Wood Care Guide
How to Care for Your Handcrafted Wooden Spatulas and Cutting Boards
Your Good Knot piece is made from carefully selected hardwood — walnut, maple, or cherry — and finished with 100% food-safe mineral oil. With a little basic care, it will last a lifetime and develop a beautiful patina that only gets better with age.
Here's everything you need to know.
The Golden Rules
These apply to every wood piece — spatulas, cutting boards, and anything else from our workshop:
Never put wood in the dishwasher. The heat and prolonged moisture will warp, crack, and split even the most well-made piece. Every time. No exceptions.
Don't soak in water. Washing is fine — soaking is not. Wood absorbs water, expands, and then contracts as it dries. Over time this causes cracking. Wash quickly and dry promptly.
Dry after every wash. Towel dry immediately after washing and stand upright or lay flat to finish air drying. Never leave a wooden piece sitting in a puddle of water on the counter.
Oil regularly. Wood needs moisture to stay strong and supple. We'll cover exactly how to do this below.
Washing Your Wooden Spatula or Cutting Board
Wash by hand with warm water and a mild dish soap. Use a soft cloth or sponge — no abrasive scrubbers. Rinse thoroughly and towel dry right away.
That's it. Wood doesn't need anything more than that for day-to-day cleaning.
For cutting boards that have taken on strong odours from garlic or onion, sprinkle coarse salt over the surface and rub with half a lemon. The salt acts as a gentle abrasive and the lemon neutralises the smell. Rinse and dry as normal.
How to Oil Your Wood
This is the most important maintenance step and the one most people skip. Oiling replenishes the moisture in the wood, prevents drying and cracking, and keeps the surface looking rich and alive.
What to use:
- Food-grade mineral oil (the best option — odourless, tasteless, and won't go rancid)
- Our own Board Butter, which combines mineral oil and beeswax for extra protection and a beautiful finish
- Coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil work in a pinch but can go rancid over time — use sparingly
How often:
- New pieces: oil once a week for the first month
- Ongoing: oil once a month, or whenever the wood starts to look dry or pale
How to do it: Apply a generous amount of oil to the surface with a clean cloth or paper towel. Rub it in with the grain. Let it soak in for at least 30 minutes — overnight is even better. Wipe off any excess with a clean cloth. Your piece should look visibly darker and richer after oiling.
For cutting boards, oil both sides and all edges to prevent uneven moisture absorption, which can cause warping.
Restoring a Dry or Neglected Piece
If your spatula or cutting board has been left unoiled for a long time and is looking pale, rough, or slightly cracked, don't worry — wood is forgiving.
Start with a light sand using 220-grit sandpaper, always moving with the grain. This removes any surface roughness and opens up the wood so it can absorb oil more readily. Wipe away the dust with a dry cloth, then follow the oiling steps above. You may want to apply two or three coats on the first pass, letting each coat soak in fully before applying the next.
In most cases a neglected piece can be brought back to looking almost new.
Using Your Spatula at the Stove
Our spatulas are tested for everyday cooking and can handle the heat and stress of a working kitchen. They are gentle on non-stick, cast iron, carbon steel, and all other pans and skillets, and suitable for both left and right-handed users.
A few things to know:
Don't leave your spatula resting in a hot pan or sitting across a pot of boiling water. Prolonged direct heat will dry out the wood quickly. Use it actively, then set it aside.
As you use your spatula over time, it will develop its own distinctive patina — slight darkening, subtle changes in the grain — that reflects the cooking it has been part of. This is not wear. This is character. It's exactly what good wood does.
Our Lifetime Guarantee
If your Good Knot piece fails due to a defect in material or workmanship, we will replace it free of charge. No questions asked.
If you ever have a question about caring for your piece, get in touch — we're always happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can wooden spatulas go in the dishwasher? No. The dishwasher's heat and prolonged water exposure will warp, crack, and eventually split any wooden kitchen tool, no matter how well it's made. Always wash by hand with warm water and mild soap, and dry immediately.
How often should I oil my wooden spatula? For a new spatula, oil it once a week for the first month. After that, once a month is enough for a regularly used piece — or whenever the wood starts to look pale or dry. It takes about five minutes and makes a significant difference to how long your spatula lasts.
What oil should I use on my wooden spatula or cutting board? Food-grade mineral oil is the best option — it's odourless, tasteless, and won't go rancid. Our Board Butter (a blend of mineral oil and beeswax) gives extra protection and a beautiful finish. Avoid vegetable, canola, or walnut oils for regular maintenance as they can turn rancid over time.
Can wooden spatulas be used on non-stick pans? Yes. Our spatulas are specifically designed to be gentle on all cookware including non-stick, cast iron, and carbon steel. The smooth hardwood surface won't scratch non-stick coatings the way metal utensils can.
My spatula looks dry and pale — is it ruined? No. Wood is very forgiving. Lightly sand the surface with 220-grit sandpaper, wipe away the dust, and apply two or three coats of food-grade mineral oil, letting each coat soak in fully. In most cases a neglected piece can be restored to looking almost new.
Can I use my wooden spatula to stir acidic foods like tomato sauce? Yes. Our spatulas are finished with food-safe mineral oil and sealed with Board Butter, both of which are stable in contact with acidic ingredients. Just make sure to wash and dry promptly after use.
Are Good Knot spatulas food-safe? Yes. Every spatula leaves our workshop finished with 100% food-safe mineral oil — no chemical stains, no varnish, no synthetic coatings of any kind. The wood itself (walnut, maple, and cherry) is non-toxic and commonly used in food preparation surfaces.
What's the difference between walnut, maple, and cherry spatulas? All three woods are hardwoods well-suited for kitchen use. Walnut is darker, with a rich chocolate-brown grain — it's the most visually striking. Maple is lighter and very dense, making it extremely durable. Cherry starts as a warm pale pink and deepens to a rich reddish-brown over time with use and light exposure. The performance is comparable across all three — the choice is largely about which grain and colour speaks to you.
How do I get rid of garlic or onion smell on my cutting board? Sprinkle coarse salt over the surface and rub with half a lemon. The salt gently scrubs the surface and the lemon neutralises strong odours. Rinse and dry as normal.
Can wooden cutting boards harbour bacteria? Research has shown that hardwood cutting boards are naturally antimicrobial — the dense grain structure draws bacteria below the surface where they cannot reproduce and eventually die off. Wash your board promptly after use with warm soapy water, dry it thoroughly, and oil it regularly to maintain the surface integrity.
Every Good Knot piece is handcrafted in Burlington, Ontario from carefully selected hardwoods. If you have a question not covered here, we'd love to hear from you.