Because wooden tableware is afraid of water, the cleaning and preservation methods are different from ordinary tableware. Mastering the following tips can save you from worries.
Tip 1: baking soda is a good helper for cleaning
There is no difference in cleaning methods between painted and unpainted tableware. It can be cleaned with edible baking soda powder and bitter tea powder. If the tableware is greasy, you can use tea water or tea residue to clean it. Tea contains theophylline, which helps to remove the oil. When cleaning, you can soak the tableware in tea to remove the oil, or put the tea residue in a small filter bag to wipe the oil. In addition, you can also use neutral detergent for cleaning, but pay attention to that when cleaning unpainted tableware, the detergent will inevitably penetrate into the pores of wood. It is recommended not to use smelly detergent as far as possible to avoid residual fragrance.
Tip 2: use soft sponge, avoid soaking too long
Clean the wooden tableware and gently wipe off the oil stain with a soft sponge. Never use towel gourd cloth, steel wire ball, or wash with forks, knives and kitchen boards with hard materials. These hard materials will peel off the paint on the surface of wooden tableware, or produce scratches, which is easy to hide dirt. Don't soak too long when washing. If you want to soften the food residue stuck on the tableware, the soaking time should be controlled at 5 ~ 10 minutes. If the soaking time of wood is too long, it is easy to rot and mildew.
Tip 3: wash and dry in a dry and cool place
Dry the tableware immediately after washing, or place it vertically in a dry and cool place. Be careful not to put it in places with high temperature or moisture, such as refrigerator, water dispenser and electric rice cooker; Direct exposure is also not recommended. If the temperature is too high or the moisture is too heavy, the wood is easy to crack, deform and breed bacteria. You can also heat the oven for 5 minutes, turn off the power, and use the residual temperature to dry the wooden tableware quickly.
Tip 4: do not put it in a closed cabinet when it is not in use
Put the washed and dried tableware in a ventilated and cool place. It is not recommended to put it directly into a closed cabinet. Otherwise, when the air humidity is high, especially in the rainy season, the wooden tableware will be put into the closed cabinet. If it is not used for a long time, it will easily absorb the moisture in the air and become moldy. In addition, the wood has low hardness and is easy to be scratched by collision. It is recommended to separate it from other metal tableware when it is put away.
Tip 5: regularly apply olive oil to maintain wood
Wooden tableware, like skin, should be maintained regularly. Tableware will be used for a long time, and will lose its original wood bright color. Just like skin is coated with lotion every day, it can restore the shiny wood on a regular basis with a thin layer of olive oil on the tableware. However, it should be noted that the pores of wood will be contaminated with fragrance. It is not recommended to use fragrant sesame oil or apply too much to avoid fuel consumption.
Tip 6: use warm hot water for sterilization
If you want to thoroughly disinfect the tableware after a long time, you must not use alcohol. High concentration of alcohol will damage the wood surface coating. If you want to sterilize, you can soak it in warm water at 50 ~ 60 ℃, that is, it is a little hot to feel but can bear the heat. It is not recommended to use the hot temperature.
Finally, even if properly cleaned and stored, wooden tableware has a certain service life. If the tableware has been used for a long time, you should always observe whether the tableware is discolored, worn, cracked or even attached with mildew. If so, replace it immediately. Damaged tableware is easy to breed mold, and the harm of tableware with long bacteria to the body will never be lower than that of plastic products.
If you want to use wooden tableware at ease and follow the above tips, you can let your family eat at ease and have no trouble.