Scrubbing your wooden cutting board with salt and crazy hot water works. To prevent your board from picking up odours in the future make sure it's well seasoned - Here's how: http://karyosmond.com/maintain-wooden-cutting-boards/
My favorite new cleaner for stuff like this (that comes into contact with food) is organic cleaning products from Freshana Organic Solutions. I swear by the stuff now. Will totally get rid of onion smell.
I agree with Madame Sel, course salt & half a lemon works best. Sorry Mensaque, but I must disagree with you. Dish detergent can get into the board leaving a residue behind.
The best way to keep a board from developing an odor is to keep it properly oiled. Use food grade mineral oil, beeswax or combination of both. Food grade mineral is cheap & easy to find. All you have to do is rub it on & let it soak in. Do all sides of the board. I would recommend that you do it every time you use the board until it develops a good finish. When finished chopping, rinse the board with warm water, use a stiff brush to remove anything stuck on. No soap. Soap will break down the protective oil. Dry the board then apply the mineral oil & leave it to soak into the wood.
Make sure to use Food Grade Mineral Oil as other oils (olive, nut or canola) can go rancid on the board.
I keep a shaker jar of baking soda with my cleaning supplies. I use it along with my dish detergent to clean my plastic cutting boards always. It's a gentle abrasive that removes any residue and it deodorizes, too. In fact, when I wash my hands after handling garlic, I sprinkle a little on with my hand soap.
Have you tried scrubbing it down with kosher salt and a half a lemon? That works for me on wood boards. Or try some diluted white vinegar. Spray it on and leave for a few.
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The best way to keep a board from developing an odor is to keep it properly oiled. Use food grade mineral oil, beeswax or combination of both. Food grade mineral is cheap & easy to find. All you have to do is rub it on & let it soak in. Do all sides of the board. I would recommend that you do it every time you use the board until it develops a good finish. When finished chopping, rinse the board with warm water, use a stiff brush to remove anything stuck on. No soap. Soap will break down the protective oil. Dry the board then apply the mineral oil & leave it to soak into the wood.
Make sure to use Food Grade Mineral Oil as other oils (olive, nut or canola) can go rancid on the board.
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