Wooden utensils are a kitchen workhorse, constantly helping you produce your favorite recipes. One TikToker gave their best advice for how to get these tools clean and give them new life. 

The scoop

Pro Tip Vault (@protipvault) shares useful tips and tricks for around your home. In one clip, they shared how they clean their wooden kitchen utensils using just a few simple ingredients. They call this process "perfect for everyday upkeep between deep cleanings!"

@protipvault Revive your wooden spoons and spatulas in under a minute! 🍋✨ Most never touch raw meat, so this lemon-and-salt scrub is a safe, natural way to clean, deodorize, and bring them back to life. Finish with a little food-grade mineral oil to keep them looking brand new. Perfect for everyday upkeep between deep cleanings! #KitchenHack #CleaningTips #TipoftheDay #HomeHacks #CleaningMotivation #WoodenSpoon #EcoFriendlyCleaning ♬ 10 minutes BGM for light training such as yoga(845880) - kakumaru

Collect your wooden spoons, coarse salt, and a lemon, and follow these simple steps. Cut the lemon in half, and rub it all over your utensils; this will wet the surfaces and help salt stick to them. Take your salt, and sprinkle a generous amount over the spoons. Next, use the lemon to rub the salt all over each spoon. With a little elbow grease, your wooden utensils will be spick and span in no time. 

If you want to amp up the cleaning, you can soak the spoons in vinegar or peroxide to sanitize them before you scrub them down. 

The final step the creator shares is to use food-grade mineral oil to treat the spoons. This will give them a nice sheen and help protect the wood when you use them again. 

How it's helping

Taking good care of your items can extend their lifespans. In the clip, the creator reminded viewers they should only hand-wash their wooden utensils, as the dishwasher can damage them. 

Minimizing damage and regularly cleaning and treating your items should allow you to use them for years to come. Wooden kitchenware can even last longer than plastic, one expert told Eater: "If you cut into an end-grain wood that's been sealed with a non-drying oil, those grains of wood are actually just going to spread apart and pop back into place. … They do self-heal."

It is also better for the environment and won't break down into microplastics as you use it or when it ends up in the landfill. These wooden tools are made from natural products, and some may even be compostable. 

What everyone's saying

Users were thankful for the tutorial. 

"Thank you for sharing this," one person wrote. 

Someone else said, "I never put anything with wood in the dishwasher. … Thank you."

"I use salad bowl finish to coat my spoons," another commenter shared.

Which sustainable cooking change are you most interested in trying? Reducing my food waste 🗑️ Eating more plant-based foods 🥕 Using high-tech kitchen tools 🍳 Not interested 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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