Tablas de cortar
How to care for a wooden board so it lasts a lifetime
A well cared for board lasts decades. A neglected one lasts two years. The difference comes down to four habits.
A well cared for board lasts decades. A neglected one lasts two years and ends up with a crack down the middle.
The difference is not the price and not the wood. It comes down to four habits that take five minutes to learn and then happen without thinking.
We have been selling teak, olive wood and acacia boards for years, and the questions we get are almost always the same. Which oil do I use? Can it go in the dishwasher? Why has it turned grey? Everything is answered here, in the order you will need it.
The three enemies: water, heat and neglect
The wood in your board is still alive. It takes in moisture from the air and releases it again, changing volume as it does. That movement is normal and you will not stop it. The problem shows up when it happens suddenly, or when it only happens on one side.
Water is the first enemy. Not the water from a quick wash, but soaking: the board left sitting in the sink for half an hour, or laid flat on a wet worktop. The underside does not dry, the top does, and the board curves towards whichever side lost more water.
Heat is the second, and it is what causes cracks. A radiator underneath, direct sun through the window, a dishwasher at 60 degrees. The wood loses moisture too fast and contracts. Because it cannot contract evenly in every direction, it splits.
The third is neglect. A board that has gone months without oil loses its barrier against water. It stops repelling it and starts absorbing it. From there, everything else happens faster.
Day one: season the board before you use it
A new board arrives with a factory coat of oil that is enough for shipping and not much else. Before you cut anything, give it a proper first treatment.
Wash it with warm water and a little mild soap, dry it with a cloth and leave it in the air for an hour. Once it is completely dry, apply food grade mineral oil generously: a well soaked cloth or kitchen paper, on both faces and all four edges.
The edges drink the most and almost everyone skips them. We keep insisting because that is exactly where water gets in when you wash it.
Let it soak in overnight. In the morning, wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. Repeat once a day for the first week.
It sounds like a lot of work. It is one week, and you will never do it that intensively again.
Which oil to use, and which one ruins it
Food grade mineral oil. You can buy it at any pharmacy, it is clear, it has no smell and it costs very little. It is chemically inert, so it does not go rancid.
What you should not use, and this is the mistake we see most often: olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil or any cooking oil. These are fats that oxidise. They start within days, and after two to four weeks the board is sticky and smells rancid, that old rag smell that never comes out again.
It is counterintuitive, we know. You have an olive wood board, you have olive oil in the kitchen, it seems like the obvious choice. Do not do it. The same goes for teak.
Board balms also work, mixing mineral oil with beeswax. They protect slightly better and feel nicer, but they cost considerably more and need to be applied to a warm board. For everyday use, plain mineral oil is perfectly fine.
How often: the water drop test
Forget calendars. Drop a few drops of water in the middle of the board and watch what happens.
If they bead up on the surface, the board is protected. If they spread out and the wood darkens there, it is thirsty.
As a rough guide, depending on how much you use it:
- First week: daily
- First month: once a week
- After that: once a month
There is another sign that does not even need water. If the wood looks pale, whitish or dull, it needs oil. A well fed board has a warm tone and a living grain. When it looks matte and colourless, give it a coat.
The thirty second wash
After each use, warm water and a little mild soap with a sponge. Both sides. Dry it straight away with a cloth, both sides again.
And here is what almost nobody does, and it makes the biggest difference: leave it to finish drying standing on its edge. Never flat. That way air circulates equally on both faces and the board does not warp. Leaned against the wall behind the worktop, in the drying rack, in the gap between two units. Any upright position works.
If you have cut raw chicken or fish, wash with hot water and soap. If you want to be certain, rub half a lemon over the surface afterwards and rinse.
There is a lot to say about the hygiene of wood, and we will devote a whole guide to it, because what the research actually shows runs against what most people believe.
The five nevers
Dishwasher.
Pressurised water, aggressive detergent and a heated drying cycle, all three at once. It is the worst thing that can happen to a wooden board. It does not just come out looking worse: it cracks.
Soaking.
Never leave it sitting in water in the sink. Not even five minutes.
Drying flat.
This is the mistake that warps more boards than any other.
Radiator, oven or direct sun.
Keep it somewhere airy at normal room temperature.
Bleach and strong degreasers.
They raise the grain and strip the oil. Mild soap and nothing else.
Stains and smells
Garlic, onion and fish leave smells. Beetroot, blackberries and turmeric leave colour. Neither is permanent.
For smells: coarse salt over the surface, half a lemon, and scrub with the lemon as if it were a sponge. The juice neutralises, the salt acts as a gentle abrasive. Rinse, dry, oil.
For stains: bicarbonate of soda with a few drops of water to make a paste, rub in circles with a cloth, leave for ten minutes and rinse. If the stain is old, sand very lightly with fine grit, always along the grain, then oil generously.
After any deep clean, always oil. You removed the stain, but you also took off part of the protection.
Where to keep it
Standing up or hanging, in an airy cupboard or out on the worktop. Both work.
What is worth avoiding is the closed drawer directly under the oven or next to the dishwasher, where the board takes steam and heat every time you run them. And if you live on the coast, with high humidity most of the year, check the oil a little more often than the table above suggests.
Your maintenance schedule
| When | What you do |
|---|---|
| After every use | Hand wash, dry with a cloth, leave standing on its edge |
| First week | Oil daily |
| First month | Oil once a week |
| Every month | Oil, or whenever the drop test fails |
| Every 6 months | Check edges and corners, oil more generously |
| As needed | Salt and lemon for smells, bicarbonate for stains |
When something has already gone wrong
Surface cracks, a warped board, dark stains that bicarbonate will not shift. Almost all of it can be fixed and nothing needs throwing away, and we will go through it step by step in an upcoming guide.
And if you are still deciding which board to buy, you will find the differences between teak, olive wood, acacia and End Grain over in the cutting boards.
If you are looking for a board that can take this kind of use for decades
We work with teak, olive wood and acacia, and with End Grain boards with a standing grain, which are the best for looking after your knife's edge.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use olive oil on an olive wood board?
No. The board being olive wood changes nothing: olive oil oxidises just the same and turns the wood sticky and rancid within a few weeks. Use food grade mineral oil.
How often should a wooden board be oiled?
Daily for the first week, once a week for the first month, then once a month. The real test is a few drops of water: if they spread instead of beading on the surface, it is time.
Can a wooden board go in the dishwasher?
No. Pressurised water, detergent and heated drying make the wood contract suddenly, and it cracks. Hand wash and dry immediately.
Why has my board warped?
Almost always because it dried faster on one side than the other, which happens when you leave it flat on the worktop after washing. Dry it with a cloth and stand it on its edge.
How do I get garlic or fish smell out of a board?
Coarse salt on top and half a lemon, scrubbing. Rinse, dry, oil. If the smell is stubborn, repeat and let the salt sit for ten minutes before scrubbing.
How long does a well cared for wooden board last?
With this routine, decades. Solid wood does not wear out with use: cuts close up again and the surface can be sanded and re oiled as many times as needed. What kills a board is the dishwasher or neglect.