Cleaning and Preserving a Butcher Block Counter

When we renovated out kitchen 2 years ago, I did a lot of research on what sort of counter top would work best for our island. After determining the most cost effective solution was to build it myself, I did just that.

I ripped 2" x 4" cedar boards, planed, glued, and sanded my way into a beautiful counter top.

I decided to leave it "unfinished" and just periodically oil and wax it, much like a regular butcher block.

The following set of instructions will explain how I maintain my counter top.

- I'm sorry to say I did not make a set of instructions for exactly how I built the counter top.-

The first thing is to clear off the counter and gather your supplies.

You will need:

hot water

rags

clean rags

000 steel wool

butcher block wax

food grade mineral oil

Using a clean rag, scrub the counter top with hot water. I do not cut anything directly on this counter, so hot water is sufficient most of the time. I will periodically wipe it with lemon juice to kill anything that might be on there.

Scrape any stubborn spots while humming "I love my kid, I love my kids, I love my kids"

Using steel wool, rub any really, really stubborn spots while humming "I really love my kid, I really love my kids, I really love my kids"

Once the top is clean, rub the wax of your choice liberally into the surface.

Using that trusty steel wool, buff the wax into the wood until it's a uniform coating.

Take a clean and dry rag and buff it some more until the surface feels glossy and dry.

Remember to rub with the grain.

Dampen a rag with some food safe mineral oil and wipe the counter down. Let the oil soak in and wipe off the excess with your buffing rag.

The oil really makes the wood glow.

I have to repeat this process about 3 times a year. It takes about 30 minutes depending on how dry the wood is.

Between these treatments, I wipe the counter down with a damp rag.

As always, thanks for reading my Instructable.