Three habits, and it lasts a lifetime
Olive wood is forgiving, but it has one enemy: water left sitting on it. Everything below comes down to keeping the wood dry and lightly oiled.
The method, in three steps
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1 · Rinse
Clean, lukewarm water. A drop of mild washing-up liquid on a soft cloth for anything greasy. Never leave it soaking.
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2 · Dry standing up
Towel it immediately, then stand it on edge so air reaches both sides. Flat and damp is what warps a board.
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3 · Oil now and then
Every month or two, or when the surface looks pale. A thin coat of food-grade oil, half an hour, wipe off.
Caring for olive wood
Olive wood asks for very little. Three habits are enough to keep a board or a spoon in good condition for decades.
After every use
- Rinse under clean, lukewarm water. For anything greasy, a drop of mild washing-up liquid on a soft cloth is fine.
- Dry immediately with a towel, then stand the piece on edge so air reaches both sides. Wood left flat and damp is the one thing that warps it.
- Oil from time to time โ every month or two, or whenever the surface looks dry and pale. A thin coat of food-grade oil, left for half an hour, then wiped off.
Which oil to use
Food-grade mineral oil, or a beeswax and oil finish, are the safest choices: they do not go rancid. Olive oil and other cooking oils work in the short term but turn sticky over the months. We finish every piece with food-grade sunflower oil before it leaves the workshop.
What to avoid
- The dishwasher. Heat and long soaking will crack olive wood. This one is not negotiable.
- Soaking. Never leave a piece sitting in water, even for a few minutes.
- Strong colours. Beetroot, turmeric and red wine can stain. Rinse quickly rather than letting them sit.
- Direct sun and radiators. Dry heat over long periods pulls the moisture out of the wood.
If something goes wrong
The surface looks grey and dry. Normal after a few months of washing. Sand very lightly with fine paper if it feels rough, then oil it. It comes back.
A stain has set in. Rub with half a lemon and a little coarse salt, leave it a few minutes, rinse and dry. Repeat if needed.
A smell lingers. The same lemon and salt treatment, or a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water left on for ten minutes.
A fine crack has appeared. Usually a sign the piece has dried out. Oil it generously two or three times over a week. Deep cracks that run through the piece cannot be repaired.
Free care advice, for life
Not sure what to do about a stain, a dry patch or a fine crack? Send a photo of your piece to contact@nawaracraft.com, today or in ten years, and we will tell you how to look after it. This advice is free for as long as the piece is yours.
It is meant to change
Olive wood darkens and deepens as it ages, and the small marks a knife leaves on a board are part of its life rather than damage to it. A board that has been in use for ten years looks better than a new one.
A ten-year-old board beats a new one
Olive wood darkens and deepens as it ages. Knife marks are part of a board’s life, not damage to it. Cared for, it is the piece in your kitchen that improves.