Should You Boil Your Wooden Spoons? Here’s What Experts Have To Say

Since it burst into the social media sphere years ago, TikTok has become a virtual audiovisual encyclopedia where you can find a bit of everything.

The platform contains all sorts of hacks including those for keeping your kitchen and utensils neat. There are many useful tips to be found but there are also myths.

So when a  TikTok video claimed to teach viewers how to deep clean their wooden spoons, it made many wonder if it could be true or just a myth.

According to Nicole Jaques, the video's creator, wooden spoons house liquid, bacteria, and oils, and the best way to be rid of them is by boiling them in water for 20 minutes.

In the footage, the leftover water is cloudy, and dark-colored, revealing what seems to be oils and food particles that were trapped inside the spoons during regular cooking.

She recommended that viewers do the cleaning process as often as once a month.

What An Expert Said 

Brad Bernhart of Early Wood Designs, who has conducted his fair share of cleaning experiments and came away with a few takeaways, was asked about boiling wooden spoons.

He stated that the method cleans the utensils well but it was not a perfect solution.

According to Bernhart: “Boiling utensils not only takes out any leftover food bits and sauces, but it also pulls out any oil or wax that was previously put on the utensils.”

In addition, it can also make the utensils warp or crack from the high heat and excessive moisture.

Bernhart said: “When wood absorbs water, it expands. When wood dries out, it shrinks. Properly oiling or waxing utensils is what keeps this cycle from happening, but in the case of the boiling method, you are forcing the wood to soak up as much water as possible. So, when you dry them afterward, cracks may form.”

Should You Boil Wooden Spoons?

According to Bernhart, it is fine to give your utensils a steamy reset, but it's not advisable to do it once a month unless you are fine with shortening the life of your utensils.

Bernhart said: “I think I could sign up for doing this once or twice a year.”

If you do decide to boil them, Bernhart suggests giving the boiled utensils an aggressive rubbing with a Scotch-Brite pad or the scratchy side of your sponge.

This will remove any raised grain. Afterward, treat them with a mineral oil or wax of your choice to make them almost new again.