Wrong, wrong, wrong! Unless you try to sterilize the wood. Don’t soak wood, and never, ever put wooden utensils in the dishwasher. The antibacterial ability of wood comes from the cellulose and the naturally occurring oils, if you strip the oils, you have a problem. Also, soaking wood in water will open-up the pores more than the oil can fix. You can reseal wood by rubbing it with beeswax. Never “season” wood with an oil that will go rancid, such as olive oil. Once the wood has been properly seasoned, to clean it, just wipe it. You can use soap, but rinse immediately. A better way to clean wood is with oil. Bamboo is even better than wood, being a grass, it can stand being soaked in water, but that will shorten its useful life.

错,错,错!除非你想给木头消毒。不要浸泡木头,永远不要把木制餐具放在洗碗机里。木材的抗菌能力来自纤维素和天然存在的油脂,如果你剥去油脂,就会有问题了。此外,将木材浸泡在水中会打开更多孔隙,这超出油脂可以修复的。你可以用蜂蜡摩擦木头来重新密封。永远不要用会变质的油来“调味(处理)”木材,比如橄榄油。一旦木材经过适当的调味,要清洁它,只需擦拭即可。你可以用肥皂,但要立即冲洗。清洁木材更好的方法是用油。竹子甚至比木头更好,作为一种草,它可以忍受被水浸泡,但这会缩短它的使用寿命。


Plastic and silicone have a major flaw. When they are brand new, they can be sterilized by soaking in soap or bleach, and even put through the dishwasher, however, if they become scratched, those scratches can harbour bacteria which is nearly impossible to remove.

塑料和硅胶有一个主要缺陷。当它们是全新的时候,可以用肥皂或漂白剂浸泡消毒,甚至可以放进洗碗机,但是,如果它们被划伤了,这些划痕可能会滋生细菌,几乎不可能被清除。


Under normal use, silicone utensils will last a couple of years; good wooden or bamboo utensils will last for decades.

在正常使用情况下,硅胶餐具可以使用几年; 好的木制或竹制器具可以使用数十年。

One last note, if you are worried that a particular wooden utensil might have been exposed to bacteria, let it air dry for a few days; that will kill most bacteria. If you are really concerned, let it air dry for several weeks, give it a light sanding and then season with beeswax. You can’t do that with silicone.

最后一点,如果你担心某个特定的木制器具可能已经暴露在细菌中,让它风干几天;这将杀死大多数细菌。如果你真的担心,让它风干几个星期,给它轻轻打磨一下,然后用蜂蜡“调味”。硅胶就做不到这一点。