05/05/2026
False claim: Boil your wooden kitchen tools to clean then and make them last longer (7 million views on Tik Tok). 😱😱😱😱 If you boil them you'll see the water turn brown showing how dirty your spoons were.
This false claim has made some people worried about using kitchen tools, thinking they are too unsanitary and unsafe to use based on how dirty the water looks after boiling the tools.
Yes, boiling does sanitize things, we understand that but the dark water does not prove it.
👍My test:
I boiled never-been-used, clean wood from our wood shop and it made the water just as dirty looking as the viral videos that claim the dirty water is proof of how disgustingly gross or dangerously dirty your wooden tools were.
👍What we take from it:
The brown coloring is most likely the natural wood oils leeching out into the boiling water (as you saw in the video of how my water turned dark and the wood was not dirty).
Which is a pity because that will lead to your tools drying out and cracking.
The oil looking water from viral videos could be from the oil you use to upkeep your wood, and or yes, it can be from cooking oils.
🤚We never boil out wooden kitchen tools. It damages them.
Period.
Using them to stir a boiling soup is fine because you're not keeping them in very long- just don't leave them in and walk away.
If we are worried about our tools being sanitary, we use dish soap and hot water under the sink.
If you doubt that boiling your wooden tools damages them, just ask a local woodworker (not a social media influencer) and I'm certain they'll agree.
🫶❤️🫶
Have a wonderful day!
