1. You prefer to use a glass board
Glass boards do tend to be more resistant to stains and odors, but that hard surface will quickly dull your knife blade. Using a glass board may also put you at risk of injury, since its surface may cause the knife to slip. Surfaces like wood will keep your knives sharp for longer and are also less likely to harbor bacteria. Plastic surfaces, however, need to be cleaned thoroughly.
2. You use a small chopping board
While a small cutting board may take up less space in the kitchen and will surely be easy to clean, the smaller surface area means that your food will be sliding off your board and your knife will have little room to move back and forth, putting you at a higher risk of cutting yourself. So save yourself the trouble and go for a bigger board.
3. You do not use a separate board for meat
Meat, poultry, and fish can harbor bacteria like E.coli and salmonella, which can cause you to feel sick. So when you use just one cutting board for both meat and vegetables, the juice from the former may likely contaminate the latter. It's advised that you therefore separate your boards, using one just for animal products, and cleaning it with hot, soapy water after each use.
4. You use the same board for someone with allergies
Cross-contamination is not only a risk for meat eaters, it may also be a problem when you are prepping food for someone with an allergy. As although the cutting board may look clean, it still harbors traces of an allergenic food. With this in mind, you may want to invest in a separate board. If using your regular board, however, take steps to thoroughly wash and sanitize it.
5. You put your wooden board in the dishwasher
While plastic cutting boards can endure the heat of a dishwasher, a wooden board will likely warp or crack. They are therefore better to wash by hand with some soap and warm water. If you're dealing with stains or strong odors, get rid of them by sprinkling your board with baking soda and rubbing it with half a lemon.
6. You're not drying your board thoroughly
A damp board and minimal circulation sets the stage for bacteria to grow. So, instead of placing your cutting board back on the counter, it is best that you let it drip and dry on your dish rack.
7. You're not oiling your wooden board
All that washing with soap and water can cause your wooden board to dry out and crack. To prevent this from happening, rub the surface with food-grade oil, such as olive oil - this will keep it from drying out and will enable your board to last longer. Once a week, or even, once a month should be enough.
