen items can be cleaned with a quick rinse or thrown in the dishwasher and that’s certainly the case for wooden utensils.
However, cleaning them is quite easy – the right way means you don’t need to scrub and will help them last longer.
According to House Digest, wooden utensils should last about five years before they require replacement, but their lifespans depend on how you care for them.
The absolute worst thing you can do to your wooden spoons is put them in the dishwasher, as noted by men’s lifestyle website The Manual.
This is because dishwashing chemicals and prolonged exposure to warm water can cause the wood to warp or crack.
Instead, The Manual suggests gently washing your utensils under hot water with mild soap directly after using them.
It’s also imperative that you don’t let them soak in water.
“Otherwise, water droplets trapped in gaps in the wood won’t dry completely, and over time the accumulation can also warp or crack the wood,” the site explains.
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Furthermore, soaking the utensils can lead to food particles becoming trapped in the grain of the wood which can encourage bacteria to grow and the wood to break down.
In regard to drying them, air drying is best.
TAKE YOUR CARE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
The abovementioned tips are the basic “how-to” for washing wooden utensils, but there are extra steps you can take to prolong their lives.
First, The Manual recommends rubbing your wooden utensils with mineral oil on a monthly basis.
“These food-safe oils are quickly soaked up by the wood and help the utensils better repel water and retain their natural vibrancy, even with prolonged use,” the site reads.
It also said beeswax compounds do a similar job.
Plus, if you notice your wooden items splintering, you can quickly take a piece of sandpaper to smooth out their edges.
And if you notice certain foods leaving pesky stains on the tools that are far too heavy for soap and water to remove, The Manual recommends cleaning them with lemon and baking soda.
Of course, lemon and baking soda are common cleaning ingredients that work their magic far beyond wooden utensils.
For instance, lemon can be used to shine your sink and help melt any splatter marks off of your microwave.
Plus, at this point, it’s known that baking soda can be used to clean almost anything, from your mattress to your kitchen drain.
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