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Caring for wooden boards: oil, not soap

Ash and oak last for decades if they get a little attention. Here is the routine we use on our own boards.

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Ash serving board with cheese next to a glass carafe

Ash and oak last for decades if they get a little attention. Here is the routine we use on our own boards.

After every use

Rinse with warm water, wipe with a damp cloth and let the board dry standing on its edge. Never leave it in the sink and never put it in the dishwasher.

Once a month

Rub a spoonful of food-safe oil into both sides, leave it overnight and wipe off what the wood has not taken. Linseed or a mineral oil both work; olive oil can turn rancid.

When it looks tired

Light scratches disappear with fine sandpaper, grit 240, along the grain. Oil it afterwards and the board looks new again.