When it comes to kitchens, countertops are the spice of life. Whether you enjoy the light and airy looks of Carrara marble and quartz, granite with dramatic veining, the industrial appearance of concrete, or the natural and earthy look of butcher block there’s a surface to suit just about any taste. Some counter surfaces require more upkeep than others. Butcher block is one of them. If you’re thinking about installing butcher block countertops, or if you’ve had them recently installed, consider these four steps to clean and disinfect them.
Scrub the Countertop
During this first step you’ll clear everything from your countertops. Next, wipe off crumbs and scrape away any built-up film that’s accumulated. Now you’ll drizzle some dish soap onto a wet sponge and scrub-down the butcher block. For optimal cleaning, vigorously wipe in the direction of the gain. After rinsing your sponge wipe the countertop again to clean away soap residue.
Apply White Vinegar
Next, take a clean dish towel and wet a portion of it with white vinegar. Wipe your entire countertop with the vinegar to disinfect it, and allow the vinegar to sit and dry for 15 minutes.
(Vinegar has many uses around the house—both inside and out. It can be used to disinfect your garbage disposal, remove hard water build-up and residue inside your single-serve coffee maker, clean showerheads, baseboards, and even shrivel and kill weeds in your landscape).
Apply Salt and Lemon Juice
Once the vinegar wash has dried, you’ll mix 1 cup of lemon juice with a 1/2 cup of salt to create a paste. Using a sponge, rub the salt and juice paste onto the counter. This will help lift stains from the surface of the butcher block, and further disinfect it.
Wipe Away the Salt
Once your counters have dried, wipe off the remaining salt with a clean dish towel to reveal butcher block countertops that are clean and fresh-smelling.
