Wooden cutting board in the dishwasher?

Unlike plastic boards, wooden cutting boards are usually not dishwasher safe - hot temperatures and dishwasher detergents damage the wood and can cause it to crack. To reliably kill germs, experts recommend cleaning cutting boards with as much heat as possible and choosing a washing program of at least 60 degrees for boards that can be put in the dishwasher. Important: Always let boards dry well, because most germs are not resistant to drying. (Source: NDR Markt 2019)

In addition to these general expert recommendations, we wanted to know more. We washed a teak cutting board 100 times in the dishwasher at 60 degrees. That corresponds to around 200 hours of washing. To protect the environment, we naturally did not wash the TEAKER alone, but together with the rest of the family dishes in everyday life.

We were pleasantly surprised by the results. The wood is firm, feels as soft as it did on the first day and shows no cracks or stains. Perhaps this is because wood compensates for small cuts because it can swell.

We think it is important that the cutting board is cut from one piece. Most cutting boards are just glued together, they fall apart pretty quickly in the dishwasher and should only be cleaned by hand. Cutting boards cut from one piece can be recognized by their continuous, uninterrupted grain.

The properties of teak wood are probably also helpful. It grows very slowly and is therefore very dense. This ensures that liquids (or smells) can only penetrate the wood to a minimal extent. Therefore, the structure of the cutting board is obviously well protected even in the challenging dishwasher environment.