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How to care for wooden spoons!!!
If you would like your WOODEN SPOONS to last for many years… Always wash them with warm soapy water. Use soap and water to clean! There are a slew of various oils that can be used for finishing wood utensils. My favorite finishes for them is –
1. Pure Tung Oil and Natural Waxes
Or
2. Shellac and Natural Waxes
Whenever your wooden spoon looks old wash and dry it. You may notice that your utensil not only looks dull in color but it might feel rough as well. This is from a lot of good use and not much up-keep. We can make the wood flat again with a light sanding. After sanding clean them off good.
Once you have finished these steps above you can take a clean cloth and wipe any food safe oil on it. Besides the oil and wax mixture that I make (and will be selling soon) Howard’s Butcher Block Conditioner is one of my favorites and can be bought at Home Depot. All oils and waxes need to soak in for a period of 20 minutes or so. You will need to add a second coat after about 2-3 hours.You will continue to do this until no more will soak in.
This system works for Wood Bowls and Butcher Blocks/Cutting Boards as well.
Do it yourself kind people can try the Pure Tung Oil finish if they are up to it. Pure Tung Oil is not the same as what you get at Home Depot… Those will have varnish in them. So, if you plan to use the wood for food, then I would recommend you stay away from those.
Here is what you will want to have on hand if you use tung oil to finish your wood products –
– Sandpaper 220 grit, 320 grit, 400 grit and some 0000 steel wool
– Clean rags (I like the painters rags from Home Depot)
– Citrus Solvent (for clean-up and thinning)
– News Paper or Cardboard (to protect your work table from drips and spills)
– And Pure Tung Oil
Now that you have all your supplies pick out a good work area and lay out your news paper or cardboard. Get your sandpaper (220 grit) and wooden spoons. Go ahead and sand your wood making sure to sand in the direction of the grain. When you get all surfaces sanded wipe off the dust with a clean rag and then sand it with the 320 grit paper. Repeat these steps until you get the object as smooth as you want it.
Once you are finished sanding wipe off your wood one last time and replace the news paper. The surface should be dusted to remove all loose particles. For better penetration the oil can be thinned one to one with Citrus Solvent. You can lightly sand the first coat before applying a second. The first coat should be a liberal one, and you can rub it over the wood with your hand using a soft rag (you may want to wear gloves for this step). Allow this application to sit for 40 minutes so the oil can soak in. If it completely soaks into the wood, apply another coat.
Continue to apply coats until wood is saturated and stays glossy for 40 minutes. Then buff the whole surface. Let soak in completely overnight. Do not allow wet oil on the surface over night. Any wet oil should be wiped away with clean rags. For woods that are very dense thinning with two parts Citrus Solvent to one part oil will help it absorb better. Pure Tung Oil will take 15 to 30 days for a full cure.