How to Care for Your Custom Cutting Board

First off—huge thank you! You just brought home one of our custom boards, which means we officially poured a huge amount of love and care into your kitchen.

Luckily, custom cutting board care is actually super simple.

Since we build these out of premium hardwood, they are tough. But at the end of the day, it's still natural wood.

Think of it like your hands in the middle of a Midwest winter—if you don't hydrate, they'll get dry and admit it- eventually you'll get cranky!

Remember that little tin of beeswax we tossed into your bag? Stay tuned to read how to use that too.

Custom Cutting Board Care: The Basics

1.The Hand Wash Only Rule:

Seriously, keep it out of the dishwasher.

After dicing your potatoes or slicing up a brisket, wash the board in the sink with warm water and mild dish soap. Use your sponge like normally and wash the boards on BOTH SIDES, otherwise uneven distribution of humidity will cause your board to warp.

Never put it in the dishwasher, and never let it soak in the sink. The extreme heat and standing water will warp the wood faster than you can say "Meraki."

2.Towel Dry and Most Importantly Stand It Up:

Don't lay it flat.

Wipe it down with a clean towel immediately. Here is the trick most people miss: don't lay it flat on the counter to finish drying.

Stand it upright on its edge. This allows air to circulate around both sides of the board so it dries evenly and doesn't trap moisture underneath.

3.The Beeswax Spa Day (Every Few Months):

You do NOT need to do this every time you wash it.

Grab the free tin of beeswax we included in your box. Once every few months (or just whenever the wood starts looking a little dry and thirsty), apply a generous coat of wax all over the bone-dry board. You can use a soft cloth, but honestly, just use your bare hands!  It will hydrate them too! Make sure you hit the top, the bottom, and all four sides. Don't be stingy with it!

Let the wax sit on the board for at least a few hours—or overnight. The wood will drink up what it needs. In the morning, take a clean, dry cloth and buff off any excess wax in circular motions. The board should feel smooth to the touch and the colors of the wood grain will pop right back to life. Yay!

Two Extra Pro-Tips

1. The Lemon & Salt Scrub (For Odors)

Did you just chop garlic the size of Greece? If your board is holding onto smells, skip the harsh chemicals. Sprinkle coarse kosher salt heavily over the board, cut a lemon in half, and use the lemon perfectly like a sponge to scrub the salt into the wood. Squeeze the juice as you go. Let it sit for about five minutes, wipe it clean, and the smell will be totally gone.

2. The "No Cooking Oil" Rule

Never use olive oil, vegetable oil, or any standard cooking oil to hydrate your board. Food-based oils will eventually go rancid inside the wood fibers, and your board will start to smell terrible. Stick to the beeswax blend we provided, or pick up a bottle of pure food-grade mineral oil from the drug store.