DIY Wood Conditioner

Zest it Up
by Zest it Up
3 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Easy
I have a major penchant for wooden utensils in my kitchen.
I just love how earthy they feel. They almost seem to be connected with folklore in my mind. Picking up a wooden spoon makes me feel connected to my ancestry as a cook. Actually, one of my favorite things in my mother’s kitchen growing up was a wooden spoon! When my mother was a young thing in her 20’s, she and my father had traveled to Ireland for a long stay. They had grown close with many locals and one in particular had made her a gift by hand-carving this wooden spoon for her to take home to her own kitchen. I used to love running my fingers over my mother’s initials that this distant Irishman had carved into the handle to grace the “hearth” in my family kitchen. It seemed so romantic with a capital “R”! Cooking with a hand-carved utensil from a distant land. It was a moment straight out of a Romantic poem.
Yes, I am waxing nostalgic, but honestly…I REALLY love collecting wooden utensils and cutting boards. They make me happy! So, besides sharing with you one of my unusual passions, I decided to share with you how I take care of these beauties (whether new or old).

Introducing Spoon Butter.
 


 
The recipe is simple:
1 part natural beeswax to 4 parts of sunflower oil (or any other neutral vegetable oil)
Thanks to beeswax, this stuff smells SO amazing…and does such an awesome job and restoring and maintaining anything wooden that is food related!
Simply add both ingredients to a glass bowl and pop in it into the microwave.  Once the beeswax has melted (it took mine just about 1 minute), pour the contents into a heat-safe container to cool.
Leave it to cool, coming back to it intermittently to give it a stir.  You want the beeswax and sunflower oil to stay blended as it cools. 
Once it turns a lovely opaque color, it is ready to use or to gift!
Obviously this “spoon butter” can be used on your spoons, but once you see how gorgeous it makes them, you will be busting out every cutting board and wooden bowl you own!  I promise! Even wooden cabinets or wooden furniture can get a good lather of this stuff!
Simply slather on a nice coat of the spoon butter and let it sit overnight.  In the morning, give your pieces a rub and they are done!  Gorgeous and smelling like honey!
This is such an easy recipe and makes such a wonderful housewarming gift as well.  Make sure to “cook” up a good batch for you to keep and to share!


Have fun turning your wooden utensils into heirlooms!
xoxo,
Chanda
Suggested materials:
  • Natural Beeswax
  • Glass jar
  • Sunflower oil (or any other neutral vegetable oil)
Zest it Up
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 15 questions
  • Tina Tina on Mar 13, 2017
    I see you mention cabinets and outdoor furniture. What about dining table and chairs?
  • Diana Jones-Cox Diana Jones-Cox on Mar 19, 2017
    Would grapeseed oil work?
  • Lani L. Misner Lani L. Misner on Mar 31, 2017
    Would organic coconut oil work as well?😇
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 39 comments
  • Jennifer Jennifer on Mar 14, 2017

    I think that the main idea about using mineral oil is that it doesn't turn rancid. I use it on the cutting boards.

  • Rivashaa Ecodesign Rivashaa Ecodesign on Mar 01, 2019

    Wood conditioner is a main thing to apply on cutting boards that we use everyday.

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