Since I began using wooden cutting boards many years ago, I have been fairly religious about oiling and creaming them at least once a month, and my boards have held up extremely well (Boos).

It certainly keeps them looking good (if that matters), but after all these years it just struck me tonight that it seems kind of pointless and time-consuming to do both every time.

I'm considering just going with the oil from now on and leaving it at that. I can see the point of the cream (to "seal" the surface), but if you're careful and washing off after every use, is this really necessary?

I'm just curious what others are doing and what kind of results you're getting. Just oil? Just cream? Both?

I use a hot home mix of bees wax and mineral oil to treat my maple 20 x 15 x 3.5 inch board periodically.



After each use I use a damp paper towel to clean the surface. Disinfect if necessary although I have other boards (plastic) dedicated to raw meat, etc.

Depends on the quality of the wood and how aggressively you wash it. I’ve made a handful of end grain cutting board as wedding gifts as well as one for myself and there hasn’t been any problems or complaints of deterioration. I use mine for cutting up bbq cooked meat and raw veggies and wash with warm water and normal dish soap serval times a month for ~3 years now.

It’s still got a waxy feel to it from when I made it and oiled it but good with Howard’s board butter the kind that has oil and beeswax mixed in. I nuke it for 20-30 seconds before I apply and then rub it out after it dries with a clean rag. I lay down several coats beore presenting the gift

My mom has had a solid walnut end grain board/ chop block on her counter for the better part of her 50 year marriage and to my knowledge it’s never been re-sanded or re-oiled. Surface is hammered with knife scars. I offered to sand and oil it for her but she declined she washes with soap after use and towel drys the big drops and lets it air dry and it’s lasted 4+ decades.

So long story short shouldn’t need to oil that often unless your using and washing multiple times per day

I wash and dry mine, and put them in the cabinet.

I haven't oiled them at all, and have been wondering if I should. The larger one, I've had for probably 20 years. It shows some wear, but it's still fairly smooth and doesn't look abused. The smaller one is much newer, and shows it.

Soap and warm water, clean towel, storage. That's it, right or wrong.

Wash n wipe, let air dry.

When/if needed, sand with some 220 grit and wipe down with some boiled linseed oil.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Wash n wipe, let air dry.

When/if needed, sand with some 220 grit and wipe down with some boiled linseed oil.

Boiled linseed oil is linseed oil-based, but it isn't boiled - it has moderately nasty chemicals added to it to make it dry to a film faster than plain linseed (flax) oil.

The general consensus seems to be that the amount left in the film after it dries is probably not enough to worry about, but I'd personally skip it.

Soap, scrub brush & hot water. A spray of bleach & drip dry. I've thought about oiling with food grade mineral oil but the board is in great shape for its age.

We put a canning jar partially filled with mineral oil into the microwave; after the oil is hot we drop chunks of paraffin canning wax into the oil. The wax chunks go away in the hot oil. We add wax until seeing signs the oil is full of wax. Enough wax is added so that the cooled mix becomes solid, and looks like a jar of hard wax.

When ever the cutting board looks dry, the jar is put into the microwave, and heated until the wax/oil is liquid. This liquid is wiped onto the dry cutting board, and left to harden. Excess is wiped off. Treated this way the end grain cutting board, looks new, and is kinda sealed by the hardened wax.

I always have cleaned mine with boiling water, just pour it on and use a green scotchbrite to scrub anything off. Very rarely do I use soap, and never fully submerge the board in water. I'll spray it down with denatured alcohol or a sanitizer I use for brewing to make sure there's no pests growing on it.

Butcher block oil or mineral oil hand rubbed in for maintenance. Mineral oil w/ beeswax as the first coating after I make them.