Cutting boards can be made of wood, plastic, rubber, or glass, and although they’re designed to take a lot of abuse, they aren’t meant to live forever. It’s recommended to replace plastic boards annually, depending on how often they are used, but you’ll want to keep an eye on their condition to ensure your boards aren’t carrying tons of bacteria.

If your plastic cutting board develops deep knife cuts or grooves, it’s time to replace it, as those crevices can hang on to odors and harmful bacteria. Plastic boards can also warp and crack from the dishwasher’s high heat, which is annoying and dangerous as you’ll be working on an uneven surface with less control over what you’re cutting.

Although wooden cutting boards are slightly more forgiving of knife cuts than plastic, they are more porous and can hold bacteria if hand-washed improperly. Unlike plastic, wooden boards can be restored by being sanded down, which may seem like more work but will stretch the life of your wooden boards out over decades.