Keeping it Clean - Woods in your Kitchen

Purging when you are going to move whether it be a home or an office is interesting to say the least.  When one is in the middle of it, you ask yourself several times, "Why did I keep this?"  It would seem to make so much more sense to clean as you go.  Somehow my children have not learned the lesson of cleaning as you go either.  At times I wonder if they even understand what clean looks like.  In any case, working in the kitchen is very much the same.  Admittedly I am on of those who love to cook and hate to wash dished.  Keeping the kitchen clean though is not the same as dinnerware.  Cleaning as you go means having your tools always ready for use and at hand.  It also means less cursing while cooking because you have what you need, when you need it.  :)

One of the biggest problems is keeping wooden objects not so much clean as keeping them free of odor and bacteria.  While you should not soak your wooden spoons etc. often, once every so often (say 6  to 9 months) it is good to soak them in hot water and bleach for about an hour.  20 parts water to one part bleach.  After that, resoak in hot water with a mild detergent to take away the bleach smell.  If the wood feels fuzzy, it is okay to smooth by using a small grit sandpaper or steel wool.  Of course wash as you usually wood after to clean off any left over bits and pieces.  To extend the life of the wood, you can also at the end of the process by oiling it using Mineral Oil on a paper towel or celan cloth and then letting it dry.  Oiling can be done up to once per month without causing the wood or yourself any damage

Additioanl tips:

• Some people will tell you that you can clean wooden objet with lemon.  This leaves a nice smell but it does not help in disinfecting. 
• If your wood seems humid you can dry them using the microwave in small amounts of time (30 to 60 second bursts)  At least towel dry wood to keep lasting as long as possible
• Split wood needs to be thrown out
• Do not use vegetable oil or food based oils to clean as they will go rancid.
• Stains on wood are often caused by leaving wet wood in contact with iron.  this includes tinned cans, baking pans and cast iron skillets.

It may seem like a lot of work for something that is not to expensive to replace by buying it new, but believe it or not, as you use your wooden objects in the kitchen and they and you become seasoned; you will develop favorites and go to kitchen objects.  The great thing is that in this case a little love goes a long, long way.  :)