Stained cutting board

[ck1999]

I have a two cutting boards, end grain walnut maple and cherry. We wife and daughter (who is 5 ) decided to cut strawberries on these boards. Well needless to say they are stained red. I read somewhere to wash with baking soda. So I tried this and it turned the stains dark but they are still there. I also read about using bleach but did not read at what concentration. Does anyone have ideas on what to try? Thanks

Chris

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[DWSmith]

Peroxide. On a rag and bad the stains until they come up. Baking soda will damage the board.

 

[merrill77]

When this happens, I do nothing. It goes away in the next few uses.

 

[Jeff]

+1 to David's suggestion.

On the other hand, these are just cutting boards for everyday use in the kitchen so they'll show the wear and abuse. Why not just leave them as cutting boards for their intended use. ???

Make another one for woodworking show that avoids the kitchen.

 

[ck1999]

What does the baking soda do?

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[bluedawg76]

+1. same goes for wooden spoons that stir cranberry sauce.

When this happens, I do nothing. It goes away in the next few uses.

 

[DWSmith]

Baking soda is caustic to a degree and will turn the wood black.

 

[ck1999]

Anyway to get rid of the black

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[CrealBilly]

I thought a cutting board was made to cut on? The ones i made for the wife are unfinished white oak and go in the dish washer most every night. One even has a burn spot on it where she got it to close the burner. Is she conserned that they are all hacked up, burned and stained? No she isn't so neither am i

 

[ck1999]

It is mainly for aesthetic purposes. However, one is a bread board I made for serving on more than cutting bread and rolls on. And this is the one I am primarily trying to clean.

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[Jeff]

So one of these is your "show" board that you want to salvage. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so go for it. I'm guessing that it's the maple that's the problem with the stains. ???

This may be helpful to you. The options may be, in descending order:

1. Hydrogen peroxide (already suggested by our resident expert, David).

2. Household bleach diluted with water

3. Sanding

http://www.endgraincuttingboard.org/end-grain-cutting-board-care/

http://www.ehow.com/how_7737714_remove-strawberry-stains-cutting-board.html

 

[DWSmith]

Obviously the people who recommend baking soda have never tried it. The worst way is to make a paste and allow it to sit for any length of time.

Those burns can be removed by sanding. I know. A customer tried that method and I refinished it for him and it took a lot of sanding to get past the baking soda burns.

Even if you do nothing, the stains will eventually wear off or fade with use.

 

[eyekode]

I cut strawberries on my maple boards probably every other day. The stain disappears in 2-3 days for me.
Salem

 

[mark2]

change the name of the characteristic from stain to PATINA and everyone will understand the artisanal value.....:gar-Bi

 

[ck1999]

Thanks for all the responses. I wiped down in peroxide a couple of times then thought since the baking soda may of stained because of caustic I wiped down with diluted vinegar. The stains are not as bad but this visible, but they are better. Thanks again for the answers.

Chris

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[Jeff]

It's good that you've made some progress. The appearance isn't pristine but better than it was.

As a chemist I've noted some misunderstanding in this post. To clarify:

1. Plain old water is neither acidic nor basic and it is pH 7.0. The pH scale is from 0-14 with <7 acidic and >7 basic.

2. Sodium bicarbonate in water is pH 7.7 so it's mildly basic but not considered to be caustic.

3. Common household hydrogen peroxide is about pH 6.9 so it's mildly acidic.

4. Straight vinegar is acidic at pH 2.1 while sodium hydroxide (lye) in water is very caustic at pH 14.

Paper wood pulping begins with lye and it produces a brown product (burned wood?) which is subsequently bleached to make it white.

So don't use lye on a cutting board or you'll have serious discoloration aka "burning".

Thanks for all the responses. I wiped down in peroxide a couple of times then thought since the baking soda may of stained because of caustic I wiped down with diluted vinegar. The stains are not as bad but this visible, but they are better. Thanks again for the answers.

Chris

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[DWSmith]

2. Sodium bicarbonate in water is pH 7.7 so it's mildly basic but not considered to be caustic.

Caustic enough to turn wood black when mixed with water to a paste/slurry and allowed to sit for a while.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Strawberry stains are a badge of honor for a cutting board!

 

[SubGuy]

Maybe it's a reaction with some other mineral or chemical within the wood. Anything acidic at all will react with it and produce heat and show the effects of oxidation. I honestly couldn't begin to guess if that actually occurred or not. This is where our chemist knows much better.

 

[Jeff]

2. Sodium bicarbonate in water is pH 7.7 so it's mildly basic but not considered to be caustic.

Caustic enough to turn wood black when mixed with water to a paste/slurry and allowed to sit for a while.

David's observations are factual with years of experience and it is what it is for whatever reason. Chemically, I think that it has something to do with the wood tannins and their reaction with dissolved iron found in typical drinking water. Iron tannate is dark brown to black and it's the colorant in ancient inks.

These are flatsawn soft red maple (Acer rubrum) and QS red oak treated with a paste of baking soda and tap water. After 1 hour they were thoroughly rinsed and dried overnight.

There is a difference in appearance which may be subtle in these pics. Make your call: Is it a show stopper for general use as a cutting board? End grain discoloration is more pronounced at each end. ???

Red maple original

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Red maple/bicarbonate

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QS red oak original

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QS red oak/bicarbonate

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