How to care for a wooden serving board

A well-kept wooden board outlives every plate in the kitchen. A neglected one cracks, greys and warps within a year. The difference is about four minutes of care a month — here's exactly what to do, from the people who make them.

Washing: the two-minute rule

Wash your board by hand, in warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, immediately after use — and get it out of the water within a couple of minutes. Wood is a bundle of straws: leave it soaking and it drinks, swells, then cracks as it dries. Never, under any circumstances, put a wooden board in the dishwasher. The combination of prolonged heat, water and detergent will warp it beyond rescue in a single cycle.

Dry it standing on its edge, not flat. Lying flat means one face dries faster than the other, and uneven drying is what cups a board. Standing on edge, air reaches both faces equally.

Sanitising after meat, fish or garlic

For everyday use, hot soapy water is enough. After raw meat or fish, or when a board holds onto onion and garlic smells, scrub it with coarse salt and half a lemon — the salt lifts residue from the grain while the lemon's acidity neutralises odour and bacteria. Rinse briefly, dry on edge. White vinegar on a cloth works the same way if you have no lemons in the bowl.

Oiling: monthly, or when it looks thirsty

Oil is what keeps a board water-resistant and rich in colour. When a board starts looking pale, dry or "fuzzy" in the grain, it's asking to be fed. For a board in regular service, once a month is right; for an occasional cheese board, every three or four months.

• Use: food-grade mineral oil, fractionated coconut oil, or a purpose-made board butter (mineral oil + beeswax). These never go rancid.
• Avoid: olive, sunflower or vegetable oil — kitchen oils oxidise and turn rancid inside the wood, leaving a stale smell that never washes out.
• Method: pour on generously, spread with a cloth in the direction of the grain, leave overnight, wipe off the excess in the morning.

Restoring a tired board

A board that's gone grey, rough or scarred can almost always be brought back. Sand it with 120-grit paper along the grain, then again with 180 or 240 until smooth. Wipe off the dust with a barely damp cloth, let it dry, then oil twice over two days. Deep knife valleys that trap food are the one thing sanding can't fix — that's when a board retires to décor duty and a new one takes over service.

Engraved boards: does the logo need special care?

No — a laser-engraved mark is burned into the timber itself, so it can't wash off, peel or fade. Oil the board exactly as normal; the engraving will darken slightly and gain contrast with each oiling, which is exactly what you want. The one caution: if you ever sand a board aggressively for years, you're removing timber — shallow engraving on a heavily-restored board will eventually soften in detail.

For restaurants: a service rota that works

Boards in nightly service need a simple rhythm: hand-wash and edge-dry after every service, salt-and-lemon scrub weekly, oil the whole set on the first Monday of the month. Keep a few spares in rotation so oiled boards get their overnight rest. When ordering, order matched — identical boards can be re-stocked and replaced piece by piece without your tables ever looking odd.