Kitchen Care
How to Oil a Wooden Cutting Board
3 min readUpdated September 2026
Oiling fills the wood's pores so water cannot soak in, which is what stops a board cracking, warping and holding odours. Use food-grade mineral oil on a clean, completely dry board, work it in with the grain, and let it sit overnight before wiping off what has not absorbed.
01
The method
- Wash the board and let it dry fully — hours, not minutes. Oil will not penetrate damp wood.
- Pour a generous amount of food-grade mineral oil on and spread it with a lint-free cloth, going with the grain and covering the edges and both faces.
- Leave it to soak in for several hours or overnight.
- Wipe off any oil still sitting on the surface. The board should feel satin, not greasy.
02
How often
- A new board: once a week for the first month, so the wood is properly saturated.
- After that: roughly once a month with regular use.
- The board tells you when — if water stops beading and soaks in as a dark patch, it is due.
03
Which oils to use and avoid
- Use: food-grade mineral oil, or a board cream that blends mineral oil with beeswax for a longer-lasting surface.
- Avoid: olive, sunflower, canola and other cooking oils. They oxidise and turn rancid in the wood, leaving a sour smell you cannot wash out.
- Avoid varnish or polyurethane on a cutting surface — they chip into the food.
04
If the board is already grey or rough
- Sand lightly with fine sandpaper along the grain, wipe the dust off, then oil generously and repeat the oiling once a day for a few days.
- A split along a glue line usually cannot be repaired safely; retire that board to serving duty.
- If you would rather not maintain wood at all, a non-porous stainless steel board needs no oiling and does not absorb odours.
Made by Gocha
Gocha Stainless Steel Cutting Board
View the productFrequently asked
Food-grade mineral oil, or a mineral-oil-and-beeswax board cream. Cooking oils such as olive or canola go rancid in the wood.
Weekly for the first month on a new board, then about monthly. If water soaks in instead of beading, it needs oiling.
No. It oxidises inside the wood and leaves a rancid smell that cannot be washed out.
No. Steel is non-porous, so there is nothing to seal — you wash, dry and use it.
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