How To Keep Your Wood Cutting Boards Smelling Fresh (& Not Like Garlic)

Now, if the lemon and salt doesn’t do the trick and there’s still some leftover odor, there is a chance the smell will naturally dissipate on its own as it dries.

But one other way to remove a stubborn scent, according to Alame and Yu, is to scrub the smelly section of the board with a baking soda paste using a sponge or toothbrush. “You can create a paste by mixing three parts baking soda to one part water,” they explain, noting that odors left behind on the surface are often caused by weak organic acids. “Baking soda neutralizes such acids, eliminating their odor,” they add.