Almost everybody uses wooden utensils in the kitchen, but not everyone maintains them so that they stay in great shape and don't retain unwanted odors.
TikTok food and gardening content creator Kaleb Wyse (@wyseguide) shared a video on caring for wooden utensils with his 210,000 followers.
The scoop
Kaleb advised his followers to always wash their wooden utensils after use. "Don't think you can't wash them just because they're wood," he said.
However, he cautioned everybody to avoid the dishwasher, explaining that "the dishwasher gets too high of heat and too much moisture."
If there's anything caked on that won't come off with a simple rinse, Kaleb recommended a spray of 50% vinegar and 50% water.
Finally, "the important part is not letting them dry out between uses," he said. To avoid this, you should rub your wooden utensils periodically with food-grade mineral oil to ensure they stay hydrated and don't soak in as many flavors, smells, and moistures.
@wyseguide Some of my favorite utensils in the kitchen are my wooden ones. Here's how I keep them clean!
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How it's helping
So many of the products we buy are disposable and thrown away after a single use. According to an Environmental Protection Agency report, Americans were responsible for 300 million tons of trash in 2018, with half ending up in landfills.
That means that the products we buy that aren't disposable — such as wooden spoons — deserve proper care so that we don't end up throwing things away unnecessarily. Even though wood is among the most environmentally sustainable materials, we still don't want to mistreat our wooden utensils and send them off to the dump.
What everybody's saying
Many of Kaleb's followers had never heard tips for how to properly care for wooden utensils and were eager to put his advice into action.
"I've never done this before. Can I do this with bamboo utensils and cutting boards?" one commenter wondered.
"Thank you I always wanted to know what was the best way to clean my wooden spoons. U always give great advice," wrote another.
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