Questions & Answers - Rancid Wood Salad Bowl

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Question:

Hope you can help me. I have a good wooden salad bowl that has turned rancid, tried scrubbing with soap and water even soaking in water and bleach, the smell still remains. Thank you - Stacia (6/17/01)


Answer: 

Following is the answer given by The Bowl Mill, a company that manufactures wooden bowls: 

"We recommend the use of a non-abrasive scrub pad, lemon juice, and pumice dust to scrub off the oil that has built up over the years. The use of a vegetable based oil, such as corn oil, olive oil, or even lard in the old days, has created a culture for bacteria to build up and become gummy and thick with layers of built up oil. If you scrub the bowl with pumice and lemon juice you will safely take off the layers of oil. After you rinse out the cleaning agents and are satisfied that you have taken the bowl down to the wood, apply a coat of mineral oil to the bowl, allowing it to soak into the wood."