I tried TikTok's wooden spoon cleaning hack, and this is what happened

I'd never even thought about deep-cleaning my wooden spoons before, but seeing TikToks of other users' utensils after a soak in boiling water had me immediately turning on the kettle.

There are a few different versions of this cleaning hack floating around. Some use boiling water on its own, others use the dishwasher tablet trick, and a few opt for baking soda, vinegar, or both. I decided to go for a happy medium and scooped a tablespoon of baking soda into a plastic measuring cup to dissolve in my boiling water, before soaking my wooden spoons and utensils for about 20 minutes.

I tried this out on my spice-stained wooden spatula from circa 2018, as well as my year-old utensils that were included with my Always Pot and Perfect Pan from Our Place. Here's exactly what happened.

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The verdict

Long story short, this hack definitely works. I could visibly see a massive difference in the before and after, especially with my oldest wooden spatula. The turmeric stains are completely gone, and I feel like the soak also cleaned off less visible buildup from the rest of my utensils.

It's also super-easy, fairly quick, and doesn't require buying anything extra. You can do this with just boiling water, but if you want an extra boost like I did, baking soda and vinegar are probably both already in your cupboard. Be sure to wash and dry your spoons as usual once you're done to really see the results.

What I'll do next time

I'll be doing this again, but there are a couple of ways I'll switch up my deep-cleaning technique going forward.

After seeing the gross results from the cooking ends of my utensils, I have a feeling there will be similar buildup on the handles. So next time, rather than using a measuring cup, I'll be grabbing a casserole or baking dish that allows the spoons to be fully submerged and gets the handles clean as well. 

While looking into wooden utensil cleaning methods, I also discovered that the reason they aren't typically soaked in water is because it can be drying and damaging to the wood. It's advised to treat your wooden utensils with a mineral oil every month (again, something I had never thought about). 

Before breaking out the baking soda again, I'll be sure to pick up some mineral oil to give my spoons the TLC they need after an intense cleaning treatment and give them the full spa experience every month.