Easy cleaning hack stops wooden spoons from turning orange – and removes stains

Out of all the kitchen utensils in our homes the humble wooden spoon is probably one of the most used and most forgotten.

We use them for stirring pasta sauce, caramelising onions and much, much more.

But, when it comes to cleaning them a quick scrub usually suffices or else we chuck them into the dishwasher.

But, oftentimes, richly coloured food like tomatoes, turmeric or carrot end up staining the wood and making them unsightly to display.

So, what is the proper technique to keep your wooden spoons looking brand new?

Well, according to The Metro, all you need is water and a jar (and maybe a kettle).

Firstly, place your wooden spoon in the jar and pour over some freshly-boiled water.

Stir the water around with the spoon and then leave it to sit in the jar for about 20 minutes.

You’ll be able to watch oil and food particles leach out of the wood grain and into the hot water.

Then, just remove it from the jar, give the spoon a final rinse and towel dry it.

If you do this regularly after cooking then your favourite implement should stay clean for many years.

However, if you already have a spoon stained yellow or which smells a bit then you may have to double up on your cleaning method.

Try scrubbing the spoon with lemon and salt.

Just cut the lemon in half and dip the wet side in course salt before scrubbing the stain with the lemon until it lifts out of the grain.

Alternatively, swap the salt out for baking soda and scrub away in a similar way to get orange staining out of the spoon.

Finally, add a little white vinegar to the boiling water you pour over your spoon in the jar method and leave it to sit overnight.

If you let your spoons dry in sunlight – we know that’s a little tricky right now – then this will have an added bleaching effect on the wood.

Good luck!