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Evelyn wrote:
wrote in message
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E Z Peaces wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
E Z Peaces wrote:

There's something cheaper, milder to work with, and more effective:
equal parts bleach and baking soda in water. You mix a little when
you need it because its shelf life is in hours.

A good thing to know. What's the water percentage?

It depends on the use. If I have ziplock freezer bags that are
perfectly good except that they have contained food, I use a tablespoon
of bleach and a tablespoon of baking soda in a gallon of water in a tub
in the sink. It's easy on the hands, does a better job than
dishwashing detergent, and rinses off easily.

To clean and disinfect a cutting board, I don't use water. I put the
board in the sink and put on a teaspoon of baking soda. I spread it a
little so it will catch a teaspoon of bleach when I put it on. I use
an old toothbrush to spread the mixture on the board. After a minute
or two I rinse.

To clean cutting board, I use 3M scrubber as I wash dishes, quickly with
hot water and Dawn. Rinse quickly with cool water, drain dry or wipe.
Not wet long enough to be bothered by the water. I am especially
careful to scrub hard if I have cut meat on the board.

I think the most important thing (after washing very well with hot water
and detergent and rinsing it well) is allowing the board to totally DRY
out afterwards. Not just wiped dry, but allowed to air dry completely
before using it again.


Good advice, but not the most important thing. My concerns with a wood
cutting board are the fine cuts into the wood that can harbor e-coli or
salmonella, esp. when cutting meat. That is why I use the 3M pad with hot
soapy water - friction to remove meat residue and the abrasion to smooth
surface of wood. I don't go at it hard enough to abrade the wood, but
figure it is equal to whatever fine cuts I have just made with a sharp
knife. E-coli and salmonella are about the nastiest stuff found in food
products, and not likely to disappear in mass-processed food...one small
contaminated batch from a small supplier can contaminate a huge amount of
food when it goes to the big companies that package it.



That is why I go for what you said, scrubbing well, PLUS the thorough
drying. Most of those germs die on a dry surface. Another thing; I
read that wood has a certain natural antibiotic property. There was a test
somewhere in which they tested the bacteria on a wooden cutting board versus
a plastic one. The wood was safer!!!! That was when I went back to my
old favorite wooden board.

I do have several, so if one cutting board is still wet after using it to
cut raw meat, I switch to another.

--

Evelyn

"Even as a mother protects with her life her only child, So with a boundless
heart let one cherish all living beings." --Sutta Nipata 1.8