How do you guys care for your end grain cutting boards?


woodbutcher

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Most of the time I just use warm water after cutting veggies.  Every once in a while if the surface starts looking a little gross I'll use a couple drops of dish soap and scrub it with a brush.  Every few months I'll reapply mineral oil (I'm lying, I hardly ever do).

Best practice when washing a board is to get both sides wet so the wood stays in equilibrium, then lean it up against a wall until dry.  I keep mine stored upright because I don't ever want it laying flat.  The more it lays flat the more likely it is to warp.

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My first woodworking project was a cuttingboard that I use every day multiple times a day. I clean mine every day with dish soap and water on a sponge. Using the scrubbing side as needed. When I cut meat on the board I always wash it down as soon as possible afterwards. Every 6 months or so I apply a compound which is beeswax melted into mineral oil and then re solidified.  Its sold under various names but mine is called Board Butter. You can also make it yourself its pretty straightforward. 

I put feet on my large cuttingboards so they can never sit in water. Means you only get one usable side, but I find it to be worth it since you can never accidentally let it sit in a pool of water and it always drys well.

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Water after use for veggies / bread / etc, soap and brush after raw meat.


Every now and then (once a year or more) I rub it down w/ the oil that's made for that specific purpose. Forget the name at the moment but it's something mundane like "butcher block oil" / "cutting board oil" / "mineral oil" / all of the above

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Lots of good advice here. At least once per year I find it useful to ‘condition’ the board.  I simple homemade solution of mineral oil, beeswax (and maybe a little carnauba was if I’m feeling fancy) does a nice job of renewing the board (after a thorough cleaning and drying of course) 

In an old crock-pot I combine approx 8 parts mineral oil + 2 parts beeswax + 1/2 to 1 part carnauba wax (optional).  Once it all melts together I let it cool and then apply the resulting soft (thick gel consistency) mixture onto the board.  Wipe onto the wood surface thoroughly, let sit for a few hours and wipe away the excess with a paper towel.  If the board was cleaned and left to completely dry before applying the mixture it will absorb some of the oil/wax mix and be almost as good as new. Put some the unused gel mix into small plastic containers and share (or sell) with your friends - give it some pretentious name and it will seem fancy!

I should mention that I personally only use mineral oil, beeswax and carnauba wax that is labelled ‘food-safe’. I’ve heard some people add a few drops of lemon oil or other scent but I’ve never tried that. If you do add anything, be sure it’s actually ‘food-safe’ as many products that seem like they should be relatively harmless can actually be quite toxic if they were not Intended to be a food product.

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