those of you with wooden worktops how do you clean them?

[mothersmilk]

im soon to be getting my new kitchen fresh with lovely oak tops. Dh is making it as he owns a bespoke kitchen buissness but is not being very forth coming with how i am to clean it, as he is addiment it is not a good idea to have them in a 'working family kitchen' all he's said rather helpfully is that he'll have to re oil them every six months. im just wondering wether you can wipe them down like regular plastic ones with detol?
tia

[Fayrazzled]

I wipe mine down with hot, sopay water usually. Occasionally Dettol or similar kitchen spray. Always dry them immediately and don't get them wringing wet.

I love my oak worktops but I know lots of people consider them hard work. No trouble here.

[mamaloco]

He is on the optimistic side with every 6 months. If you clean it with dettol, you probably have to reoiled it every month. BTH they are a nightmare if you want a clean kitchen. But ours was already damaged when we moved in.

[FerminaUrbinoDaza]

Our wooden tops are varnished (yacht varnish) and are still a PITA TBH. Rotten by the tap, black under the espresso machine, bald were the cleaner got oven cleaner on them, scorched from DP's cooking adventures...

Has he already bought the wood? I'd seriously reconsider if I were you, your DP is speaking as an expert in this instance rather than a DH (IYSWIM). I'd listen to him. It'd be awful if your lovely new kitchen looked shit really quickly, wood worktops are hard work and you have to be careful with them.

Given the choice (and budget) I'd always go for stone. Something in a sandy colour would give a similar visual effect to oak without the hassle.

[Bunbaker]

Don't do it. Your OH is right, they are extremely impractical. They will look fabulous for the first few weeks then they will become more and more shabby.

I have wooden worktops and they are a nightmare. They mark easily, they have gone black around the sink and you can't even put a cup of coffee on the worktop without a mat.

You can get a special oil for keeping them in good condition, but it isn't really meant for surfaces on which food is prepared. I ended up sanding mine and putting a couple of coats of satin finish varnish on them. I am now looking to replace mine with something more practical and hard wearing.

I just use a kitchen cleaner on my surfaces to keep them clean and germ free.

Wooden worktops aren't worth the hassle of keeping them looking nice.

[WhatsWrongWithYou]

Ours are iroko which is a hardwood so probably more hard-wearing than oak. I'm sure this is why the kitchen builder recommended it.

If you can afford granite, go for that - I wanted it but we didn't have the extra 3k it would have cost.

After 3 years the iroko doesn't look too bad (considering we've never oiled it!) but is starting to fade around the taps and definitely doesn't look smart.

[cece]

I have walnut and just wash it with hot soapy water when I wash up.

Had no problems with mine, love it in fact. No real problem with the occasional oiling. Just wipe it the oil on every now and again with a cloth. No harder than wiping it down with soapy water.

[mothersmilk]

i dont like the sound of anything on granite i just couldnt have it makes my teeth hurt iynwim. Its my dream kitchen so i want what i want iyswim? thanks for the info though hot soapy water sounds good with a well wrung cloth i do plan on get dh to make me lots of chopping boards in various sizes from the off cuts will also be ordering a lump of granite from our marble guys for pastry and such like (i dont think dh realises that after years of listening to him go on about work that iv actual got a battle paln for keeping them in good nick) thanks

[frenchfancy]

I love my wooden tops. I just wipe them down as you would any other top. OIling every 6 months would be fine, mine only get done once a year.

The only thing I have really found that stains them is egg white (no idea why).

I don't have them round the sink though, I would avoid that if possible.

[FerminaUrbinoDaza]

I don't like granite either, or marble for that matter. Limestome (sealed) is another matter. I'd love to have black slate.

But, if you know what you want and your happy to put the work in and deal with 1001 chopping board, good luck to you. I bet it'll look fab.

[ceres]

i have solid oak worktops. i love them and they still look great almost 3 years down the line.

tbh besides oiling them occasionally (maybe twice a year) i don't do anything to them and haven't had any problems with water marks or scorching. and i am really not careful.

the only time i have managed to mark them was when i put a wet tin down. it left a black ring, i just sanded the mark out and reoiled the worktop - that's the best bit about them, any marks sand out.

[hobnob]

I have lovely oak tops. Go for it! If you oil them (with Danish oil) quite a lot at first, then less frequently as time goes on, then all you have to do (i.e. all I do)is wipe them with a damp cloth, soapy or not, or a non-stick type scourer for getting more subtantial bits off it. If you take care of them (which isn't that much hard work) then they'll love you back.

Where are you getting them from? Thanks, I think, to ceres, I got mine from Barncrest and am very happy with them (or it I should say, as it's one length).

[emsyj]

We had wood surfaces in our old house and eventually varnished them repeatedly with yacht varnish until they were as durable as a laminate surface. Agree though that you really DON'T want wood near the sink as it warps really quickly and easily. Have a bit of something else around the sink if poss.

[CerealOffender]

i just wipe them down with a dampened cloth. the sink is separate from the worktop so we don't have any blackening. there is no way on earth i would ever have a sink near wooden worktops again.

[OhRetro1]

Hi Mothersmilk, I was wondering if you got your oak worktops and how they have held up to your daily grind?

kind regards?

[nannylove]

Our wooden worktops became very sticky after treating with Danish oil! So we scraped them back to the bare wood and bought Ronseal worktop oil! Brilliant - antibacterial and waterproof! Dries quickly and no fumes. Then just clean with Parker and Bailey kitchen cabinet cream - no problem, sorted!

[blowmybarnacles]

I just use a damp cloth.

Avoid wood around the taps. We have been bleaching the black out but if will never look as lovely as it did.

[drinkingchanelno5]

I love my oak worktops and have never had any trouble with them. I've never had to re-seal or anything in the six years I've had them. I'm not sure what the cleaner does with them but I just use method spray each night and they are fine. They give such a warm feeling to a kitchen, I always think granite etc looks so cold.

[aliceinwonderlandsyndrome]

I have wooden worktop in my kitchen and i love them. To clean my worktops i use this countertop magic It's a streak free polish and cleaner for your worktop. It always leave my worktop sparkling.

[myusernamewastaken]

I have iroko too and mine still look really good after 7 years....i oil very rarely...

[Gigi97]

I have wooden oak worktops. Reading some the comments about it looking shabby really quickly, is true because they are then saying they use kitchen cleaner/detol to clean it! That’s why it looks shabby. You are ruining the wood. Wood is a naturally hygienic surface so you don’t need to be putting all those chemicals on it. Just use soapy water (but dry immediately afterwards) & polish for regular cleaning. Then every so often oil it. It is harder to look after more than other materials for worktops, but if you know how to look after it it’s fine.

[OperationRinka]

I'm a complete slob when it comes to cleaning. I use whatever's nearest to clean my island wood worktop and shove IKEA Skydd treatment on whenever I can be bothered.

But I would avoid having it near the taps at all cost - I have quartz there.

[mackerella]

@OperationRinka and others who have said that they have something different round the sink: would you mind sharing a picture of that, please? I'm very happy with our oak worktops everywhere except round the sink, and am considering replacing just that section with something else (like quartz). But I'm worried that it will look weird, and can't find any pictures of anything similar online!

[OperationRinka]

I've got a stand-alone wood topped island and then the sink and hob are is on a separate wall with quartz. I'm not sure how you'd manage a split surface on a single run.