cutting board maintenance
A few simple routines will keep your cutting board happy, beautiful, and highly functioning for years to come. Keeping your cutting board oiled has many benefits including maintaining the beauty of the wood, protecting it from staining, knife marks, and much more. Read about the features of our natural wood wax below, as well as a few additional tips and tricks to keep your cutting board in good shape. Don’t have the perfect wood cutting board yet? Check out some of our favorite brands here, and shop for our wax here.
how to keep your cutting board happy
Here are a few simple ways to keep your kitchen cutting board and other wood utensils in good shape.
- Do not put your cutting boards in the dishwasher! Washing wood in high temperatures causes the wood to swell and flex, which leads to cracks and general drying of the wood. Just use your sink and a good bar of chef soap!
- Oil or Wax your cutting board monthly. Seasoning your cutting board monthly will increase your cutting boards lifespan by years. Visit the shop to see our handmade cutting board wax products. Read about all of the benefits below.
- Deep clean with a white vinegar every 6 months. A great way to maintain your board, and do a deep cleaning is to scrub it with white vinegar every 6 months.
How does our seasoning wax work?
Pure coconut oil works to maintain the natural oil content of your wood cutting board, or kitchen utensils – moisturizing and conditioning it for a long life. Not only does this create a natural moisture barrier between the cutting surface and your food, but it also brings out the beautiful rich tones of the natural wood your cutting board is made from. Our wax contains coconut oil grown without chemicals, its hard at room temperature but easy melts into the wood as you apply. Our liquid oil contains fractionated coconut oil, a popular liquid version.
Our seasoning wax contains pure beeswax which creates a natural seal on top of the wood, protecting it from any discoloration, odors or staining. Beeswax has also been known to be naturally antibacterial.
A well seasoned cutting board will naturally resist odors and staining, keeping the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. Our wax product as an edge over the liquid oil in this function, as the beeswax working together with the coconut oil creates a more protective layer that reduces staining, odors, knife marks, blemishes and more.
We offer three subtle essential oil scents that provide a fresh & light aroma that will not interfere with cooking (don't worry they are super light!). Essential oils also have many beneficial qualities in themselves, and have been known to provide natural antibacterial properties. Our three stock scents are Pure Orange, Rosemary and Lime, and our special Chef's essential oil blend (see product page for details). We can also provide other scents upon request with quantities over 100 units per scent.
Keeping your wood cutting board oiled will drastically increase the lifespan of your wood products – not only in visual appeal, but for all of the reasons listed above. We have even seen people use this product to oil many other wood items, including front doors, countertops, tables and more. Of course those surfaces should not be "finished" or contain protective coatings of any kind (the wax and oil needs to soak into the wood to be effective).
Our recipes include only natural, simple, ingredients grown and produced without the use of chemical pesticides. Just read our ingredients! We don't hide anything, and do not use any chemical or syntheic ingredients or preservatives. Nature knows best. Besides beeswax, we are completely plant based. All of our ingredients are in harmony with nature - the way it should be!
