How to clean natural materials: bamboo, cork and cast iron

A lot of people are making the switch to more natural and sustainable surfaces in their homes. Which is great… until you actually use them. If you have a child there is a 100% guarantee that the beautiful new cork flooring you installed will be covered in oatmeal before you even get a chance to upload a picture of it to Facebook.

What to do? Here’s what to do:

(1) How to clean a bamboo cutting board

We’ve talked about the benefits of bamboo, but we didn’t talk the downside: once you use something, you inevitably have to clean it. (When are they going to come out with self-cleaning kitchenware anyway?) Until then, here’s what to do:

- Rinse the bamboo cutting board with hot water right after use and use a bit of natural dishwashing liquid to scrub both the front and back. Then rinse with hot water.

- If you cut any raw animal products, like chicken or fish or meat, you’ll need to sterilize your board after washing. The FDA recommends using 1 tbsp. of bleach for every 1 gallon of water. Rinse again with plain hot water.

- Dry the board immediately with a clean dish towel. (As opposed to plastic that you can let air dry.)

- Here’s the tricky part. In order to keep your bamboo cutting board in good shape (so it doesn’t dry out and crack) you should condition it at least once a week. Just pour 2 to 3 tbsp. of food-grade mineral oil onto a clean cloth and apply to the surface of the board. Let the board sit overnight, and remove the excess oil with a clean cloth in the morning. Rinse with warm water before using.

(2) How to clean cork floors

How many wine bottles have to die for a cork floor? Apparently none. This sustainable flooring choice is not just good at providing a soft landing when baby learns to walk (and fall), it’s also made from stripping the old bark of cork oak trees (instead of cutting the tree down). Kind of like a starfish, the bark just grows back! So how do you clean a cork floor?

- Wipe up any liquids immediately following a spill to avoid any seeping into the seams and causing mold to form underneath the cork tiles.

- For everyday cleaning, simply sweep the cork floor with a soft bristled broom. You’ll want to use a broom with soft bristles because cork flooring scratches easily.

- To get a really good clean, fill a bucket with warm water and a naturally-derived dish soap and then mop with a sponge mop. Ring out your mop well so you don’t accidentally leave water on the cork and cause mold.

- Let your floor air dry completely. May I suggest putting a child-friendly movie on in the bedroom to allow the floor to dry without the immediate spilling of chocolate milk when you JUST cleaned the floor?

(3) How to clean a cast iron skillet

If you’ve ever done the dishes and thought, “I can spend the next ten minutes scrubbing this pan or I can pretend it needs to soak overnight and go watch Dancing with the Stars instead” – and chosen the latter – then you’re my kind of friend. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t be a friend to your cast-iron skillet.

- It’s best to rinse the pan with hot water immediately after cooking. Sorry folks!

- Use a mild abrasive (such as coarse salt) and a nonmetal brush (to avoid scratching) if you need to remove burned-on food. Every once in a while you can use a few drops of a mild dishwashing liquid – but not frequently because that will ruin the seasoning.

- If your pan gets rusty, you can scrub it with steel wool, then reseason before the next use.  (TIP: To prevent rust, simply dry your skillet thoroughly and then lightly coat it with cooking oil. You can keep it covered with a paper towel to protect it from dust and dirt.)

Got any tips on how to clean natural surfaces? Stop hoarding and share in the comments field!

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