Wooden boards fail for one reason: water sitting in them. Everything below is a way of not letting that happen. The whole routine takes about a minute, and it keeps a board going for decades.
The routine
- Wash it by hand. Hot water, a little dish soap, a rag or a soft brush. Do it soon after you use it, before anything dries on.
- Rinse and dry it right away. Towel it off. Don't leave it in the dish rack or sitting in a wet sink.
- Stand it up. Leave it on edge, or propped so air reaches both faces. A board lying flat on a wet counter dries unevenly and can cup.
- Oil it when it looks dry. Pale, chalky or thirsty-looking means it's time. Flood it with food-grade mineral oil or a food-safe board wax, wait 20 minutes, and wipe off the excess.
How often to oil it
When it looks dry, not on a schedule. For most kitchens that's every four to eight weeks, and more often while the board is new or in daily use. There's a quick test: flick a drop of water on it. If it beads up and sits there, the board is still sealed. If it soaks in and darkens the wood, it wants oil.
What to oil it with
Food-grade mineral oil is the standard, and it's cheap. A bottle from any grocery or hardware store lasts years, and it never goes rancid.
Board butter, which is mineral oil mixed with beeswax, does the same job with a little more water resistance and a soft sheen. It's optional. Plain mineral oil works fine.
Don't use olive, vegetable or other cooking oils. They go rancid in the wood and the board ends up smelling off. It's the most common mistake people make with wooden boards.
What not to do
- The dishwasher. It soaks the wood for an hour and then bakes it dry. The wood swells, then shrinks fast and unevenly, and that's what splits boards and opens glue lines.
- Soaking. Don't leave it in the sink or standing in a puddle.
- Heat. Keep it out of the oven and the microwave, and away from a hot stovetop.
- Bleach and harsh solvents. Hot soapy water is enough. For smells, scrub with coarse salt and half a lemon.
Bringing a dried-out board back
A board that has gone gray, fuzzy or chalky isn't done for. It's dry and a little scuffed, and this works on almost anything short of a crack clean through.
- Wash it, towel it, and leave it a few hours so you're not sealing water in.
- Sand with the grain, starting around 150 grit if it's rough, then 220. Sand the whole face, not just the worn spot, or you'll leave a dish in it. Go easy over any engraving.
- Wipe off the dust and flood the surface with mineral oil or board butter. Let it soak 20 to 30 minutes.
- Wipe off whatever hasn't soaked in and let it rest overnight. Repeat once or twice if it's drinking it up.
A crack that goes all the way through, a glue joint that has separated, or deep gouging around an engraving is worth a message before you take sandpaper to it. Send me a photo and I'll tell you whether it's fixable, and whether it's worth fixing.
A few questions I get
Is wood sanitary? Yes, if you keep it dry. Wash it with hot soapy water after use and dry it. Keep raw meat to one face and produce to the other and you're doing everything that matters.
Can I cut on the engraved side? You can, but I wouldn't. Knife work slowly wears the engraving down. Most people prep on the blank face and serve on the engraved side, which also puts the nice side up.
What if it warps or cups? It usually dried unevenly: left flat on a wet counter, or one face oiled and the other not. Oil both faces the same and store it on edge. Mild cupping usually relaxes back.
Every board I make leaves the shop finished with a food-safe board wax, and the engraving is cut into the wood rather than printed, so there's nothing to wear off into food. If you'd like one with your names or a date on it, you can design a personalized cutting board here.