Wood Care Tips

Enjoy The Beauty Of Your Product

The life of your cutting board or butcher block table can be extended by following some simple and easy care tips. It`s important to treat wood products correctly in order to protect them against mold growth, germs and splitting. This applies to both new and old/used products.

Seasoning New Cutting Surfaces

In order to prevent absorption of food colors and odors, bacteria and staining, it`s recommended to season your butcher block table or cutting board before first time use. For treating any kind of wood products, you should be using a food grade mineral oil. It`s the best choice for filling pores and keep away food particles, oils and other liquids. Don`t use regular cooking or vegetable oils for treating cutting surfaces, because those oils will turn rancid.

Other recommended products are coconut oil and beeswax. Coconut oil is very resistant to rancidity, doesn`t have to be stored in a fridge and is one of the healthiest oils to consume (to “treat” your body, add one teaspoon of coconut oil in a cup of tea twice per day). Another natural alternative is beeswax. A teaspoon of beeswax in one cup of mineral oil is placed in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds, and is then applied on the surface.

Beeswax is also great to use as a finishing top coat. When the oil is slightly warmed, you apply it with a soft cloth, in the direction of the grain. For first time seasoning, apply four to five coats. Each coat needs to soak in before starting on the next. The more oil you use, the better; don`t worry about using too much. After the last coat has been applied, you give the oil about five hours to finish the oxidizing and hardening process. Any excess oil that didn`t soak in, is wiped off.

To avoid bacteria and cracks, and to maintain quality, it is recommended that cutting boards and butcher blocks are oiled two to four times per month.

Sanitizing Cutting Surfaces

All cutting surfaces should be washed and sanitized regularly, but harsh detergents of any kind must not be used. Use one of these methods:

• Soap and hot water. Simply scrub the surface with soap and hot water, then rinse and dry thoroughly. Never put the product directly in a sink of water! The wood will soak up water, and when the cutting board dries, it will crack.
• Vinegar. Vinegar is great for disinfecting and cleaning cutting surfaces. After each use you simply wipe the surface with white vinegar. Acetic acid, which the vinegar contains, is effective against bacteria such as Staphylococcus, E. coli and Salmonella.
• Hydrogen Peroxide. A 3% hydrogen peroxide solution works great as an anti-bacterial agent. First you wipe the surface with a paper towel and vinegar, then you do the same with another paper towel of hydrogen peroxide.
• Bleach. Use a diluted vinegar or chlorine bleach solution made of one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach in one quart of water or a one-to-five mixture of vinegar to water. Flood the surface with the solution. After several minutes you rinse, air-dry and pat dry the rusface with some paper towel.

It`s important that wood surfaces, and other surfaces where food is prepared, are kept dry when they`re not being used. Without moisture, most bacteria only survive a few hours. Remember that the underside of the cutting board is kept dry, as well. A cutting board with legs will help keeping the underside dry while you work.

You may want to refinish your butcher block table from time to time, to remove stains, scratches and marks. By doing this, you help bring back that new look and feel of your butcher block table. Just remember that to avoid valley`s and hill`s, you`ll need to sand the top evenly.

To eliminate garlic, onion, fish and other "strong" smells from the cutting surface, one of these methods work great (check if you should re-season the cutting surface after you`ve used one of these methods):

• Baking soda or coarse salt. The surface is rubbed with one of these alternatives. After a couple of minutes you wipe and rinse the surface.
• Lemon. Fresh lemon juice is an easy technique to neutralize onion and garlic smell. Simply rub a cut lemon over the cutting surface.
• Vinegar. A spray bottle of undiluted vinegar comes handy, for easy cleaning and sanitizing.

Other Suggestions

Wood products must be kept away from extreme dryness and humidity. It can cause the wood to shrink and swell, which may lead to small cracks.

Do not modify your product in any way, without refinishing the exposed wood.

By changing side periodically, and spreading your cutting over the entire surface, it will wear more evenly.

A razor-edged cleaver must not be used (use dull sharpened, for best results), as this may cause soft spots and splinter the wood.