Do you clean your cutting boards properly?

Cutting boards are tools you use every day in the kitchen, but they can harbor dangerous bacteria that can sometimes cause food poisoning.

A study published in The Sun newspaper shows that chopping boards are essential items but can be up to 200 times dirtier than toilets with an average bacteria count of 24,250/cm2.

If not cleaned thoroughly, cutting boards are home to many types of disease-causing bacteria. Photo: The sun

If not cleaned properly, your chopping board can be a breeding ground for a variety of bacteria including Salmonella, E-coli and campylobacter, which are the most common causes of foodborne illness in the UK. Even if you clean your chopping board after each use, it won’t be able to get rid of all of these bacteria.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, a doctor in the UK, has revealed that one of the common mistakes you're making with your cutting boards is washing them incorrectly and not replacing them regularly.

“If you don’t change your cutting board regularly, you’re putting yourself at risk for bacterial infections,” she says. “Cutting boards are a dangerous source of cross-contamination if they’re not cleaned, stored, and used properly, and replaced after they’ve been used for too long.” Overuse can cause scratches to appear on the cutting board’s surface, which is a breeding ground for bacteria.

A survey of more than 2,000 people across the UK, commissioned by Sainsbury's Home, found that 40 per cent of people are putting themselves at risk by using the same chopping board to cut meat and vegetables.

Raw meat, especially raw chicken, can leave traces of salmonella and campylobacter that cause food poisoning. These germs can contaminate any food prepared on the same cutting board.

Do not use cutting boards that are too old or have many scratches. Photo: Internet.

Here are five tips from Dr. Lisa Ackerley to help you keep your cutting board clean and germ-free.

1.Think before you use it

With a cutting board always in a busy kitchen you never know what it will be used for.

So before using it to cut something, especially uncooked foods like fruit, boiled meat… you need to know that it is clean enough to do that.

2.Do not use dishcloths to clean cutting boards.

You might think that a dishcloth can clean everything in your kitchen, but you’d be wrong. Studies have shown that dishcloths are often one of the dirtiest things in the kitchen.

If you want to clean cutting boards after using them to prepare ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, etc., you should avoid using dishcloths to clean other utensils in the house because the bacteria in them can spread to other items.

3.Cleaning means disinfecting

Disinfecting is key when cleaning your kitchen, especially your cutting board.

You can use a dishwasher to heat sterilize it or boil a pot of salt water and soak the cutting board in it for at least 5 minutes, then remove and dry with a paper towel or clean cloth, and hang to dry for next use.

Washing with water alone cannot remove bacteria from the surface of the cutting board, so you should use a disinfectant that is safe for use in food.

4.Use separate cutting boards

You should use separate cutting boards for raw and cooked foods to ensure meal safety. Photo: Internet

When preparing food, using separate cutting boards for raw and cooked foods is to ensure meal safety. To avoid confusion when using them, you need to have separate symbols and notify your family to avoid confusion when preparing food.

5. Replace cutting boards regularly

If your cutting board looks old and scratched, you need to replace it. Bacteria and food will hide in the cracks and crevices, which cannot be removed with regular washing. Cutting boards are also difficult to clean when they have too many cracks and crevices. So the best way to do it is to replace them with new ones.

According to PLO