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85 Comments

  1. Hi! I know a lot of people avoid seed oils because they’re inflammatory & people also tend to avoid palm as well. That being said, do you have any concerns with the Treehouse board balm?

  2. Hey Irina!
    Have you looked at Lynn and Liana Designs. They are accented with stoneware and beautiful. Not sure what eco-friendly epoxy is and if it’s safe but I thought it was worth a look.
    “These pieces are made from high quality Canadian maple and an Eco-friendly epoxy to create a one-of-a-kind piece of serve ware for your home. This cheese board is perfect for serving a group of 2-4 people.”

  3. Hi! Thanks for all your research! I’m new to your site and information. What is your next best budget friendly recommendation. We have 4 plastic cutting boards that I’d love to replace ASAP but simply cannot afford these.

  4. Hi! So happy I found this, Unfortunately Treeboard is out of stock but I found this company and I wondered what you thought about their cutting boards. I was looking at the wide plank cutting boards based on what you wrote but I’m still not sure. In terms of what they finish it with, they give you a choice, one of the choices being fractionated coconut oil (MCT) , or mineral oil, or salad bowl finish (cross linking oil). I thought based on your post the coconut oil would be best, but I’m wondering what your thoughts are.
    Thank you!!

  5. Thanks so much for what you do, Irina! I am only starting out on learning about non-toxic living, and though it feels overwhelming at times, your site has been such an invaluable resource.

    For wood boards, I wanted to share another one I came across – School House walnut cutting board.
    I reached out to them regarding their materials and they said: “The Walnut Cutting Board is made of a single, solid piece of walnut – no adhesives. It is finished with natural beeswax and sunflower oil, so it’s non-toxic and food safe with zero VOCs.”

  6. Hi, Irina!
    I would love to get an Urthware cutting board, but being a military family we are getting ready to move again and the shipping time for Urthware is 5-7 weeks, and we might not have a secure address to get it shipped to. In the meantime, I do not want to wait in purchasing a healthier, non-toxic option. I will be buying Urthware when we are completely moved! I found this website and wanted your thoughts on the board. I think it is safe, as it is one solid piece. The wax and oil used is vegan, but it does not state that it is organic. Is it a deal-breaker? Thank you so much!

  7. I ordered an urthware cutting board five weeks ago and it hasn’t arrived. What are the other best options? Is Virginia Boys Kitchens the second best?

      1. they are running a month behind. plus it takes longer coming from canada. i ordered a virginia boys one in the meantime. is it safe to cut meat on a wood cutting board? if my wife insists on plastic, what are the safest plastic ones? amazon recommends oxo but there isn’t one word about the toxicity of it. thanks.

        1. Hi, Mike, please don’t hesitate to ask questions in the Savvy Consumer Circle. It should be safe, safer than plastic because plastic is more prone to harbor bacteria. I recommend having a separate wooden board for raw meat and fish though. ~Irina

  8. I saw that Urthware has wooden utensils for cooking. Would those be as safe as the cutting boards?

  9. Thank you so very much for your sound research. I spent months trying to find a safe, nontoxic cutting board, but was only left with much frustration and no leads. I’m thrilled to have come across your article and will be purchasing a couple of these cutting boards. I’ve already chosen which ones I’d like. I should have looked through your site before, as I’d already subscribed to your newsletter at least a few months ago!! Lol 🙂
    In the future, I’ll definitely look through your site for research and product recommendations. Thanks again!!

  10. Hi Christina,

    I can’t tell you how great it is that you did all the leg work for me on this one! I just placed my order and I am very excited to receive my cutting boards! Thank you!

  11. Hi,

    I just received my urthware boards and wanted to ask you a question. The rubber feet on my board all bow out from the board so that only the center is touching the wood. Are your boards also like this? All the feet on my board have a 1/4 inch or more gap between the feet and wood it self.

    Thank you!

    1. They are certainly better than plastic. However, I am not a huge fan of them because of undisclosed bamboo processing practices. As you know, bamboo is not a tree and technically is grass. ~Irina

  12. What do you think about Epicurean cutting board? Thay claim they are safe, but it reminds me alot of mason boards – which are toxic.

    1. Hi Cris: Epicurean boards are made from wood resin meaning that wood fibers are glued together. I prefer solid wood cutting boards instead. ~Irina

  13. Hi! The retailer responded saying none of their glass cutting boards contain lead. I did find another board at another store (same retailer) and the label said that the board was compliant with California’s prop 65 with regards to lead and cadmium, and since it did not specify it had lead in it, I bought that one. I didn’t want to disclose the name of the retailer in case you didn’t feel it was appropriate. Thanks for your help!

  14. Hi
    What are your thoughts on glass cutting boards?
    Other than dulling your knives, it sounds like the safest and requiring the least maintenance. I recently bought one but haven’t tried it because I’m having a hard time getting a response on whether it may have lead.
    What do you think?

  15. I am looking for a safe wood cutting board and happened to read your review (Thanks!). I like All Natural Serious, but the largest one is 18”X9″. Is it possible to get a wider one? Also do they offer coupon for the holiday season?

      1. I received an Urthware Black Friday sale announcement yesterday that started running yesterday. It says:
        Discounted $25 shipping to the USA & Canada!!
        Spend $125 CAD (about $95 USD) and receive a discounted shipping rate. This is a significant savings off of actual shipping costs!
        Or
        Free Urthware Organic Cutting Board Wax + discount shipping
        When you purchase $160 CAD (approx. $120 USD) worth of products from Urthware receive our discounted shipping PLUS a FREE Urthware cutting board wax!

  16. Buying a Christmas gift for someone who wants to hold the board in the store- what would be your backup option? Looking at Proteak, John Boos, etc. I never thought cutting boards would be so tricky!

  17. I checked out his shop and it looks good but I am not sure about the milk paint. Why put milk paint on it at all? The MSDS says that in case of ingestion to get medical aid immediately: i.e. “If swallowed, call a physician immediately. Remove stomach contents by gastric suction or induce vomiting only as directed by medical personnel.”

    1. Hi Inna: that’s the exact question I had. While the milk paint is one of the safest offered on the market and it is located only on the sides on the board where the contact to the food is minimum, it is still something we do not have a lot of clarity about. The MSDS does not fully disclose the paint’s composition. I have two boards by Urthware: one has the paint and the other does not. I requested the second board without the paint as I felt it is not necessary. You can do the same and I am sure your request will be honored. Thank you for your comment!

  18. Hi- I purchased an Urthware cutting board after reading your review. (Thanks!) I did notice that I after I washed it, (by hand with a damp cloth) that the cutting surface was really rough. Did you notice this? Does it go away after use / oiling?
    Thanks!
    Tamara

    1. Hi Tamara! Maybe not as smooth but I would not say “really rough.” Not for me, anyway. And yes, with oiling it goes away. I really enjoy Urthware cutting boards. No complaints.

    1. Hi Melissa, those food-safe resins are not transparent at all. Nobody will ever tell you what chemicals they have. I did not get any satisfying answers and decided to avoid glues all together in my food. I sent Epicurean a message and, if they respond, I will update this comment. Thank you, Melissa!

      10/16/14: I just received a reply from the company. The resin is made with phenol formaldehyde. Phenol formaldehyde is less toxic than urea formaldehyde. However, it is still formaldehyde – not ideal. By the way, wood has natural formaldehyde and with pressed wood you get more of it. You can read my post about formaldehyde here.

    1. Hi Eldra! I don’t think I researched these particular cutting boards but generally I do not like bamboo boards. First, they are made with thin pieces of wood glued together; second, most bamboo come from China where growing practices are questionable; and lastly they are finished with mineral oil, which is a petroleum product. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks!

  19. Wooden cutting boards are petridishes for bacteria. Glass cutting boards, which are made in the US, are the healthiest cutting boards.

    1. Interesting. This is not what I read. Could you provide more information? I agree about glass. The problem with glass boards though is that you have to sharpen your knives almost daily.

  20. I like that they’re made out of wood and not plastic, less likely to leach bad things into what we’re eating

  21. So grateful that you have done all this research. It is frustrating that manufactures that are allowed to make products with proven toxins in them.

  22. Nice find. I’ve been thinking of replacing ours as they split so soon after we got them. I’m sure bacteria is hiding in there.

  23. I love that he’s using a safe finishing oil – I recently replaced my plastic boards with wood, but got so frustrated trying to research the proper way to maintain the boards. I gave up!

  24. I typically keep my meats and vegetables on different cutting boards, marking them so I never cut vegetables on my meat board. I’m curious if you need to do that with wood and therefore would recommend 2 – one for meats and one for vegetables?

  25. Thank you for doing all of this hard work for me!!! I became so frustrated looking for a truly safe cutting board that I gave up! Now I have an option!

    And… what I like best about them is that they are completely stress-free for me! No weird glues, no yucky oils, nothing to worry about!!

    1. And… what I like best about them is that they are completely stress-free for me! No weird glues, no yucky oils, nothing to worry about!!

  26. Wow, these look like great boards! I am transitioning to a plastic-free kitchen and trying out different natural cutting boards. I would love to buy a couple of these!

  27. I would love to win one of these boards. I love that you did the research and know that it’s safe, untreated wood instead of the toxic plastic to cut our fruits and vegetables. Thanks for the Giveaway! I shared it with my friends too.

    1. Hi Susan, thank you so much for your kind words! I wanted to make sure that we are on the same page. The giveaway is a $10 coupon on a $50+ purchase for 5 people, not the entire board.

  28. i particularly like the fact that he even thought about the glue and solved the toxic issue around that problem.

  29. I love that these cutting boards are made out of maple and that it helps make them less prone to bacteria contamination and I love that he adds the feet to the bottom to deter slipping while using the board.