How to Care for Your Wooden Boards and Utensils

Updated October 2026. First published January 2015.

Our wooden boards and utensils come with care instructions, but this is still the question we're asked most. The good news is that looking after timber in the kitchen isn't hard. It comes down to a quick wash, a good dry and a little oil now and then, plus a slight shift in thinking about what "looking after" really means.

Everyday cleaning in four steps

This is all most boards, spoons and spatulas need after everyday use:

1. Scrape and rinse. Scrape off food scraps and rinse the board under warm water.
2. Wash with a little detergent. Use warm water, a little detergent and your usual washing-up brush. Often warm water on its own is enough; use detergent for anything oily, like butter, cheese or meat.
3. Don't soak it, and never use the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergents are very caustic and dry the wood out, and the dishwasher (or a long soak in the sink) leaves timber sitting in water for far too long.
4. Dry it straight away. Wipe it with a clean tea towel, then stand it on its edge, or in the dish rack, so air reaches both sides. Store it somewhere dry, away from direct heat and strong sun.

After raw meat, chicken or fish

Raw meat, poultry and seafood can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning, so they need a little more care. The NSW Food Authority's advice for home kitchens is to use a separate board and knife for raw meat and poultry. If that isn't possible, wash the board and knife thoroughly in hot, soapy water and dry them well before you use them for anything else, especially food that won't be cooked, like salad or bread.

In our kitchen we just keep a few boards on hand. If one has had meat on it, it gets washed and we grab a fresh one for the vegetables. Simple.

Are wooden chopping boards hygienic?

Yes, and there's good research behind the old belief that wood has natural anti-bacterial qualities.

In a well-known University of Wisconsin study, food safety researcher Dean Cliver and his colleagues put bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria on boards made from nine different hardwoods and from plastic. On the wooden boards, the liquid soaked into the timber within minutes, and in most tests the bacteria couldn't be recovered from the surface afterwards. The bacteria drawn into the wood didn't multiply, and they gradually died off: even when very large numbers were used, at least 98% (and often more than 99.9%) were gone after 12 hours. On plastic, the bacteria stayed on the surface and could multiply overnight. The researchers concluded that their results "do not support the often-heard assertion that plastic cutting boards are more sanitary than wood". Cliver's later work found that knife-scarred plastic was very hard to clean by hand, while well-used wooden boards behaved much like new ones.

Some timbers seem to go further, with natural compounds in the wood helping to kill bacteria. A German study found bacteria died off much faster on pine and oak than on plastic or other woods. A 2022 Queensland Government study found that two Australian hardwoods, spotted gum and shining gum, held back the growth of a common bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) in lab tests, while plastic didn't; neither timber had any effect on E. coli.

None of this makes a board self-cleaning. Not every study agrees: some found bacteria can survive for a while inside the wood, and one study of boards washed the way commercial kitchens do found plastic came up cleaner. The NSW Food Authority treats both materials as safe when they're looked after: it says wooden and plastic boards can both be cleaned and sanitised, that a smooth, dense surface is easiest to keep clean, and that an oil or wax treatment helps stop a board absorbing water and food particles. So wash your board after every use, follow the raw-meat advice above, and resurface or replace any board, wood or plastic, with deep gouges.

If you're weighing up wood against plastic, our chopping board showdown goes into more detail.

Oiling: when and how

Think of it like skin care: cleanse, then moisturise. For wood, moisturising means oiling. You don't need to do it daily, just when the board or utensil starts to look dry or pale, or after a heavy workout like Christmas lunch.

Our Wood Butter ($24) is a blend of mineral oil and pure beeswax, made for wooden boards and utensils. To use it:

1. Start with a clean, completely dry board.
2. Apply a good coat with a lint-free cloth, working it into the surface and the edges.
3. Leave it for an hour or so.
4. Wipe off the excess and buff with a soft, clean cloth.

If you'd rather use what's in the pantry, any refined vegetable oil is fine. The one thing to avoid is virgin olive oil (or avocado oil). They aren't highly refined, which is what makes them delicious, but it also means they're thick and can attract mould in a warm, humid climate.

Some boards, like the Blackwood & Huon Pine Presentation Board and the Blackwood Extra Large Carving Board, can be ordered with a pot of nourishing cream for an extra pre-seasoning before first use, which the maker recommends.

Stains, smells and rough spots

• Smells (onion, garlic, fish): wash as usual, then rub the board with half a lemon dipped in coarse salt, rinse and dry. It's an old kitchen trick for freshening timber, not a replacement for washing.
• Stains: most fade with use and the next few oilings. Red wine and beetroot can mark pale timbers like Huon Pine, so wipe them up promptly.
• Rough or "fuzzy" grain: this can happen after a wash, especially on a new board. A light rub with fine sandpaper, followed by a coat of Wood Butter, smooths it out.
• Knife marks and scratches: these are normal and don't affect how the board works. If they really bother you, every five years or so take half a millimetre off the surface with a sander, give it an oil and it will be like new. Our thicker boards, like the 4cm Huon Pine Endgrain Cutting Board, have plenty of timber for that.

Wooden utensils: spoons, spurtles, spatulas and tongs

Utensils need the same routine as boards: a quick wash with a brush and a little detergent, then into the rack to dry. Keep them out of the dishwasher in particular. They're slender, with a large surface area for their size, so they dry out quickly.

A few favourites and what to know about them:

• The Classic Spurtle in Blackwood & Huon Pine ($29) is made for stirring porridge and anything thick and saucy. Wash and dry it straight after the porridge pot.
• The Hardwood Spatula ($49) comes in robust Australian hardwoods such as Turpentine, Spotted Gum and Blackbutt, with a chamfered edge that finds the corners of the pan.
• The Blackwood Kitchen Spoon ($29) is safe to use with non-stick cookware, and wooden utensils won't scorch or go "furry" at the edges.
• Salad servers, like the Raffan Salad Servers ($55), are kept in good condition by the oil in your salad dressing, so the more you use them the better they get. Give them a little Wood Butter if they look dry.

Classic Spurtle in Blackwood & Huon Pine$29View product →The Hardwood Spatula$49View product →Blackwood Kitchen Spoon$29View product →

Utensils darken with age and use, and that's fine. In the photo below, the spoon on top was about 18 months old; the stirrer underneath was around 12 years old, very dark, and its edge was still perfect.

Boxes, coasters and other pieces that just need a dust

Not everything wooden needs washing and oiling. Our pieces generally have one of three finishes:

• Natural oil finish (boards, utensils, salad bowls, cheese boards): wash gently and oil as described above.
• Burnished oil finish (salt and pepper mills, utensil holders, letter openers, walking sticks and similar): just wipe with a slightly damp cloth, with an occasional gloss of good-quality furniture oil.
• Waterproof finish (all of our boxes, plus pens, trivets, coasters and desk clocks): dust, and wipe occasionally with a slightly damp cloth.

There's more on this in our care and maintenance guide and in how to look after your handcrafted box.

Use them, don't keep them for best

We often hear that a board is "too beautiful to use". Our boards and utensils are made to be used, every day, for years. A few scratches and knife marks won't affect how a board works or how long it lasts, and wood ages gracefully in a way plastic never does.

Our cheese and serving boards are a slightly different case: they're made for serving and light slicing, not the rough and tumble of daily chopping. But it's fine to keep a favourite board for best, for dinners, brunches and picnics, and eventually let it slip into everyday use. An old, worn piece of wood still has warmth and beauty; an old, worn piece of plastic definitely doesn't.

You can see the whole range in chopping boards, kitchen utensils and wood care, and read more about the benefits of wooden utensils.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put a wooden chopping board in the dishwasher?

No. The caustic detergent and the long time sitting in water dry the timber out. Wash it by hand in warm water with a little detergent instead.

How often should I oil my board?

Whenever it looks dry or pale. There's no fixed schedule: a board that's used and washed every day will need it more often than a serving board that comes out for special occasions.

Can I use olive oil on a wooden board?

Refined vegetable oils are fine. Avoid virgin olive oil and avocado oil, which are thick and can attract mould in warm, humid weather. Our Wood Butter is made for the job.

Do I need a separate board for raw meat?

Food safety authorities recommend it. If you only have one board, wash it thoroughly in hot, soapy water and dry it well before using it for other food.

Can I soak a board to get stains out?

No. Leaving timber sitting in water isn't good for it. Wash, dry and oil instead; most marks fade with use.