Olive_wood_laser_engraved_cutting_board

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

  • 1 · Rinse

    Clean, lukewarm water. A drop of mild washing-up liquid on a soft cloth for anything greasy. Never leave it soaking.

  • 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.

  • 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

  1. Rinse under clean, lukewarm water. For anything greasy, a drop of mild washing-up liquid on a soft cloth is fine.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

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.

Olive wood oval serving board with a trendy design, stylish display

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.

Why olive wood