You may want to sterilize a plastic cutting board with bleach (you can do wooden boards as well). Or maybe you want to sterilize some other kitchen surface with bleach. Is it dangerous to use bleach on surfaces that come into contact with food? Do you need to worry about bleach residue or thoroughly remove the bleach somehow?
Good news. Yes, bleach is safe to use on surfaces that will come into contact with food. And, no, you usually do not need to rinse it away or do anything to remove the bleach. Remember, this is a sterilizing solution, not a general wash, so you shouldn’t sterilize your cutting board, for example, just before you plan to use it.
Most household bleach is sodium hypochlorite, which is unstable. It breaks down into chlorine and sodium chloride, aka ordinary table salt. The bleach will eventually evaporate, leaving behind a solution of water and salt. This even happens in the bottle, although very slowly.
When bleach is exposed to air and sunlight, the breakdown happens more quickly, and the chlorine evaporates more quickly. Once you let the surface dry completely, the bleach will be gone. You’ll be sure it is gone when there is no more bleach smell.
Sterilizing a Plastic Cutting Board with Bleach
These instructions are for regular household bleach, not concentrated bleach, which will require much less bleach.
- Thoroughly wash the cutting board with detergent and warm water, removing all debris.
- Apply the solution to the cutting board with sponge and let the solution sit for two minutes, re-applying as needed to keep the surface wet.
- You must let it sit wet for a full two minutes to kill all germs and thus disinfect the cutting board. A shorter time of one minute will sanitize the board but not kill every germ.
- After 2 minutes, set the board aside and allow to dry completely before use.
If you have a smaller plastic cutting board, you can soak the entire board inside a dish pan containing the bleach solution.
If you notice any crystal residue on the board, this will be salt residue. You can wash off the salt crystals with water and a little elbow grease.
While you do not have to rinse a plastic cutting board, I haven’t found any legitimate reason not to. After two minutes, the solution is supposed to have done its work. So, if you want to give the cutting board a good rinse, I wouldn’t blame you. Either way, it should be fine.
Do NOT use full-strength bleach! It will be very hard to remove and will take longer to break down, meaning your cutting board will smell like bleach for days unless you soak, it scrub it, put it in the sun, call a priest, etc.
Sterilizing Wooden Cutting Board With Bleach
You don’t need bleach for a plastic cutting board if you have a dishwasher. Extremely hot boiling water followed by a sanitize cycle in your dishwasher will probably take care of it. But you can’t put a wooden cutting board into the dishwasher.
So, for wood boards, bleach is the preferred method of sterilization. Bacteria can get into the pores, crevices, scratches, nooks and crannies, nether regions, and all sorts of dark and unsavory areas on your wooden cutting board. Usually, they don’t migrate into food but this doesn’t mean you don’t want to get rid of all those nasty critters once they’ve had their nasty little free run for a while. The only difference for cutting boards is that most sources agree that you should thoroughly rinse the cutting board.
How to Sterilize Your Wooden Cutting Board With Bleach
To sterilize your wooden cutting board, follow the same directions above for plastic cutting boards. Never submerge a wooden cutting board in water or any liquid. Only apply the solution to the surface. Using the same concentration of bleach and water, 2 teaspoons per gallon of water, use a brush to apply the solution, making sure to help get the bleach into the scratches and imperfections.
After 2 minutes, rinse the board thoroughly with warm water and allow it to dry.
You can do the same with bamboo cutting boards. Again, make sure never to submerge them.
Hydrogen Peroxide For Cutting Boards
Hydrogen Peroxide makes an effective substitute for bleach. To sterilize a plastic cutting board, use regular 3% hydrogen peroxide you can buy at the store. The type that comes in little brown bottles. Apply it at full strength and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse it thoroughly
Regular Maintenance With Vinegar
Although vinegar doesn’t have the germ-killing power of household bleach or hydrogen peroxide, it can be used as maintenance against the build-up of germs on your cutting boards. You can apply regular white vinegar to your board, let it sit for a while, and wipe it dry with a paper towel.
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You can also make a stronger solution of vinegar for cleaning by purchasing a concentrated vinegar to mix with water. I use the Calyptus 50% vinegar above for making a general cleaning solution that I keep in a spray bottle. I spray this on my cutting board frequently and also use it to clean other surfaces. This is seriously strong stuff so be careful when working with it. No, it won’t dissolve your skin or cause horrible disfiguring burns, but it can really hurt your lungs. I haven’t noticed much of a problem with pouring the concentrated vinegar into a bottle with water but when you spray the solution, thus aerosolizing it, it can get into your eyes and lungs and it’s not nice. So, be careful!
A concentrated solution also kills weeds (although it doesn’t keep them from coming back).
