This Cutting Board Hack Makes Cleaning Up So Easy

Love fresh produce, don’t love a messy cutting board?

During the year, I pull out one of those flexible plastic cutting boards every time I need to chop something quickly. I usually save my wooden cutting board for when I’ll be doing lots of cooking. This giant Ikea one makes its appearance on Friday mornings.

But when it’s just some fruit for breakfast, veggies for school lunch, and all the other random things we chop in a day, I take out a plastic mat and then throw it into the dishwasher.

During the summer, I only have one dishwasher, which is used for meat. So, I needed a new solution. I couldn’t have tons of plastic mats piling up in my sink.

This hack is great for anyone who, also, has just one (or…gasp…no dishwasher!) or prefers the firmness of a wood cutting board vs. the flimsiness of those plastic mats.

Lay a piece of wax paper across your cutting board. Wax paper is preferable to parchment for a few reasons. It’s cheaper. It also has a coating, so it’ll hold up to the moisture of produce better. It’s simply a great work surface.

Chop away. Note that wax paper isn’t impenetrable. It will get some cuts in it if you’re chopping something that requires you to come down hard on the board (like an onion). But even if there are cuts, cleanup will still be easy.

When you’re done chopping, simply lift up the paper and throw the mess away.

Tada. Clean cutting board and freshly sliced fruit.