Don't let them stay wet for a long time and definitely oil them. I had a butcher block one on the counter between the sink and the stove and i left drying knives/dishes on it sometimes and it cracked in a couple of places right along the lines of the "blocks". It was not a cheap board either. Learned my lesson.

Take the time to hand dry them completely. My wood board has developed cracks from leaning it up on one side to air dry. Most of the board dried well, but the lower edge stayed wet too long.

For the most part, cutting boards are quite forgiving of the abuse we can put on them.

To add to this, the hard and fast rule in every professional kitchen I've worked in- if you prepare any kind of meat/seafood on a wood board, we'd spray it down with a diluted bleach after use. One thing you just don't want to mess with is the bugs left behind from raw meats. Best thing though is to cut meats on a plastic board and avoid them in contact with wood boards alltogether.

I'm not sure about the salt/lemon bit. Never heard of that and seems like it would just rough up the surface of the wood. Really, just washing it with warm soapy water and drying it you're fine. Oiling is important, like said, for butcher block type boards but for a generic cutting board, I don't worry about it.

I've used olive oil to oil my boards for many years now, and have never had it go rancid.

all natural wooden boards should be oiled to protect them and keep them from drying out. I like mineral oil. It is readily available at most pharmcies and other outlets. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

Oil both sides of the board. Por a bit of oil on and usre your hand to spread it around. Let it soak in so a while and then wipe off the excess.

The old adage for new boards or boards that have been abused is:

Oil once a day for a week
Once a week for a month.
Once a month forever.

Never put wooden boards in the dishwasher.

I like to use a plastic board for meats.

Wash right after using with the hottest water you can stand and plenty of soap on both sides to avoid warp. Rinse thoroughly. Allow to dry fully before storage. Monthly I use Three BEEautiful Bees - rub in with an old towel rag until it's fully absorbed, as stated in article. I also do this with my olivewood mortar & pestle and they look great.

My uncle is an amazing master cabinetmaker, and he says to never, ever, ever use soap on your wooden kitchen tools- just hot water and a careful dry. Also, do regular rubdowns with mineral oil.

Here's a related question: for a butcher block that stays on the counter all the time (e.g. I can't rinse it in water b/c it's too heavy), how can I avoid a permanent onion-garlic essence in the wood?

@petworthy - scrub with soap and/or salt + lemon right there where it lay. Scrape excess off with a pastry scrapper (plastic or metal works fine), wipe with a damp cloth to really remove the rest, then let it dry. Massage with a little oil once it has completely dried.

In culinary school the scrub and scrape is how we'd wash the huge work tables, metal or wood, at the end of the day after each class.

@petworthy, a friend made me a butcher block board that I avoid lifting because it is so big, and so I use my little plastic boards for anything that doesn't clean off easily with salt and a damp rag. After one time, I found garlic and onion were not a good mix with the butcher block board.

Whatever you do, always wash it on both sides, otherwise it'll warp.

I have 6-7 small, slim, lightweight wooden boards that fit in the dishwasher and are easily stored. Because they are cheap, I am not precious with them, and they get thrown in the machine with everything else. No need to clean one big, unwieldy board after chopping meat, etc - I just reach for a new one.

petworthy

To keep the onion and garlic oils from working their way into the cutting board, I use a thin flexible cutting mat on top of the board for onions and garlic.

this is what I use:

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChopChop/ChopChop.htm

container store usually has a pack of 2 - 11x15 ones for $2.99

The salt and lemon trick is supposed to work to get the odor out but I have never been satisified with the results. So I try not to cut onions and garlic directly on the good block.

I also have a small poly board that I'll sometimes use as well.

great tips! I also like the idea of using olive oil on my wood boards, shall have to get that a try! I do use the lemon method and like it.

I just wash with soap and hot water, rinse and wipe dry, though I don't worry about getting it bone dry. I've never had any problem with warping or splitting except last year when I slid my really big board into the handy space between a cabinet and my new Blue Star range--the heat from the side of the range put a nice bow in it. But I washed it and dried it with heavy books on top and after a couple of days it was fine.

I used olive oil but will switch on to mineral oil then, hadn't thought of the rancid issue!

Also, make sure your flatmates don't toss it in the dishwasher the one day a month they decide to clean the kitchen. I had a board ruined like that. :/

Woodcrafters Magazine just had a recommendation of mixing mineral oil and beeswax to make a cutting board/butchers block specific oil...

Curious-- Would you do something similar for a wood pizza peel? I'm not thrilled that the wood of my pizza peel seems to be developing a crack.