Home Remodeling Crash Course: What I Learned the Hard Way

Butcher block countertops are wooden countertops that are designed to provide a warm aesthetic to your kitchen, while also providing a functional cutting board across your entire countertop that can make working in your kitchen much more convenient. However, like all countertop materials, butcher blocks need to be properly maintained to ensure that that they stay in good condition over time.

General Cleaning

In order to maintain the general appearance of your butcher block countertops and prevent stains and discoloration from setting in, you should use common cleaning detergent and warm water to prevent food from sitting on your countertop for more than a few minutes. This is because wood will hold onto stains much easier than natural stone or metal will. If you're using your countertops as cutting boards, you should also spray the area down with vinegar afterwards to disinfect it (and rinse it off afterwards to remove the smell of vinegar).

Stain Removal

Stains can be caused by all sorts of foods and liquids, and can ruin the aesthetic of your countertops. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to remove stains from butcher block: lemon and table salt can be rubbed into light stains and left to sit overnight to bleach them away, leaving behind a pleasant smell.

Alternatively, baking soda and vinegar can be scrubbed into more stubborn stains and allowed to sit for ten minutes or so before being rinsed away.

A mixture of half bleach and half water will work as well, but you must take care to thoroughly rinse the area afterwards, and to apply an acidic substance like vinegar to where you applied the bleach to remove any trace amounts of bleach which may remain – which can be toxic if ingested.

Oiling

In order to continue using your butcher block countertops as cutting boards, you will need to oil them semi-regularly with natural oils that will prevent the wood itself from absorbing food particles that can cause rotting or go rancid. There are several different types of oils that can be used, but mineral oil tends to be the most commonly used one – avoid food based oils, since these can rot themselves over time. Simply rub the oil liberally into your newly cleaned countertop, and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes to absorb into the wood. If the oil pools in some areas, spread it out over the rest of the countertop until it's been completely absorbed. 

Contact a company, like Countertop Place The, for more help.