Troubleshooting Yellow Stains on Cutting Boards - Tips for Effective Cleaning

[katie0128]

I have never had a problem getting my cutting boards clean... until today. I had a show last night (did Asian Pork & Noodle Skillet) and used by cutting board with measure cups - for the veggies, not the meat. I rinsed it off before I left and when I tried to wash it this morning, the main cutting surface has turned yellow and I can't get it clean. I have used dish soap, Bar Keepers Friend, my kitchen cleaner that has bleach and nothing is working. Any ideas?

 

[pamperedbecky]

I've always been able to get stains out if I let Softscrub with Bleach sit on it for a good 30 minutes. I just squirt it on there, rub it around and let it sit. Then I wash it really well by hand and put it in the dishwasher.

 

[chefann]

That particular cutting board seems to be a little softer than the others in the catalog, which makes it more prone to marring during use. The juice (and colors) from the veggies end up in those little scratches. DH spoils me, and he usually does dishes. I think he's used Soft Scrub with bleach and the scrubby side of a sponge (or even an Easy Clean Kitchen Brush) on cutting boards, to good effect.

 

[ljeffries]

Same problem here with the stains---carrots are especially bad! I use the BKF and a scrubby sponge--sometimes even my kitchen toothbrush (having one in the kitchen is really handy, ya know).

 

[dannyzmom]

I lay the board in the sink, lay a paper towel over it and soak the paper towel with bleach. Let it sit for 20 minutes - 1/2 hour - rinse and toss in the dishwasher - comes clean every time, even after carrots and red bell peppers.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

Great tip Carolyn. I was cutting carrots today and thinking, why is it doing this? Thanks all...

 

[friday]

I lay the board in the sink, lay a paper towel over it and soak the paper towel with bleach. Let it sit for 20 minutes - 1/2 hour - rinse and toss in the dishwasher - comes clean every time, even after carrots and red bell peppers.

I do this. I do this with all my white tools every so often to keep them nice for shows. It works very well.

 

[DebbieJ]

Diluted bleach....let it sit for a while. Looks brand new.

 

[ParishKitchen]

Just wanted to chime in...Softness in a cutting board is a good thing, so don't be embarrassed by cut marks in your boards. Cutting boards that are too hard are actually bad for cutlery.When you slice or chop something, and your blade meets the board, a force is exerted by the blade against the board, which will exert an equal and opposite force against the blade. Something has to absorb all that force, and it's either the blade or the board. If your board is too hard, then your blade will end up taking the hit whenever you cut something. All that abuse will dull your blades quickly and possibly damage them permanently.Now, a good cutting board (either wooden or plastic -- but not bamboo, which is very hard) will be soft enough to absorb the knife's force without putting up much resistance. Scratches serve as evidence that your board has done its job, which is to sacrifice a little bit of itself so that your knife can do its job unimpeded. HTH!