You probably never thought about deep cleaning your wood spoons and neither did I. After reading about bacteria, old wood particles, and how lingering orders work their way in I decided it was time to learn how to deep clean my wooden spoons.

I had no idea what was living in my wood spoons!

Of course I wash after use with soap and hot water, but I’ve never done a deep clean. Wood is porous so the debris gets trapped inside which means bacteria, old food particles, and lingering orders work their way deep into the grain. Over time and regular washings doesn’t reach what’s hiding in the wood. Once I learned this I had to research ways to deep clean my wood pieces.

Every month or so I deep clean my wood utensils. It takes about 15 minutes, that’s i! Here’s everything you need to know.

Why soap and water isn’t enough

Even with daily washings, wooden spoons can hold on to things you can’t see. Here’s what’s actually hiding in your wooden spoons and utensils. Also, make sure you wash your wood cutting boards too!

• Soap and water sit on the surface and don’t penetrate deep enough to pull out what’s in the wood.
• Heat and moisture over time create the perfect environment for mold and bacteria to grow inside the grain.
• Wood absorbs flavors and odors from everything you cook, think garlic and onion.
• Old bacteria can transfer from one meal to the next without you realizing it.

How I Deep Clean My Wooden Spoons

• Bring a large pot of water to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
• Submerge wooden spoons in boring water and allow them to soak for 10 minutes.
• You’ll notice the water gets dark. That’s the stuff you don’t want hiding in the wood grain.
• Remove the wood pieces and allow to dry on parchment paper or a towel.
• When they are completely dry, rub with a conditioning oil. I use Spoon Butter – you can also use olive oil or food grade mineral oil. If you haven’t made spoon butter so should try. It’s so easy and you can use it on all of your favorite wood pieces. Clean ingredients and almost edible – but I wouldn’t :)

How often should I deep clean my wooden spoons?

Once of month (or so) is good or any time they start to look dull. It also depends on how often you use you wooden spoons.

Your wooden spoons work hard for your family every day. This is a simple way to take care of the tools that take care of you.

Have you tried this before? Drop a comment below. I’d love to know if this surprised you as much as it did me!

Leslie