How to Get the Onion Smell Out of a Cutting Board

Does your cutting board reek of onions every time you cut vegetables? Cutting boards are notorious for absorbing onion and garlic odor, leaving the wood or plastic material with a foul stench. Find out how to get the onion smell out of a cutting board with a few simple home remedies.

There’s nothing quite like getting a new wood or bamboo cutting board for chopping herbs and veggies. Unfortunately, it’s not long after cutting onions and garlic that you begin to notice that your fancy chopping board smells terrible.

Even if you rinse your wooden cutting board as soon as you remove the sliced onion, it still has an onion odor. In addition, a pungent onion and garlic smell permeates other foods on the board, making food preparation less desirable.

A decent wood cutting board is not cheap; we’d rather keep it odor-free than replace it more than necessary. Luckily, there are many ways to remove stinky odors from cutting boards, some of which may surprise you.

Cleaning Onion Odor From Cutting Boards

Who doesn’t love making crispy onion rings? As delicious as they are dipped in ketchup or zesty sauce, preparing them leaves a wooden board smelling oniony. Learn ways to clean the onion smell off a cutting board with everything from lemon juice and baking soda to white vinegar.

Why Do Onions and Garlic Make Cutting Boards Smell Bad?

Have you noticed that it seems impossible to wipe the garlic smell off a wood cutting board? Both onions and garlic have a strong scent that is pleasing in cooked dishes but not so much when it’s on your hands, utensils, counter, and cutting board. What causes this odor, and is it possible to remove it?

Onion and Garlic Odors

Onions and garlic are allium family members that contain sulfur compounds. These compounds are responsible for their distinct odor and are released when you cut into the garlic or onion.

Washing your hands or cutting board with water only heightens the smell since the water turns the sulfur into sulfuric acid. This is why cleaning items with odor-neutralizing solutions is essential to remove the odor.

How to Clean an Onion Smell From a Wooden Cutting Board

White vinegar is ideal for getting the onion smell out of a cutting board. The acidity of vinegar breaks down odor-causing bacteria as it naturally cleans the wood or plastic material.

Fill a clean sink with equal amounts of water and white vinegar and soak the cutting board in the liquid for half an hour. Scrub the board with a sponge and rinse it with cold water.

If the cutting board still has a lingering onion smell, lay it on the counter and spray straight white vinegar over the surface. Leave it for five minutes, wipe it off with a dampened sponge, and dry it with paper towels.

Getting the Onion Smell Out of a Cutting Board With Lemons

Lemons are an excellent alternative to vinegar as they are also acidic. Lemon juice deodorizes the board and leaves it with a fresh scent. Discover how to clean an onion smell from a wooden cutting board with some salt and a lemon.

Rub a half lemon over the cutting board or spray lemon juice over the wood and sprinkle coarse salt over the top. Use your fingers to rub the juice and salt over the entire surface of the board. You may want to wear rubber gloves because lemons and salt may irritate the skin. Rinse your cutting board with hot water and dry it with a soft towel.

How to Get the Onion Smell Out of a Cutting Board With Baking Soda

Another option for cleaning an onion smell from a wooden cutting board is sodium bicarbonate. Commonly known as baking soda, this alkaline powder absorbs foul odors and gently scours stains from a cutting board.

Sprinkle about a cup of baking soda powder over the cutting board to coat it evenly. Rub the powder into the wood with a soft cloth and leave it for five minutes. Shake or wipe the soda off the board into the trashcan and wipe down the wood with a damp sponge and towel.

A DIY Cleanser to Clean Onion Odors From a Cutting Board

Sometimes baking soda or vinegar alone isn’t enough to remove cutting board odors, and you may have to mix them for better results. Learn how to clean an onion smell from a wooden cutting board by combining these two powerful ingredients.

Shake baking soda over the top of the wooden or plastic cutting board and let it sit for a few minutes. Pour your white vinegar into a bottle sprayer and mist it over the baking soda powder. Wait a few minutes as the two ingredients react and bubble away smells and stains.

Rub the board from one side to the other with a soft sponge and rinse it beneath running water. Give the cutting board the sniff test and repeat if necessary. Otherwise, dry it thoroughly with a cloth.

Remove Onion Odor From a Plastic Cutting Board With Bleach

You may have to clean the board with bleach if natural remedies fail at removing the onion taste from a wood cutting board. Chlorine bleach kills bacteria and germs while removing onions’ nasty smell.

Fill the kitchen sink with a gallon of water and add two teaspoons of chlorine bleach. Clean the entire cutting board with warm detergent and water and place it in the sink. Soak the board in the bleach water for two minutes, and rinse it thoroughly with hot water. Set the cutting board in the dish rack to air-dry or dry it with a soft towel.

Treating a Wood Cutting Board After Cleaning

It’s vital to treat the wood after getting the onion smell out of a cutting board with a cleaning solution. Wood cutting boards trap excess moisture or dry out, and the best way to ensure they stand the test of time is with oil.

Treating Wood Cutting Boards

Begin by choosing an oil to treat your cutting board. Mineral oil is a top choice, but make sure it’s rated for food contact. Beeswax and linseed oil also do a decent job of treating wood.

Pour a few tablespoons of the wood oil over the top of the cutting board. Rub the oil into the wood with a soft cloth. Use slow, circular motions to cover all board surfaces, including the end grains.

Wipe up the excess oil with a clean cloth and repeat the steps again. Let the board dry overnight, and wipe it down again the following day. Do not use the cutting board until it feels totally dry.

How to Keep Cutting Boards From Absorbing Onion Smell

No one wants to prepare food on a contaminated or smelly cutting board. We put together a few tips to help you keep your cutting boards clean and fresh-smelling.

Cutting Board Care

An ideal way to keep your board odor-free is to wash the garlic and onion smell off a wood cutting board immediately after meal prepping. Clean it with hot, soapy water and white vinegar, and dry it well before storage.

Keep a half lemon handy when cutting onions or garlic. Rub it over the wood to remove the odor before cleaning. Wash wood cutting boards by hand, and never clean them in the dishwasher, which can dry out the pores and cause cracking.

Oil a wood cutting board once or twice a year, or as needed, to keep it smooth and increase its longevity. Never store cutting boards while still wet. Excess moisture ruins wood and causes bacteria, mildew, and mold growth. Always dry them with a towel or place them upright on a dish rack until completely dry.

Plastic boards are best for preparing raw meat. Replace them with new ones as soon as you notice cut marks and grooves. Avoid glass cutting boards since they tend to damage knives. Wood boards are best for cutting vegetables like chopped onion, cheeses, bread loaves, and other ready-to-eat foods.

Red onions taste good, but their smell is less desirable, especially when seeping into a wood or plastic cutting board. While onion goggles protect your eyes from tearing, they don’t keep your cutting board from smelling.

Thankfully, we don’t have to tolerate the bad smell since lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda, and other cleaners remove the oniony odor.

Now that you’ve learned how to get the onion smell out of a cutting board, why not share our tips for removing onion odors from cutting boards with your family and friends on Facebook and Pinterest?