Care & keeping.
How to care for a wooden chopping board — washing, drying, oiling and reviving. A Timbermere piece is made to be used; cared for simply, it will only get better with time.
Caring for a wooden chopping board is simple: wash it by hand in warm soapy water — never the dishwasher; dry it standing on its edge; and re-oil it with a food-safe oil whenever the surface starts to look pale or dry, roughly once a month in regular use. Do that, and a hardwood board will serve for decades. Here's the full routine, from daily washing to reviving a tired board.
- Hand-wash in warm, soapy water
- Dry it straight away, standing up
- Re-oil when it looks dry
- Lift marks with salt & lemon
- Use the dishwasher
- Leave it to soak
- Microwave it
- Stand it by a radiator or in the sun
Everyday care, in five steps
Wash by hand. Warm water and a little mild soap, then rinse — never the dishwasher.
Dry it straight away. Towel off, then stand the piece on its edge to air fully. Never leave it soaking or lying in a puddle.
Re-oil when it looks dry. Wipe on food-safe oil, let it soak in for twenty minutes or so, then wipe the excess away.
Revive a tired board. A light sand with fine paper and a fresh coat of oil bring the surface back smooth.
Store it well. Keep it out of the dishwasher and microwave, and away from radiators and direct sun.
Everyday use
These are working pieces, not ornaments. Use them daily — a little patina, the soft darkening of a well-loved board, is simply the wood earning its keep. Looked after with the few small habits below, a piece only gets better with the years.
Washing
Wash by hand in warm water with a little mild soap, then rinse. Neverthe dishwasher, and never leave a piece to soak — standing water is the one thing wood won't forgive.
Drying
Towel-dry, then stand the piece on its edge to air-dry fully before putting it away. Don't leave it lying flat in a puddle or sitting in the sink.
Re-oiling
When the wood starts to look pale, dry, or thirsty, give it a coat of food-safe oil: wipe it on, let it soak in for twenty minutes or so, then wipe the excess away. The finish is meant to be renewed — a tired piece comes back to life with a single coat.
How often? Whenever the wood looks pale or feels dry — about monthly in daily use.
Reviving a tired piece
If the surface feels rough after washing, the grain has simply lifted — a light sand with fine paper, then a coat of oil, brings it smooth again. Most marks and shallow scratches sand out the same way.
For a fuller walkthrough — washing, oiling and bringing a tired board back — the journal guide to looking after a wooden chopping board goes step by step.
What to avoid
No dishwasher, no microwave, no long soak. Keep pieces away from direct heat and prolonged sun, which dry the wood out and can cause cracking — and skip bleach and harsh detergents.
Stains & odours
For a stubborn mark or a lingering smell — garlic, onion, fish — scrub with coarse salt and the cut face of half a lemon, or a paste of baking soda and water. Rinse, dry, and re-oil.
A living material
Wood moves a little with the seasons. Slight movement, or fine surface lines (“checking”), is normal in a solid hardwood piece — not a fault. Keeping pieces out of extremes of heat and damp keeps it to a minimum.
If you are weighing the material itself — what wood, plastic and glass each do to a knife edge, and how they behave after years of use is the longer answer.
Finish & allergies
Every board is finished with Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil and Walrus Oil Wood Wax— a food-contact-safe oil-and-wax finish. It may contain mineral oil, beeswax, fractionated coconut oil and vitamin E. We don't use walnut oil, peanut oil or sesame oil in the finish.
The pieces themselves are natural hardwoods — American black walnut, maple, cherry, beech, and other species depending on the piece. If you have a severe allergy or sensitivity to a wood species, coconut-derived ingredients, or beeswax, please contact us before ordering.
Common questions
Can a wooden chopping board go in the dishwasher?
No — never. Heat and standing water force moisture deep into the grain, and a soaked board will warp or crack. Wash by hand in warm soapy water, rinse, and stand it on its edge to dry.
How often should I oil a wooden chopping board?
Whenever the surface starts to look pale or feels dry — roughly once a month in regular use. Wipe on a food-safe oil, let it soak in for twenty minutes or so, then wipe the excess away.
Which oil should I use — and can I use olive oil?
Use a food-safe board oil. We finish every board with Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil and Wood Wax, and a plain food-grade mineral oil also works well at home. Don't use olive, sunflower or other cooking oils — they never fully dry, and in time they turn rancid in the wood.
How do I get stains and smells out of a wooden board?
Scrub the mark with coarse salt and the cut face of half a lemon, or a paste of baking soda and water — then rinse, dry standing on its edge, and re-oil. That lifts most marks and kitchen smells like garlic, onion and fish.
What should I do if my board warps or cracks?
Slight seasonal movement and fine surface lines are normal in solid hardwood — keeping the board away from the dishwasher, radiators and direct sun keeps them to a minimum. If a board has genuinely warped or split, it can often be re-planed and re-oiled rather than replaced: our Refresh Service does exactly that by post, for boards we made and boards we didn't. Send photographs and you'll get a fixed price before you commit to anything.