Cleaning a wooden chopping board with mildew...

*miaomiao*

Morning MSErs!

Has anyone got a suggestion (short of sanding down our chopping boards) on removing black mildew that is set into the wood of our chopping boards? Ages ago they got a bit of mildew because they didn't dry quickly enough (we have since gotten a dehumidifier to help with that), but bleach doesn't remove this and I don't want to use anything inappropriate for eating food off of.

Thanks!

valk_scot

I would bin them tbh, or use them for firewood. Mildew spores can be chancy things especially if anyone has allergies and really, chopping boards are not that expensive to buy. If you've got problems with damp you'd probably be better off with plastic ones anyway.

*miaomiao*

Thanks Val for your advice.

Actually the chopping boards were expensive as they are very good quality, thick wood. We no longer have the problem with damp any longer and drying the boards helps with this.

I was thinking of sanding them down, but wondered if anyone else has any ideas.

oldtractor

did you dilute the bleach? I find 1 part bleach to 10 parts water scrub well into the wood with a scrubbing brush and leave over night. rinse well and dry thoroughy. Other than that its sand the board down.

Bennifred

I would scrub with diluted bleach, allow to dry thoroughly and then sand them down.

*miaomiao*

I think I used thick bleach directly on the boards, but yes I can see the benefits of making sure that the board is wet by mixing the bleach with water so that the wood can absorb this better. Thanks so much! Sounds a solution.

splodger_seedswapper

if the bleach doesn't work - a method that i have used in the past works ok - that's soaking the boards in a bowl / sink with steriliser solution - i use the steriliser powder for my homebrew - but i guess the miltons type tablets woulde work just as well.#

anyway - let them soak for a while - then give them a good scrub (i use one of those wire wool type pads) rinse off and dry properly

VfM4meplse

Interesting thread. My whole house has smelled since I made a batch of soup last week, I have now traced the cause to my wooden chopping board (I usually use my marble one for onions, garlic etc for exactly this reason). Rubbing with lemon hasn't helped so it's onto plan b as suggested here - bleach .

moneysavingkitten

I thought, how about trying soaking it in white vinegar and giving it a good scrub in boiling water? Googled it and other people seem to use it on mildew

Mildew Remover
For severe buildup of mildew, use white vinegar full strength. For all other mildew buildup, use a solution of vinegar and water.

http://www.grandmas-wisdom.com/vinegar-cleaning.html

Big_Graeme

Scrub your board using washing up liquid.
Soak over night in Milton fluid (or supermarkets own brand) at the dilution rate on the bottle.
Leave somewhere cool, dry and with a decent air flow.
Sand down using first a rough sand paper then smooth.
Oil the board as you would have done when you bought it (usually cover with a film of oil allow to soak in and repeat until it stops soaking in.

Your board should be as good as new, oiling after cleaning every once in a while will stock water soaking in.