Olive Wood Care Instructions

Olive wood grows slowly, naturally giving it a very dense structure, weight and hardness. This gives olive wood high cut resistance and resilience against acids, fat, and bacteria. Each olive wood product is a unique in structure and grain. Here are some tips for preseverving the beauty and longevity of your olive wood product:

• do not put in the dish washer
• clean with lukewarm water and a little detergent
• do not leave in water for prolonged time
• dry immediately
• let cutting boards dry upright
• rub with nutritional oil occasionally, take away excess oil afterwards

Olive wood is a natural product - crazes and changes in grain and color may appear.

Product Information:

Olive wood contains tannins. Under certain conditions, these can react with ingredients in soaps or cause visible discoloration.

Strongly alkaline soaps (high pH value), traditional curd soaps, and natural soaps with a high content of sodium or potassium hydroxide, as well as metal ions in the soap or in the water, may cause black-bluish stains. Tannins react particularly strongly with iron.

Acidic additives such as citric acid or lactic acid can also mobilize tannins.

Certain plant-based colorants as well as fragrances may interact with tannins, which can promote color changes.

In most cases, these discolorations are not due to “harmful chemical decomposition,” but rather to tannins being released from the wood or reacting with metal ions.

The wood itself is generally not structurally damaged, but it may darken visually or develop stains.

After a short time, the tannic acid is washed out and this phenomenon disappears.